A Chapter From My Next Book
I keep a folder on my computer desk top with musings on a variety of subjects. I keep telling myself I will write another book someday, but the reality is that "someday" ain't any time soon.
Back in late 2011 and early 2012 when I experimented with a newsletter format, I wrote more in depth pieces about preparedness. And I don't mean just the how-to stuff. I wanted to get beyond that and branch into analysis of news and trends. I don't think I was very successful. No one came to me and said "Based on your newsletter, I've completely bought into what you're saying." I found it somewhat cathartic nonetheless, using the newsletter as justification to spend more time researching and analyzing what was happening around us.
One of my high school English teachers, Ron Smith, had us journal once a week about whatever subject fancied us. Up to that point, I'd never sat down and committed my thoughts to writing on a regular basis. I found that experience helpful; in a sense, blogging is the new journaling. And because I travel a lot, I often sit with my laptop on a plane or in a hotel room and "journal" as we called it back then. Much of the end product is useless, yet every now and then I come up with interesting observations.
One day, flying home from a business meeting, I wrote out the high points for a chapter I simply entitled "On Citizenship." To date, it's been one of my more favorite writing efforts.
I'd like to share it with you below. Before you read it, ask yourself: am I preparing so I can be part of the solution after an emergency, or am I preparing just so that I'm not part of the problem? I would suggest to you that good preparedness isn't about guns or water or storable foods or canning or victory gardens. Good preparedness is good citizenship. And good citizens look for ways to help, even in times of crisis.
While none of this is novel to most of you, it may be food for thought for many in the preparedness community. Many in this community - the "I've got mine so screw everyone else crowd" - have grown rather self centered, but not because they are selfish. I suspect this happens to most of them because they've been chided or ridiculed by society so often for expressing a desire to be more self sufficient. This results in a desire to emotionally retreat from our civic duties and instead focus on one's self.
I totally get that mindset. I've been guilty of it myself. But as we ponder the deeper reasoning behind our efforts, we should all take a mental inventory and ask ourselves: to what extent to we plan on helping others in a crisis?
My thoughts on citizenship and preparedness are below. What are yours?
1. You, and you alone, are responsible for your safety, well-being and
happiness. It’s not the government’s job,
church’s job, nor your family’s job to provide for an adult’s well-being. You are ultimately responsible for your
situation. We are all born with some
sort of gifts as well as limitations.
What we do with them is up to us.
The attitude we choose to have towards life is just that – our choice. Those whose preparedness plan is nothing more
than following the instructions of government officers and depending on it
for food, water and shelter will be sorely disappointed in the quality of their
lives post disaster. Just ask those in
New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
2. Followers are a dime a dozen. We need leaders. People
associate being a leader with holding some sort of elected office in
government, the local PTA or HOA board.
We can all be leaders without ever holding office. Leaders are the ones who demonstrate good
citizenship, a willingness to work hard to help the community, exhibit wise
thinking and knowledge, and inspire others to do the same. Don’t be afraid to do these things. We have plenty of couch sitters and ass
scratchers in society. We need more
people out doing – leading a scout troop, teaching a Sunday School class,
or even picking up litter on the side of the road.
Our movement is short of leaders offering solutions other than buying
some land out in the middle of nowhere and becoming a homesteader (again, I am
not being critical of those who do this; I just don’t think it’s realistic in
our society for large numbers of people to do so.) If you want to see more people being
self-reliant, lead your own effort to make it happen and to encourage others to do so.
3. Help others, even when it’s sometimes inconvenient to do so.
Be charitable. Tithe. Offer to help your friends when they need
something. Help them when they move into
a new home or need a ride to the airport.
Have them over for dinner. When
you help others, you demonstrate you are concerned with their well-being. This makes you more effective when you
encourage them to prepare.
4. Build relationships. Write notes to people to let them
know you’re thinking about them. Reach
out to those who are ill. Take an
interest in their kids. People listen to
whom they trust and value. By building
relationships, we put ourselves in a position to effectively encourage people
to be more prepared for emergencies.
5. For those who have done a lot for you, do a lot for them.
Some people are givers by nature.
If someone has done a lot to help you or your kids, do the same for them
to the extent you can. Don’t be a
taker. Acknowledge their contributions
to you by going the extra mile for them.
Effective preparedness in the suburban environment requires a sense of
community. The givers are the people you
want on your team.
6. When you commit to doing something, see it through.
Your friends and neighbors need to know that when (your name here) says
they will do something, you can take it to the bank. If you say you’ll man the grill for the
neighborhood barbecue, by all means show up and do it.
When you say you’ll provide beverages and snacks for the school’s
fundraiser, do it. The world is full of
people who agree to do things and flake out.
Don’t be a flake. You are a
survivalist. Survivalists are not flakes.
7. Never stop seeking the truth. A big chunk of what
you think you know is wrong. Information
and innovation changes the way we think about and do things. Never be satisfied that you know enough about
the economy, politics, or God. Never
assume all of your opinions are correct.
Have enough character to be willing to re-examine what you know to
ensure you are on the right track. In a
grid down situation, you will need every ounce of your analytical abilities and
knowledge. Don’t shortchange yourself by
failing to grow mentally.
8. Never stop self improvement. Work incessantly on
physical fitness, spiritual development, your physical appearance and health, your
attitude towards life and others.
Operating under emergency conditions will require you to function at
peak performance in every aspect of your life.
Condition yourself now for that contingency.
9. Be in the know. Know what the weather forecast is. Know what’s happening in the financial
markets. Know what political issues are
front and center at all levels of government.
You may get precious little warning before an emergency. Not being a total dumb ass as to what’s going
on around you will help you prepare.
10. Toughen up.
Being prepared for an emergency requires a tremendous amount of mental,
physical and emotional toughness. It’s
not the time to be weak. Learn to do
difficult things without complaining.
Things are not nearly as bad as you often think they are. Nor are they as bad as they could be.
11. Get a gun and know how to use it
safely and effectively. When seconds count, the cops are
minutes away. The gun is one of the
greatest life safety tools ever invented.
It can give an 80 year old woman a fighting chance against a 25 year old
thug. If you fear guns, it only means
you need to learn how they work. Seek
out a good instructor who can help you learn. Effective and safe gun ownership isn’t hard to
learn, but it does take a commitment to do so.
12. Be able to provide for your family’s
needs in a grid down environment for at least 90 days. Originally when I wrote this, I felt you should be able to
provide for your family for an entire year.
However, I’m a realist – most people will do well to be self-sufficient
for 90 days. If you can manage on your
own for three months, you can weather all but the most catastrophic
emergencies.
13. Be happy in your own skin. So many today live through the lives of others, enabled by
the growth of reality television. If
you’re constantly improving yourself, you are making the best with what you
have. Be happy with that. Don’t fret over what you don’t have. It won’t do any good. It will also condition you to not fixate on
what you’re lacking during a protracted emergency
14. Get in shape.
Most of us are overweight and in poor condition. I know this from seeing the waistlines of
many of us walking around in public. I also see it when I look at the guy in the mirror.
Getting in shape costs little and is one of the most effective
preparations you can make for a crisis.
15. Be a good steward of what you have.
This includes not only your finances but also your home, your body, your
tools, and the environment. Make the
stuff you own last. Ensure that what you
have is reliable and in good working order.
The power outage affecting your neighborhood is not the time to realize
your generator isn’t working due to neglect.
Eat healthy. Get regular check
ups.
16. Read good books. Reading fiction from time to time
can be stimulating, but books on such subjects as politics, the economy, history, spiritual matters, psychology and
how to do things are far better for you.
17. Learn new skills that would be
beneficial in a crisis. Welding, first aid, solar
electricity, gardening, wood working, making repairs around the house, fire
fighting, ham radio, and preparing food in a grid down environment would all be
helpful skills to have. If you can do
some of these things well, your help will be in high demand in an extended
crisis.
18. Be a model citizen.
Vote. Be courteous in public.
Don’t be a jerk. Don’t litter. Don’t do anything you don’t want caught on
surveillance camera and shown on the local news. Respect the rights of others, even if you
don’t agree with their cause. Look for
ways to help people. Your 30 seconds of
assistance to someone may help them in some fashion that’s worth far more than
30 seconds of your time.
19. Share your knowledge with others and
encourage them to prepare. There are countless ways to do
this. My wife and I once had our supper
club group over with a disaster food preparation theme – we demonstrated a
variety of storable foods and alternative cooking methods to our friends. Forward articles to them on various threats
we face and ask “what’s your take on this?
Do you think this is something we should be prepared for?” Let them know that while you’ll do you what
you can to help them during an emergency, you won’t be able to provide for all
of their needs in a crisis. They will
need to be prepared to take care of themselves.
20. Never stop instilling positive
thoughts and ideas into your kids. This may not seem
like something a survivalist would concern themselves with. You need to do so. Your kids need to understand they are
special, strong, and capable of handling any challenge thrown at them. Note I am not saying you should coddle your kids,
turning them into mush. They need to
understand hard work and failure. They
also need to understand that you love them regardless and that you think they
can thrive during life’s challenges. Set
a good example for them. When you make a mistake, own up to
it. They need examples of how to handle
failure and mistakes, too.
21. Never forget the sacrifices of those
before you. A tremendous number of Americans have
given their lives so that we could be free.
A tremendous amount of our ancestors have worked hard and lived
earnestly in order to put you and me into a better position than they were
in. For example, my parents were rather
poor when my father was in dental school.
My mom made his lunch for him every day, and to save money, she packed
his sandwich in an old bread wrapper she re-used every day for that
purpose. Years later, when I heard that
story, I began packing my own lunch time sandwich in an old bread wrapper, as a
daily reminder to me to be thankful and appreciative of the sacrifices my parents
made to give me the opportunities I have today.
22. Confront evil with extreme prejudice.
Note I did not say “confront evil with extreme violence.” We must confront evil in order to eradicate
it. Confronting it with extreme prejudice
means dealing with evil in a purposeful manner.
Bring it to people’s attention.
Demand it be stopped. Take action
to the extent you legally and morally can to end it.
23. Find what motivates you and use that
to your advantage. We are all motivated to prepare for
different reasons. Some of us relish the
opportunity to challenge ourselves in a grid down environment. Others are motivated to prepare to protect
their families. Many prepare because
they want to help others in the community.
A few prepare out of a general sense of bad ass-ness. Find what motivates you – even if its fear of
a zombie apocalypse – and use that as your motivation to push your preparedness
efforts.
24. Avoid violence, but be prepared to protect you and your family from imminent serious bodily injury. Colonel Jeff Cooper famously wrote
“we are not conditioned to kill another person.” Taking another life, even in defense of our
own, is an unnatural act. It requires a
mindset to do so in order to protect you and your family. When the time comes you need to be capable to
what is necessary to preserve you and your family’s lives.
25. Show no favoritism towards the poor
nor disdain towards the wealthy. Consider Leviticus 19:15: "Do not twist justice in legal matters by favoring the poor or being partial to the rich and powerful. Always judge people fairly." Class warfare has permeated our
political debate. It’s unbiblical to
favor one group over another based solely on their financial status. If you’re guilty of this, stop it. In a full blown crisis, the poor person who
has handy-man skills becomes rich. The
wealthy person you detest could have resources you may need to survive. These two individuals may need each other in
that situation.
26. Pay attention to your surroundings. Where is the nearest exit? Can you
describe the suspicious person you see at the neighborhood? What is the license plate number of their
vehicle? Does that mom with two little kids
at the grocery store need your assistance?
Survivalists are attentive to the world around them.
27.You can take a small flashlight, a
pocket knife, and a cell phone almost anywhere in
America. Learn new ways to use these items effectively
in an emergency. Never leave the house
without them.
28. Make an every day carry (EDC) kit.
Have it nearby wherever you are.
Most of us will never have to fight our way out of a crazed gunman at
the mall or live through a protracted economic collapse. The odds are much higher
that you will have to bandage up a neighborhood kid or make a quick repair of a
pair of eyeglasses at work. Survivalists
prepare themselves to handle large and small emergencies.
29. Choose your close friends well. Earlier I mentioned the need to build
relationships with a variety of people; that suggestion still stands. When it comes to choosing your close friends,
choose well. Choose people who value
good citizenship like you do. They don’t
have to be survivalists, but they do need to share your core values. They need to be people who are givers like
you, not takers. They need to be solid,
reliable, stand-up kind of people. As my
friends back home in Tennessee used to say, “true friends are the kind that
show up when you ask them to meet you somewhere with a shovel and not ask any
questions.” Don’t look for people your
own age, profession, religion, sexual orientation, nationality or race. Things like that don’t matter when the flag
goes up. You need to know they pack the
gear – mentally, physically, and emotionally – to help out in times of trouble.
30. Know what you will do in the event of
a fire, severe weather event, emergency medical event, or threat of
violence. Learn how to do CPR and use a fire
extinguisher. Get a weather radio and
use it. Think about what you’d do if
there were an act of violence in the various places you visit daily.
32. When you travel, have a set of
emergency supplies that stay in your suitcase.
Some emergency foods, a small AM/FM radio, some first aid items, a few
extra batteries for your flashlight and radio can come in very handy during an
emergency when on the road.
