How To Answer...

[jediagh]

I'm working on a presenation on "Be Prepared" it covers possible nature and man made disaters, type of items you need, (water, food, protection, etc..) and then goes into the forming of groups. I'm not done with it yet probably by next week and plan on getting my family (extended family) together to present to them first so they start thinking about preparing as NONE of them are ready and I alwasy get blown off when I even try to talk to them about this. So I figured putting them all in one room and presenting to them would be a good start. If they still won't get prepared well I'm writing them off and moving on to those "people/person" that I would like to have in "my group" for help.

Last night my baby sister (1988 baby) was looking at the draft and asked..

"Ok so lets say the big STHF thing does happen and society disappears just like in the LIGHTS OUT book and there is no food, no cell phone, no power, etc. If that is the case why bother to be prepared if you can't make it anyways? Would it not be easier to get give up?"

I looked at her and could not really comprehend the question. I guess I could not really beleive what I was hearing so I asked.

give up as in what?
- Go to some type of shelther like they are doing in KY with the storm or how FEMA handled the people in the Book?
- Give up as in get killed or just kill yourself.

She answered with both but more the 2nd one.

Again I had that deer in the headlight looks and told her let me think about it and give me a few days.

Thus this post!
I'm not sure if she meant it or if perhaps she was playing devils advicate for the type of questions that some may ask during the presenation.

I guess until last night it just never occured to me that some people may just give up and say it;'s not worth it.

So how to reply?

[4sarge]

Originally Posted by jediagh

I'm working on a presentation on "Be Prepared" it covers possible nature and man made disasters, type of items you need, (water, food, protection, etc..) and then goes into the forming of groups. I'm not done with it yet probably by next week and plan on getting my family (extended family) together to present to them first so they start thinking about preparing as NONE of them are ready and I always get blown off when I even try to talk to them about this. So I figured putting them all in one room and presenting to them would be a good start. If they still won't get prepared well I'm writing them off and moving on to those "people/person" that I would like to have in "my group" for help.

Last night my baby sister (1988 baby) was looking at the draft and asked..

"OK so lets say the big STHF thing does happen and society disappears just like in the LIGHTS OUT book and there is no food, no cell phone, no power, etc. If that is the case why bother to be prepared if you can't make it anyways? Would it not be easier to get give up?"

I looked at her and could not really comprehend the question. I guess I could not really believe what I was hearing so I asked.

give up as in what?
- Go to some type of shelter like they are doing in KY with the storm or how FEMA handled the people in the Book?
- Give up as in get killed or just kill yourself.

She answered with both but more the 2nd one.

Again I had that deer in the headlight looks and told her let me think about it and give me a few days.

Thus this post!
I'm not sure if she meant it or if perhaps she was playing devils advocate for the type of questions that some may ask during the presentation.

I guess until last night it just never occurred to me that some people may just give up and say it;'s not worth it.

So how to reply?

Some people would just give up, some wouldn't have any idea of what to do, some would have skills but no preps, some would have preps and no skill sets and some wouldn't give up no matter what. I believe that I'm in the last set but I do know where preps are and maybe even where I could find the dreaded evil gun. Hard to answer for everyone, just would depend upon how dire a situation that you are actually in or perceive, injured, deathly ill, no heat or food in winter (Damn you Al Gore) loss of loved ones etc can be psychologically devastating

[inxs]

As there are no atheists in foxholes, there will also be no non-preppers after TSHTF...

I don't know how to deal with this type of person. The best advice I have heard on the subject is "don't argue with ignorance" so I usually leave them in their blissful state. It's not my choice, it's theirs.

[indyjoe]

Originally Posted by inxs

As there are no atheists in foxholes, there will also be no non-preppers after TSHTF...

Incorrect. There will be quite a few wolves that did not prepare, but can do quite well feeding off those who stored supplies but no way to protect them.

[CopperWires]

Scavengers will definitely be a big problem if something like that ever happens. And there will definitely be scavengers with skill sets.

[smokingman]

In dealing with the baby sister. Try taking it down a notch. We did an exercise at my house about two weeks ago that was fun and helped with the SHTF mindset for my 12 year old daughter.It is simple,unprepared sit everyone down and tell them there is a cat 5 tornado(over a mile wide)heading this way,you have 10 minutes to get out.5 minutes to get what you want to take get it packed and be gone.Now here is your piece of paper write down what you are taking...you have 5 min to make your list.I was most impressed with my daughters list,she included food,water,clothing(a very specific list on that one including things like a spare jacket),blankets,tent,stove,lantern,flashlights,ma tches,a chainsaw(yes that one was missing from my list),an axe,shovel,and guns.I had to ask her why guns? She said "because there would be total destruction and no one to help and that we could only help other people if we could protect ourselves".The chainsaw I did not have on my list but was impressed it was on hers. She said " how are you going anywhere if all the roads are blocked?". At any rate it is a 5 minute thing you can do to help someone who needs to deal with the fact SHTF does not have to mean the end of the world as we know it.

ps...ohhhhhh and my daughter asked the strangest thing I ever heard from a 12 year old lol...dad wouldnt it be easier if we had a backpack with most of this stuff already in it? I literally laughed and said "yes honey it would..it is called a BOB".Needless to say she now wants her own.

[dburkhead]

Originally Posted by jediagh

"Ok so lets say the big STHF thing does happen and society disappears just like in the LIGHTS OUT book and there is no food, no cell phone, no power, etc. If that is the case why bother to be prepared if you can't make it anyways? Would it not be easier to get give up?"

"I don't believe in the no-win scenario."

Now, maybe we'll get hit with a super dinosaur killer that wipes out all life on the planet. Maybe a super-germ will exterminate the human race. Or, more locally, maybe I'll just happen to be a ground-zero of an attack and be killed before I can even think of putting preparations into play. Those aren't the things I prepare for because there really isn't anything to be done about them.

However, there are plenty of possibilities that don't go to that level. Maybe there will be a complete financial collapse leading to loss of services (utilities, transportation, things like that) which sparks a breakdown in the "social contract" and a rise of brigandage which causes the collapse of society (what I call the "Wolf & Iron scenario" from the late Gordon R. Dickson's novel). That I can prepare for. Or maybe New Madrid will cut loose and we'll be on our own for some days or weeks on our own before any kind of rebuilding can be done. That, too, I can prepare for. Or maybe something will trigger off widespread rioting in Indianapolis and I'll have gangs of rioters heading for my neighborhood. Once again, that I can prepare for. Or, fate forfend, perhaps one administration of another will finally torque off a large enough portion of the American people that we end up with large scale insurrection leading to possible civil war. And yet again, that I can prepare for. Now, even in the scenarios I can prepare for, there's no guarantee that I'd win, or even survive. Having the bad luck to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, or running into the Golden BB, or being one of the one's who catches the latest epidemic and just doesn't make it, are things that can happen to anyone no matter how well prepared.

But the idea that there are things one cannot prepare for as a reason not to prepare for the ones you can? That's, well, ridiculous.

[lumpy39us]

Very intersting post, my daughter was also born in 1988. When I asked of the family what would we do in the event of...
She said the exact same thing!
As far as SHTF, I'm from the military so as usual I think in the worst case senario.
The problem is that most people do not have the mental resources to accept the worst. They figure the Goverment will take of them no matter what. So in affect they accept without question.
I remember when I was a kid, it was the cold war years. Most towns, cities had underground shelters and food storage. Don't we remember? What would be so wrong with having designated areas within our communities for shelter and to place food stuffs for some type unforseen? Community involvement would build to some extent a trust and faith in us and our neighbors.
As far as SHTF I am totally unprepared, my family thinks I should be wearing a tin foil hat, lol. But I will not give up. They are too important to me. Some of these facts might sway a few, how do we sway many? Start local grassroots training, free. Canning, food storage, camping skills as opposed to survival skills easier to accept for our softer skined kids. Try some history, not big history but like the kind you'll find in the foxfire series of books.
Just a suggestion.

[jeremy]

+1 for a great idea smokingman!

[jontheturboguy]

Sounds like your little sis is "sheep" as in - If I have to work for it and its not owed to me or given to me - I quit.