# Why us?



## db2469 (Jun 11, 2012)

One has to wonder why those of us here and others who are prepping but haven't discovered this site yet, are convinced there is a need to prep while so many others are not. Those of you who are just prepping for tornados, hurricanes or other natural disasters would be understood by most others to be a prudent thing to do if one lived in the prone areas but I would guess that the majority here are prepping for either an economic collapse (as I am) a nuclear war or a pandemic and THAT is what seperates us from the unbelievers. So what is it about us and them that is different? Is it because we educated ourselves about the current global issues that could cause these events while many others are more interested in their golf scores or the lives of pop celebrities, for examples? Or do we have a stronger desire to survive, to be more willing to overcome obstacles and hardships? Or are most of us more "the planning type", more obsessive in our approach to problem-solving? Maybe all those things and more...
DB


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

The prepping you are talking about is based on our own personal opinion of what is to happen in the future. We could just as easily be wrong as be right. No one knows the future. Plan for the worst-hope for the best.


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## prepare_survive_thrive (May 7, 2012)

db2469 said:


> One has to wonder why those of us here and others who are prepping but haven't discovered this site yet, are convinced there is a need to prep while so many others are not. Those of you who are just prepping for tornados, hurricanes or other natural disasters would be understood by most others to be a prudent thing to do if one lived in the prone areas but I would guess that the majority here are prepping for either an economic collapse (as I am) a nuclear war or a pandemic and THAT is what seperates us from the unbelievers. So what is it about us and them that is different? Is it because we educated ourselves about the current global issues that could cause these events while many others are more interested in their golf scores or the lives of pop celebrities, for examples? Or do we have a stronger desire to survive, to be more willing to overcome obstacles and hardships? Or are most of us more "the planning type", more obsessive in our approach to problem-solving? Maybe all those things and more...
> DB


This has troubled me for some time. I think many people are scared to let their mind wonder what could happen in the future. They take the government's word to not worry that the mighty US will always keep them safe and protected cause that's why we pay taxes.....right? It is scary to start questioning what ifs. Where does it stop when you start questioning the present foundation of this great country. I think many people sleep better just going whith the flow. I think what sets us apart is we won't just bury our heads and take someone's word that all is well.


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## BlueShoe (Aug 7, 2010)

Prepping?
Because it's something people feel they're in control of.


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## sillymoo (Oct 30, 2011)

Personally, I just feel more attuned to things. No one has to tell a wild animal to prepare for winter. Not that I consider myself a wild animal, but I think people get my drift.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*Do you remember the moment you got it?*

I remember when I got it. It was the early 70s, I was a college student. I was in a bookstore and saw a book that was about the coming collapse and how to prepare for it.

I have pondered the idea of why I get it and others don't. My grandparents, who survived the Great Depression, spoke of the fact that if it happened once, it would happen again. A cousin of mine mentioned this to me a couple years ago.

I have wondered if there is a spiritual piece, as in a religious practice, that speaks to those of us who get it. Why do some people come to believe in Jesus while others don't? Or Budha?

And with that, I also believe that prepping is no guarantee of survival, it just seems like more insurance. I know that children who practice fire drills are less likely to react hysterically when there is a real fire. That may be true to a degree with prepping, but sometimes when I read about people who have tried to tell anyone and everyone who will listen about prepping, I can visualize the same people being hysterical, to their own detriment. Actually, any preppers could become hysterical. That hysteria will draw attention in a not good way.


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## tac803 (Nov 21, 2010)

I think it's awareness and a sense of personal responsibility that sets some people ("preppers") apart from others.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

You guys are all wrong, Its because of the glasses they wear. THEY wear "Rose Colored" ones, we dont.

Just get them to take them off and their IQ will instantly increase by 20 to 30 points.


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## showmegal (Sep 14, 2011)

I can only speak for myself here but I was prepping before I even knew why I was doing it. I think subconsciously I was taking in the world around me which eventually led to nightmares, night after night of pending doom and every part of me said this was what I needed to be doing. We know that in some major event the goobs cant take care of us all and I'll be damned if I am going to sit around and let my family go down. Maybe we have a strong sense of self preservation. You know..the strong shall survive. Maybe we are control freaks. The world is out of control and this is what we do to feel in control of something. If you want to touch on the religious side, maybe we are the ones seeing what god is trying to show us. Whatever it is, never question it, just go with it!


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## tc556guy (Apr 28, 2011)

db2469 said:


> I would guess that the majority here are prepping for either an economic collapse (as I am) a nuclear war or a pandemic and THAT is what seperates us from the unbelievers. So what is it about us and them that is different?


Most people do not want to conceive of the world that they move in daily changing drastically.

It is outside of their comfort zone.

The person whose life revolves around modern comforts of all sorts does not want to contemplate being thrown back to an 18th century level of existence. I believe that many people would rather die than survive at that level.

We are an extremely spoiled nation in that regard


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

I think it takes a certain amount of intelligence to see what's coming. Along with intellectual curiosity to do the research. I was awakened after seeing Porter Stansberry's "End of America" video. I also think God wakes up certain people. Having said that, it's also clear that preppers come from all kinds of different backgrounds. The thing I find interesting is that we tend to be disproportionately white and I have no idea what that is.


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## mdprepper (Jan 22, 2010)

My reasons for prepping have evolved over time. I found this site from a recommendation on a Christian Women's site. I had wanted to change our diet to include more scratch cooking to save money and to make our meals healthier. Then I needed to find ways to store foods. Once I came to this site I realized that food was important, but water was even more important. Then it just kind of "snow balled" from there. Food and water are important but how am I going to cook without electricity, heat my home, what if the stores are closed, what if the one road that leads in and out of my community is closed and the list goes on... Thanks to Jerry D. Young and his stories, I had started considering things I had never thought of. Thanks to the folks on this site I found ways to put in to practice those things.


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## stayingthegame (Mar 22, 2011)

prepping is simply knowing things change, realizing that that change is not always good, and kept one's self safe. many don't prep because they feel comfortable in the stats quo. change can be scary and painful. the stas quo means everything is stable as it should be. the government tells us that if we do as they say they will maintain that stats for us. we are comfortable, safe and don't have to do anything. the question is do you trust the government to do what is best for you, or do you trust that you know what is best for you?


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## bigpaul (Jun 16, 2012)

I think that there are a lot of people/sheeple on both sides of the pond who cant see further than their next paycheck, there are many here (UK) who dont believe anything bad will happen and if it does the British Government will come rushing to their aid like the 7th. Cavalry, i think the opposite, the govt couldnt organise a chimps tea party and i wouldn't trust the lot we have in power at the moment as far as i could throw them....as we say over here.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*If you were raised by preppers*

I was raised by grandparents. Both sets of grandparents and their children had nearly starved during the Great Depression.

They both had huge gardens in the summer and canned the abundance for the winter time. The basement had shelves and shelves full of canned tomatoes, green beans, corn, peaches, pears, plums and whatever else they had access to. They ordered baby chicks in the spring and raised them for egg laying and to slaughter. Often, we would butcher a chicken and fry it for dinner. Sometimes we would slaughter a few more and put them in the freezer. The freezer always had some part of a half a hog and a quarter of beef.

We would get milk and a little fresh produce at the store, but mostly lived from the pantry, freezer and home stores. They also received government commodities as my mother died short $3.00 earnings to have allowed us to receive SS survivors benefits. The 100# + flour each month was baked into fresh bread and we rarely had bread from the store.

I believe that in a way, these people were preppers. They were not living for SHTF, but they did not go to the store daily to buy tonight's dinner. I know this kind of people.

One grandmother lived on the ranch and her children went to school in town, boarding with a family there. Grandpa would take the kids in on Monday morning and pick them up on Friday afternoon. Grandma told me she would rarely go to town, and at one time, did not go for more than a year. They had a country church they went to.


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## alwaysready (May 16, 2012)

If you subtract the last 100 or so years of human history the mindset we presently have was the prevailing school of thought. Because the people either lived in or at least had exposure to agrarian communities. So what you have is roughly 50,000 years of people planting in spring, growing in summer, harvesting in fall and survivning the winter through the fruits of their labor oh yeah also hunting and foraging. Now people just go Safeway. In just 100 years 99% of the people have lost their way or should I say were willingly lead a stray. Why us maybe we are independent thinkers willing to ask questions and think for ourselves. We may not be right in our expectations. The worse thing that could happen is we were prepared. They say that those who forget the past are bound to repeat the same mistakes. I say the farther we get form the last calamity the nearer we get to next on. Its not a matter of if but when.


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## Jack Aubrey (May 24, 2009)

As an Air Force brat, growing up on SAC bases during the "Cold War," it really doesn't surprise me I am the way I am. We were stationed outside ConUS, so the base was "America," once you crossed the line at the maingate, the skycops couldn't save you. You were in "indian country."JA


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## WatchUr6 (May 18, 2012)

tc556guy said:


> Most people do not want to conceive of the world that they move in daily changing drastically.
> 
> It is outside of their comfort zone.
> 
> ...


I agree with your analysis. I also don't like the idea of going back to that level of existence, but with how screwed up our country has become, sometimes I think a reset wouldn't be such a bad thing.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*Exactly!*



BillS said:


> I also think God wakes up certain people.


That is it! Why us, why not someone else? As I said, why do some people accept Jesus and not others. Not to be religious, but I believe the book of what is going to happen has already been written, it is simply unfolding. We might think we have some control or influence over it, but do we? I know that not everyone believes this. I understand that. Just as I understand that not everyone understands the need to prep.

If I were to prosletize about prepping, I might be able to convert some people. But I do not feel called to prosletize. I feel called to keep quiet and to do what I can to prep. I have felt called in the past to start a food coop so that people could purchase quantities of simple foods in bulk. That is a good place and way to meet other preppers.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

*Why me?*

I've studied history.


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## Possumfam (Apr 19, 2011)

I almost think it's a "faith" kind of thing. Although I am a Christian, I am not referring to a religion, per se, but faith in our country, our government, the system, etc... Once upon a time, I had faith in the system. After watching politicians, judges, law enforcement, military (I am a vet, hubby retired), even the medical profession (meaning big pharma w/ the drs. who follow for the money) etc... I no longer have faith that ppl will sacrifice and do the right thing for each other. I think those who do not prep believe that someone will save them later - they don't want to spend their hard earned dollars on beans and rice when they can spend it on their pleasures. And IF it ever did happen, some say they're coming to your house, others say they'll just kill you and take your stuff. So, they wanna have their fun and cross that bridge when they get there.


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## Enchant18 (Feb 21, 2012)

It seems we have varied and personal reasons for doing what we do but I also wonder occasionally if there is an underlying common drive that compels us. 
Weedy garden, I think all the depression era survivors could def teach us all a thing or two. You are lucky to have learned from them. True hunger is not a feeling you forget quickly.


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## FatTire (Mar 20, 2012)

the first quick bit, then ill move on... someone mentioned most preppers are white people, this just aint so. white people are just the vast majority of people that seem to need labels. 

as to the 'why us' question. ive seen a lot of good responses in this thread, and they all point at, for me, an underlying causal effect. ill get back to that

most people live their lives according to what is right in front of them. get up, go to work, pay the phone bill, ect. these people have no reason at all to consider prepping, they have their hands full juggling the kids soccer schedule with trying to get lais on occasion.

and thats where you find the answer to the 'why us' question

we all pf us have has something happen in our life experience that tells us we need to prep, wether it was just the way were raised, or we had a gramma that lived thru the depression or the power went out one night, or one time we found some salvia and got told what was what... 

why us? becuase our lives have told us what we need to do and we listened
most people simply have nothing to tell them, and no way to listen if it did


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## Magus (Dec 1, 2008)

I went looking for survivalists and found this place.didn't need to go anywhere else.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

db2469 said:


> One has to wonder why those of us here and others who are prepping but haven't discovered this site yet, are convinced there is a need to prep while so many others are not. ...
> DB


Because we are Sheepdogs!

On Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs
(From the book, On Combat, by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman)

"Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always, even death itself.
The question remains: What is worth defending? What is worth dying for? What is worth living for?"

- William J. Bennett
In a lecture to the United States Naval Academy
November 24, 1997

One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me: "Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident." This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another.

Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than one in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably less than two million.

Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation: We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.

I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the pretty, blue robin's egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful. For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.
"Then there are the wolves," the old war veteran said, "and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy." Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.

"Then there are sheepdogs," he went on, "and I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf." Or, as a sign in one California law enforcement agency put it, "We intimidate those who intimidate others."

If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen: a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath--a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? Then you are a sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero's path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.

The gift of aggression

"What goes on around you... compares little with what goes on inside you."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Everyone has been given a gift in life. Some people have a gift for science and some have a flair for art. And warriors have been given the gift of aggression. They would no more misuse this gift than a doctor would misuse his healing arts, but they yearn for the opportunity to use their gift to help others. These people, the ones who have been blessed with the gift of aggression and a love for others, are our sheepdogs. These are our warriors.

One career police officer wrote to me about this after attending one of my Bulletproof Mind training sessions:

"I want to say thank you for finally shedding some light on why it is that I can do what I do. I always knew why I did it. I love my [citizens], even the bad ones, and had a talent that I could return to my community. I just couldn't put my finger on why I could wade through the chaos, the gore, the sadness, if given a chance try to make it all better, and walk right out the other side."

Let me expand on this old soldier's excellent model of the sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial; that is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids' schools. But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid's school. Our children are dozens of times more likely to be killed, and thousands of times more likely to be seriously injured, by school violence than by school fires, but the sheep's only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their children is just too hard, so they choose the path of denial.

The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheepdog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours.

Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports in camouflage fatigues holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, "Baa."

Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog. As Kipling said in his poem about "Tommy" the British soldier:

While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind,"
But it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind,
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
O it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind.

The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door. Look at what happened after September 11, 2001, when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times you heard the word hero?

Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed right along with the young ones.

Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes." The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference." When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want to be able to make a difference.

While there is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, he does have one real advantage. Only one. He is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the population.

There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory acts of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims by body language: slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least able to protect itself.

However, when there were cues given by potential victims that indicated they would not go easily, the cons said that they would walk away. If the cons sensed that the target was a "counter-predator," that is, a sheepdog, they would leave him alone unless there was no other choice but to engage.

One police officer told me that he rode a commuter train to work each day. One day, as was his usual, he was standing in the crowded car, dressed in blue jeans, T-shirt and jacket, holding onto a pole and reading a paperback. At one of the stops, two street toughs boarded, shouting and cursing and doing every obnoxious thing possible to intimidate the other riders. The officer continued to read his book, though he kept a watchful eye on the two punks as they strolled along the aisle making comments to female passengers, and banging shoulders with men as they passed.

As they approached the officer, he lowered his novel and made eye contact with them. "You got a problem, man?" one of the IQ-challenged punks asked. "You think you're tough, or somethin'?" the other asked, obviously offended that this one was not shirking away from them.

"As a matter of fact, I am tough," the officer said, calmly and with a steady gaze.

The two looked at him for a long moment, and then without saying a word, turned and moved back down the aisle to continue their taunting of the other passengers, the sheep.

Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and I'm proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs.

Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When he learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd dropped his phone and uttered the words, "Let's roll," which authorities believe was a signal to the other passengers to confront the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers--athletes, business people and parents--from sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.

"Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?"

"There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men."
- Edmund Burke
Reflections on the Revolution in France

Here is the point I like to emphasize, especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn't have a choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision.
If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.

For example, many officers carry their weapons in church. They are well concealed in ankle holsters, shoulder holsters or inside-the-belt holsters tucked into the small of their backs. Anytime you go to some form of religious service, there is a very good chance that a police officer in your congregation is carrying. You will never know if there is such an individual in your place of worship, until the wolf appears to slaughter you and your loved ones.

I was training a group of police officers in Texas, and during the break, one officer asked his friend if he carried his weapon in church. The other cop replied, "I will never be caught without my gun in church." I asked why he felt so strongly about this, and he told me about a police officer he knew who was at a church massacre in Ft. Worth, Texas, in 1999. In that incident, a mentally deranged individual came into the church and opened fire, gunning down 14 people. He said that officer believed he could have saved every life that day if he had been carrying his gun. His own son was shot, and all he could do was throw himself on the boy's body and wait to die. That cop looked me in the eye and said, "Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?"

Some individuals would be horrified if they knew this police officer was carrying a weapon in church. They might call him paranoid and would probably scorn him. Yet these same individuals would be enraged and would call for "heads to roll" if they found out that the airbags in their cars were defective, or that the fire extinguisher and fire sprinklers in their kids' school did not work. They can accept the fact that fires and traffic accidents can happen and that there must be safeguards against them. Their only response to the wolf, though, is denial, and all too often their response to the sheepdog is scorn and disdain. But the sheepdog quietly asks himself, "Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself if your loved ones were attacked and killed, and you had to stand there helplessly because you were unprepared for that day?"

The warrior must cleanse denial from his thinking. Coach Bob Lindsey, a renowned law enforcement trainer, says that warriors must practice "when/then" thinking, not "if/when." Instead of saying,"If it happens then I will take action," the warrior says, "When it happens then I will be ready."

It is denial that turns people into sheep. Sheep are psychologically destroyed by combat because their only defense is denial, which is counterproductive and destructive, resulting in fear, helplessness and horror when the wolf shows up.

Denial kills you twice. It kills you once, at your moment of truth when you are not physically prepared: You didn't bring your gun; you didn't train. Your only defense was wishful thinking. Hope is not a strategy. Denial kills you a second time because even if you do physically survive, you are psychologically shattered by fear, helplessness, horror and shame at your moment of truth.

Chuck Yeager, the famous test pilot and first man to fly faster than the speed of sound, says that he knew he could die. There was no denial for him. He did not allow himself the luxury of denial. This acceptance of reality can cause fear, but it is a healthy, controlled fear that will keep you alive:

"I was always afraid of dying. Always. It was my fear that made me learn everything I could about my airplane and my emergency equipment, and kept me flying respectful of my machine and always alert in the cockpit."
- Brigadier General Chuck Yeager
Yeager, An Autobiography

Gavin de Becker puts it like this in Fear Less, his superb post-9/11 book, which should be required reading for anyone trying to come to terms with our current world situation:

"..denial can be seductive, but it has an insidious side effect. For all the peace of mind deniers think they get by saying it isn't so, the fall they take when faced with new violence is all the more unsettling. Denial is a save-now-pay-later scheme, a contract written entirely in small print, for in the long run, the denying person knows the truth on some level."

And so the warrior must strive to confront denial in all aspects of his life, and prepare himself for the day when evil comes.

If you are a warrior who is legally authorized to carry a weapon and you step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that the bad man will not come today. No one can be "on" 24/7 for a lifetime. Everyone needs down time. But if you are authorized to carry a weapon, and you walk outside without it, just take a deep breath, and say this to yourself... "Baa."

This business of being a sheep or a sheepdog is not a yes-no dichotomy. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-grass sheep and on the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the other. Most of us live somewhere in between. Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors started taking their job more seriously. The degree to which you move up that continuum, away from sheephood and denial, is the degree to which you and your loved ones will survive, physically and psychologically at your moment of truth.


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## db2469 (Jun 11, 2012)

Now THAT'S an answer....thanks!
DB


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## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

Just in case you were thinking this, yes my Grand Parents raised me and I heard endless stories from the great depression. I know that the way I think is from something that I can not identify from those years.

As I have said before, I have been a prepper (didn't know what a prepper was till I was on this forum) for a long time. I started by being a gun nut back in the 70's. I even went to far and was associated with a militia or 2. Even then I was smart enough to recognize Rambo want-a-bees before there was a Rambo movie. I quit being a moron and started stock piling food, supplies, etc. I bought every magazine, newspaper I could find with survivalist articles. I found this web site while reading a USA Today news story. The light went on, up till the news story I thought that I was an odd ball because I had never met any other people like me. Over the years I have told a few people what I'm doing and in 1 second lost that person as a friend. I stay off of social web sites and I even word my posts in way to avoid too much information into the cyber world.

My wife (married now 30 years) in the beginning thought I was nuts. Back in the 90's I came home with a large generator in the back of the truck. I had to listen for months about why do we need this. One winter we had an ice storm and lost power for almost a week. With the help of the generator our lives were pretty much the same. Thanks to this my wife has started to see the prepper light.

I do think that preppers are smarter then most. I can base that on the postings I read here. I don't agree with everything being posted, but I keep an open mind about it. I'm really here just to learn new ways to get prepared but also to learn how other preppers are thinking.

I'm on several forums now, but I keep coming back to this one. The postings here are much smarter and mature then the others.

Every day is another prepper day, what can I do to be ready. I know I have allot of work to do, and I can never be ready for every event. I just keep trying.


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## lilmama (Nov 13, 2010)

Why us? Because we are the ones that listened. I believe everyone gets a warning, but it is their choice if they heed it.



weedygarden said:


> That is it! Why us, why not someone else? As I said, why do some people accept Jesus and not others. Not to be religious, but I believe the book of what is going to happen has already been written, it is simply unfolding. We might think we have some control or influence over it, but do we? I know that not everyone believes this. I understand that. Just as I understand that not everyone understands the need to prep.
> 
> If I were to prosletize about prepping, I might be able to convert some people. But I do not feel called to prosletize. I feel called to keep quiet and to do what I can to prep. I have felt called in the past to start a food coop so that people could purchase quantities of simple foods in bulk. That is a good place and way to meet other preppers.


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## Possumfam (Apr 19, 2011)

TheLazyL said:


> Because we are Sheepdogs!


I'm thinking I'd like to print this out for my family to read later, but I wouldn't want to do that w/o your consent. Great post!


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## tac803 (Nov 21, 2010)

TheLazyL said:


> Because we are Sheepdogs!
> 
> Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes." The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference." When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want to be able to make a difference
> ....


Thanks for putting that into words. The other thing that came immediately to mind was watching the video shot on 9-11. There were people running everywhere; most running away, and some running toward the towers. Never have I seen a more dramatic display of bravery captured than those people "moving toward the sound of the guns" that day. The firefighters, the police officers, paramedics, retired members of the force, and yes, ordinary citizens that felt compelled to help made their way toward the towers. Many paid the ultimate sacrifice in their quest to help. If one is unsure if they are a "sheepdog", all they need do is ask themselves "which way would I have been running that day?".


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## bahramthered (Mar 10, 2012)

Reading this I have to ask; Why do you guys think are you more right than the doomsday predictions of the past?


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## tac803 (Nov 21, 2010)

bahramthered said:


> Reading this I have to ask; Why do you guys think are you more right than the doomsday predictions of the past?


I'm not sure I'm right...but I'm not sure I'm wrong either.


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## ONEOLDCHIEF (Jan 5, 2012)

BillS said:


> I think it takes a certain amount of intelligence to see what's coming. Along with intellectual curiosity to do the research. I was awakened after seeing Porter Stansberry's "End of America" video. I also think God wakes up certain people. Having said that, it's also clear that preppers come from all kinds of different backgrounds. The thing I find interesting is that we tend to be disproportionately white and I have no idea what that is.


GOD does not choose to wake up certain people, (Acts 10:34 "Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:").

GOD puts the information out there and it is up to each individual to choose his or her own path from there, just like with being prepared, all of us have to choose why, what, when, where and how much we will prepare, the information is out there, just watch the news. You have to decide what you will believe and go from there; sadly enough too many will choose not to prepare and they will not make it, some, will be our own family members who were warned but chose not to listen.


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## UniqueOldGal (Mar 7, 2012)

I agree with FatTire's simple conclusion,followed by lilmama. MY life told ME what to do and I listened.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

Deleted. Double post...male moment


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

Possumfam said:


> I'm thinking I'd like to print this out for my family to read later, but I wouldn't want to do that w/o your consent. Great post!


Go back to the beginning of my post and reread. You will read that I didn't write but a Lt. Col. Dave Grossman wrote it in _HIS_ book "On Combat".


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## sinbad (Oct 27, 2009)

> and THAT is what seperates us from the unbelievers. So what is it about us and them that is different? Is it because we educated ourselves about the current global issues that could cause these events while many others are more interested in their golf scores or the lives of pop celebrities, for examples? Or do we have a stronger desire to survive, to be more willing to overcome obstacles and hardships? Or are most of us more "the planning type", more obsessive in our approach to problem-solving? Maybe all those things and more...
> DB


Well, DB, I used to ask the same question. 
Now I don't .

I just take it like this , 
some like sports , some ( like me ) don't 
some like 4-wheeling, and some don't 
some love fishing, and some don't 
some love bowling, and some don't

SOME love prepping, and some don't


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## Oldpagan (Jun 5, 2012)

I've heard the sheepdog story from Lt. Col. Dave Grossman in person, and have given it much thought. I've used it on occasion myself until I was told that "the shepherd and the sheepdog both dine on mutton". This was in response to a cop bashing thread that I used Grossman's analogy in. That's when I arrived at the fact that I am not a sheepdog, but a wolf that chooses to hunt other wolves.


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## FatTire (Mar 20, 2012)

Oldpagan said:


> I've heard the sheepdog story from Lt. Col. Dave Grossman in person, and have given it much thought. I've used it on occasion myself until I was told that "the shepherd and the sheepdog both dine on mutton". This was in response to a cop bashing thread that I used Grossman's analogy in. That's when I arrived at the fact that I am not a sheepdog, but a wolf that chooses to hunt other wolves.


that you make that choice, makes you a sheepdog... whoever brought up the mutton thing missed point. dont ever let the petty bleetings of the sheep dissuade you from your path.


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## FatTire (Mar 20, 2012)

bahramthered said:


> Reading this I have to ask; Why do you guys think are you more right than the doomsday predictions of the past?


speaking for myself, i dont think my doomsday predictions are more right. i dont prep because i think this or that end is about to befall us all. i prep because i think being prepared for stuff is a good idea, and my life experience has taught me that money comes and goes, so its a good idea to keep life simple, and to live well below my means. develop skills rather than bank accounts, store food, seeds, ammo and water, rather than money. but thats just me


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## Possumfam (Apr 19, 2011)

bahramthered said:


> Reading this I have to ask; Why do you guys think are you more right than the doomsday predictions of the past?


I have no doomsday predictions - but I can see the national debt clock approaching 16 trillion. How much longer can this go on?


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## sinbad (Oct 27, 2009)

> Originally Posted by bahramthered
> 
> Reading this I have to ask; Why do you guys think are you more right than the doomsday predictions of the past?


I'll answer this as one of the preppers.

If you are referring at the TV show, I personally have seen (Doomsday Preppers) TV show as another TV drama, nothing more . There are countless pointers that TV focused on a few points and delibrately missed many other points . All in all, such TV shows are rarely informative or educational. They are meant to be entertaining at best, and should I say, deceiving at times.

Having said that , I am not part of that cult that beleives in the worst possible scenarios like the moon hitting earth or aliens taking over Earth !!. I live my life just like anyone else. The only difference is, when something goes wrong, from flat tire , to chemical spills (things that had happened and continue to happen) , I am prepared while others may not be.

Hope this answers the question.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*Debt largely for war*



Possumfam said:


> I have no doomsday predictions - but I can see the national debt clock approaching 16 trillion. How much longer can this go on?


This debt is largely due to our wars in the last 10 years. Who won?


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## radio477 (Feb 9, 2012)

I think for me its different, you see i prep because of people like the people on this sight. It isn't the so called sheeple out there, its these people here that think they know something that freak me out. I just don't want you all to win! I am in a situation that allows me to prep and still have a "life", so that's what i do. Hopefully I can gather enough preps that I will be able to save a few strippers and a rapper so I will at least be entertained after shtf.


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## bahramthered (Mar 10, 2012)

Possumfam said:


> I have no doomsday predictions - but I can see the national debt clock approaching 16 trillion. How much longer can this go on?


Okay. How does that equate to prepping? Year it's an issue that does need resolved. But the interest rate of about 1% and is to a lot of people who we don't really like. It's about like waking up one day and realizing your water is boiling, your linoleum is curling, and your carpet is turning black. But you got bigger problems than those, like the fire.


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## bahramthered (Mar 10, 2012)

sinbad said:


> I'll answer this as one of the preppers.
> 
> If you are referring at the TV show, I personally have seen (Doomsday Preppers) TV show as another TV drama, nothing more . There are countless pointers that TV focused on a few points and delibrately missed many other points . All in all, such TV shows are rarely informative or educational. They are meant to be entertaining at best, and should I say, deceiving at times.
> 
> ...


Nope, you sound like me. I prep for solid practical reasons like you mentioned. My emergency car kit has seen use several times. Since I started carrying it my multitool has paid for itself many times over. I wish I had built my GHB before my car decided to leave me sit last year, that hike would have been far better with it.

I'm asking the people who are expecting the EMP attack or giant solar flare, the ecomonic collapse, Yellowstone's super volcano, the race war, or the zombie apcolypse.


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## Possumfam (Apr 19, 2011)

weedygarden said:


> This debt is largely due to our wars in the last 10 years. Who won?


I tend to prep w/ the economy in mind. While the war may have contributed - it seems to me that the clock's been ticking faster these past few years (3-5) and we continue to spend as opposed to cut back. The math doesn't add up, something's gotta give.


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## Possumfam (Apr 19, 2011)

bahramthered said:


> Okay. How does that equate to prepping? Year it's an issue that does need resolved. But the interest rate of about 1% and is to a lot of people who we don't really like. It's about like waking up one day and realizing your water is boiling, your linoleum is curling, and your carpet is turning black. But you got bigger problems than those, like the fire.


Like my last post, I'm primarily concerned w/ the economy. We *may* or *may not *have a fire, tornado, hurricane, etc.... BUT.... we ARE deeply, deeply in debt as a nation. I believe it'll catch up w/ us, sooner rather than later. We're not dirt poor, but we don't have much saved up either. If many of us can barely afford today's prices, how can we afford tomorrow's?


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## Jimmy24 (Apr 20, 2011)

db2469 said:


> One has to wonder why those of us here and others who are prepping but haven't discovered this site yet, are convinced there is a need to prep while so many others are not. Those of you who are just prepping for tornados, hurricanes or other natural disasters would be understood by most others to be a prudent thing to do if one lived in the prone areas but I would guess that the majority here are prepping for either an economic collapse (as I am) a nuclear war or a pandemic and THAT is what seperates us from the unbelievers. So what is it about us and them that is different? Is it because we educated ourselves about the current global issues that could cause these events while many others are more interested in their golf scores or the lives of pop celebrities, for examples? Or do we have a stronger desire to survive, to be more willing to overcome obstacles and hardships? Or are most of us more "the planning type", more obsessive in our approach to problem-solving? Maybe all those things and more...
> DB


Many years ago, 1973 to be exact, I was working for a automotive electrical shop. The oil embargo hit. Gas on days that ended with certain numbers on your car tag. I said at that point at the ripe old age of 19, my life needs to be simple. Since then, I've done my best to keep it that way. As far as being a prepper, guess I am by default. I'm sure it cost me two marriages, oh well that's life.

I grow a big garden every year and put a large portion of it up. I have learned to live with minimum amount of power as I can get by with here in the deep south. I have ac but most everything else is low tech and energy efficient. Minor solar and wind power. I'm proficient in mechanical and electrical things, I can fix about anything. Spent 30 years with a power utility climbing poles, operating booms, diggers and bucket trucks. Worked for John Deere in CA for a few years, before I got in the utility business. My preps are just another sort of insurance, only I can eat them... I don't "prep" for anything in particular. Hoping that whatever comes along, I can get by.

As far as others not seeing preparation as we do, it's no different than anything else in life. Some do things that others don't. Most people now a days are very disconnected from society on a face to face basis. They are rude and pretty much self centered. It's maybe not their desire to be that way, but the culture has just changed. The Bachelor and Keeping Up With The Kardashians are much more important...Hell Hannity radio show went out on the street, most folks who were asked VERY basic national questions, couldn't tell them who was the vice president was, who won WWII, etc. If it's doesn't come across a text, Tweet or FB, it's not real to them or important. Yes there are still a lot of good folks out there, but they are getting thin.

Having said all that, it's JMWAG&#8230;.Peace

Jimmy


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

I’m in the monetary disaster camp at the moment. It could be devaluation of the dollar or losing my job but I want to be ready.

The devaluation and losing reserve status is looking like a good bet so far, to me at least. The FED can go on printing and printing forever and prices will just get higher and higher for us. At some point they have to do something different and it WILL affect us all. With all the bank and currency issues something has to give. Having good stores of goods bought with today’s dollars will only save me money tomorrow. If there is a disruption in the supply lines I am comfortable that I can maintain life for an extended period of time with what I have. With prices rising as fast as they are I can see a savings month to month when I go shopping. Just look back to what you bought a year ago and what it costs today, that should be enough to get everyone going.

With unemployment like it is there is no telling how long my job is secure. Setting up my life to be as cost effective as possible makes good financial sense. Keeping expenses as low as possible and putting any extra cash into some PM’s is better than gambling on the rigged stock market or putting green pieces of paper in the mattress. I do keep enough paper to pay bills for 3 months but that is it. I feel more secure having a silver dollar in my hand that a piece of paper saying I have a dollar in the bank.

Neither of these hurts me in the long term, I benefit even if nothing happens. If I do have more than I need of something or nothing happens consider it like insurance only better. We buy vehicle or homeowner insurance for years and years and nothing happens, that money is just gone with nothing to show. I at least have something I may be able to trade or sell for something.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

Oops, another 'glitch' preventing using plastic. I wonder if they can still get cash from their accounts?

http://www.silverdoctors.com/latest-bank-glitch-largest-russian-bank-halts-all-credit-debit-transactions/


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## mojo4 (Feb 19, 2012)

Well bahram I am prepping for a massive event. I believe either a massive financial collapse or an EMP/ solar flare event. Small area disasters such as storms or a tornado or car breakdown need preps but not long term preps. I'm concerned with the power going out and maybe years to get back online, not a week or two like the east coast storm. What happens when there is nothing to buy but it didn't matter because your money is now worthless because they kept printing it into oblivion? A tornado leveling your home would suck but the insurance wwould help you get back on your feet right away. What causes me to prep is long term unstability. No gas, no food, no piped in clean treated water. The utilities (gas water and electricity) have never been off for more than a day for me in my entire life. I don't fear them going off for a few days or maybe even a week or two. I prep for the day they go off and might never come back online.


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