Originally posted 2017-08-12 17:11:08.
Today’s article will be a little bit more on the theory side than anything concerning a particular piece of gear or product, but it’s something I have thought quite a bit about over the years as I entered into the realm of preparedness. I am sure anyone that has at least prepped a little bit for an emergency has gotten the glassy eyed, stereotypical response of “you’re acting crazy, nothing like that is ever going to happen here”. If you’re like me, you choose consciously to ignore the naysayers in your family and put a little bit back for them as well, but honestly is it really worth it? Is prepping for ungrateful family members something you should even bother doing?
Of course, everyone’s situation is different. Some of us have started our own families and have the responsibility to look our for our spouse and children. In my situation, I’m a single guy in my late 20’s who seems to be the only one concerned about things on the horizon. My parents, who are divorced, seem to have pretty wildly different views on the concept of preparedness. My mother thought it was a little weird at first, but in light of world events the last few years she has gotten a little more in tune with the idea of having some emergency items stashed away. She even has taken to saying that “The Shit’s gonna hit the fan one of these days!” – which I find amusing to no end 🙂
Father, on the other hand, seems blissfully unaware that a disaster could in fact happen to him. He has no issue spending a fortune on NFL season tickets, or a house that’s far larger than anything he would ever need, but the concept of having some food and water stored up is ridiculous to him. A thousand bucks for a new couch is no problem, but a few hundred bucks spent on a water filter is an absurd waste of money to him. So what’s a guy to do?
Honestly, I think when you’re talking about prepping for ungrateful family members, especially those older than you (your know it all baby boomer parents) there comes a point where you realize they aren’t going to change their ways. And look at the reality of the situation – would your parent / grandparent / uncle Joe actually be able to survive in a large scale disaster scenario? Would my dad be able to run more than 20 yards to escape some sort of danger (the answer is an astounding no, he hasn’t run a mile since the Carter administration) I think that the preparedness community often cooks up rather fantastical situations and scenarios that make staying grounded in reality tough at times, but the ability to be honest with yourself is a huge asset. How would family members react if something did happen? Would they go bonkers in short order? Would they remember the number one rule from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy? (Don’t panic)
Now of course, I am not saying you should just shrug off loved ones as a lost cause and have an every man for himself mentality, but sometimes it feels like I’m Alice after falling down the rabbit hole. There’s daily talk of potential nuclear exchanges on the news recently, something that hasn’t been “normal” since the depths of the cold war, and yet most folks just gleefully go about their day with heads buried in the figurative sand. When it comes to prepping for ungrateful family members, I think everyone that is serious about potential disasters needs to take a long and critical look at their individual situation and tally up if it’s really worth sacrificing your own time, energy and money for people that willfully refuse to accept the fact that their world can change instantly in a bad way. Anyway, just something I have been thinking about recently. I’ll hop off my soapbox for now.
Any thoughts are appreciated!
