Prepping and survivalism is not just about being prepared to live through bad times, but rather seeking a way of life that we lost in a world full of affluence and debt. Life is always changing and it seems that our modern world is changing faster than we can keep up with. I have noticed subtly how a lot of people seem to be noticing these changes, from the small talk at local coffee shops to small family gatherings. People around me keep saying that something has gone wrong with the way that we live. I listen to people talk as if they are stuck in a world that demands them to be faster, have better performance and to be consumed with information like never before. The same mantra continues as I hear about people having no time for family and that they are constantly worried about getting ahead. This is what I call the “rat race”.
It seems as if the most fundamental parts of being human are being stripped away from us little by little. Maybe Apple can make an app called real life, where we get a glimpse of how life used to be just 70 years ago. This was before we were sold the lie that “we can have it all” and that we are “entitled to it all”. Though our conscious is aware that we are stuck in this way of thinking, we seemingly find it hard to find ourselves again. Being survivalist and preppers can help us find our identities as a whole by showing us how to build better lives, with the belief that we can live better and we are fully capable of thinking/providing for ourselves.
Prepping involves more than just action but living in a way that reflects a principle in an action. For example, one of the ways in which we can better ourselves is to grow a garden. A garden may simply be just another way for you to grown your own supply of healthy fresh foods, but on a deeper lever its more than that. A garden is a teacher. It teaches us the value of hard work, and seldom does anything good in life come without hard work. It also teaches us that we can’t have everything we want, when we want it. Watching the fruits of our labor grow literally is a feeling that no one can take away, but only if we trade it for the lie that a simple quick meal at MacDonald’s will be ok. Growing a garden can plant seeds of truth and lifelong lessons in your life. The rewards of growing a garden far exceed the planning, effort, and hard work that you put in. Becoming a provider instead of the consumer leads us to freedom.
Today, we rely upon a web of interconnecting systems to provide for our daily needs. Basic needs like our food and water are controlled by private entities or governments of which we have very little direct control over. As you can plainly see, this model is not redundant or self-sufficient. Self-sufficiency and self-reliance and the interplay between the two, make us more confident in our abilities to independently provide for ourselves and our community. Over 100 years ago, most people viewed these two ideas as the norm, unlike our culture today. For example, when you wanted goods or services, you took it upon yourself or bartered from neighbors to provide for your need. People then also knew that the only way to achieve the goals of elf-sufficiency and self-reliance is within a cohesive community of people that can support each other. Communities were built on the fundamental human need of support gained by relationships with others. Prepping gives us a lens to see how that we are fundamentally built to rely on each other.
Prepping is about solving problems and when you can master your problems; you gain a sense of control and well being. Surviving is finding solutions to problematic areas of your life that seem almost impossible to gain control. What I am more specifically referring to is debt! When you conquer your debt, you are free to choose what your money can accomplish, rather than having your money choose for you. Living debt free is one of the central components to survivalism, because it acknowledges that your own survival is a direct relationship to your habits and your way of thinking. Think of it this way, wealth is not how much money you make, but rather how long you can sustain yourself on the resources you currently have without your income. Live within your means and throw away the “American dream” of affluence that is sold by the media to keep you in the slavery of debt.
So far everything I have talked about is far removed from the media painted picture of survivalist living in bunkers waiting for the apocalypse. The most important thing about being a survivalist prepper, is that it teaches us how to live our lives by principle’s of freedom and free thought. It teaches us that we aren’t entitled to a better life, but in the responsibility that we have to ensure the survival of ourselves, our families, and our communities. The power gained by providing for ourselves teaches us how to become better proactive members in society. If you want real change in your life and in the lives of the people around you; I encourage everyone reading this to live prepared so you can live your life today and be able to survive tomorrow.
