Do you remember a few years ago when being a prepper was all the rage? It was a cool thing to do because, clearly, the world was about to end.
But we don’t hear so much about it anymore. What we do hear about though is the reality of being in a more dire situation today than we were during the prepper boom.
So what happened to this whole idea of prepping?
Probably burnout. You can only be in survival mode for so long before you get tired of it all and just… quit.
But we need to be prepping now more than ever. Certainly we need to be prepping the necessities for daily survival, but we also need to be prepping other things. Things that are more important in a long-term crisis. We need to be prepping community and networks. We need to be building relationships – and not just the fun kind, but substantial relationships with people that will contribute in a crisis.
Cans of beans and bags of rice can only go so far. When those run out, what then? It’s the relationships that make the difference between surviving and… not.
I’m certainly not anti-stockpiling. Everyone should have six months of food, medication, and water filtration. Everyone should be doing their best to get in shape and get healthy. Everyone should be able to protect their home – whatever that means in your situation. But any prepper will tell you – heck, any good zombie movie will tell you… supplies run out.
What keeps people alive at that point is relationships. Whether you call it community or tribe or mutual assistance, that’s the long-term strategy. And, as with material goods prepping, doing it before you need it is the key.
I know, I know. Building relationships and networks is hard work. It’s inconvenient. It takes effort. It takes time away from television watching – and there are so many shows to binge.
I know exactly how you feel.
Frankly, I’m a homebody. I like being alone. But I’ve also been taking my own advice. I joined a church. Started building relationships with the other members. I started volunteering at a food bank. I started a community resource center. I’m making connections. I’m building my network. And I’m seeing the fruits of my labor.
I’m starting to see that I have people I can count on. If I have a problem, I have someone to call – and not only are they willing to help, they’re truly concerned about my problem. They’re invested in my well-being and I in theirs.
That’s community. That’s security. That’s being prepared.
And that’s the kind of prepping you should be doing.
