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COVID-19: An Acronym for Coronavirus Prep Success
Feb
19
How many times have you heard this as a canned response to just about anything? I’ve seen it in the comments section here and in other blogs, people are quick to point out that after T-SHTF (think a major event), whatever it is that is being discussed will not be relevant and therefore the author or topic starter is also irrelevant. I suppose that the irony is after an EMP strike (example) there wouldn’t be any internet either, so why are those folks taking the time to read and comment online? Shouldn’t they be rubbing two sticks together to create fire while burning furniture parts, living the good old life of no readily available medicine or modern transportation? Someone gets an infection: amputate. Gotta go to the store: walk 26 miles and then try to barter with the 17 year old kid at the checkout, barter some animal pelts for some coffee creamer and various exotic cheeses. Toothache: shot of whiskey and pair of pliers. Throw away all forms of communication, they no longer exist (smoke signals?). Mortgage payment and property taxes? Nah, that won’t exist after SHTF so no need to worry about that either.
I could go on and on as I sit here in a 70 degree climate controlled room, wood stove burning crackling as the snow falls outside. Later I’ll hop on my ATV and plow out the drive, then come back and pull some nicely packaged meat out of the fridge to make some chili utilizing a modern stove and cookware. I’ll probably enjoy said chili while scrolling through my laptop which gets an internet feed from the satellites far above while my TV plays softly, also fed by a satellite signal. Later on I’ll shower, hot water heater providing some nice water and then I’ll put on some fresh clothes cleaned earlier by the washing machine / dryer. These are things that one could only dream about in the not so distance past, why are they such a bad thing?
Super Prepper Guy
Of course I’m being entirely over the top here but it’s because I’m trying to make a point. Just because things could get bad doesn’t mean that the modern conveniences we enjoy in the here and now are irrelevant. Certainly one should prepare as best one can given the circumstances and while that stacks the deck in one’s favor I should point out: NOBODY is as prepared as they think they are and NOBODY is prepared for everything. I don’t care who you are, maybe you live on a 500 acre ranch in Montana with cattle and a 20 member family and 30 years of food and water and a tier 1 security team surrounding a multi million dollar bunker / outpost…if the dominoes fall a certain way there could be a chance the apartment dweller in NYC has a better chance of survival than the aforementioned super prepper guy. While the chance might seem small, it exists and should be acknowledged. No plan survives first contact.
What’s the Point?
You must do the best you can with what you have and if/when this thing goes sideways, you’ve got what you’ve got. The whole idea of “you won’t be able to do that after T-SHTF” doesn’t mean you should shun society and modern conveniences altogether. There is a disturbing undercurrent of nostalgia associated with going back to the old ways and I challenge anyone who is “off the grid” who needs heart surgery to allow a surgeon to conduct that operation to the standards of early 1800’s America. I didn’t think so.
Final Thoughts
We prepare to the best of our abilities so that when things happen, no matter how big or small, we will be able to rely on ourselves vs waiting for “someone to do something” and subsequently falling victim to _________. As stated all the preps in the world really do not guarantee anything but rather certainly increase one’s chances, maybe. I don’t seek a SHTF scenario but disturbingly enough I believe that some misguided souls do so that they can prove their worth. These people should be avoided at all cost, they are a liability. Work hard, prep hard but also take the time to enjoy the modern conveniences that the world has to offer. There might come a time when some of these conveniences do not exist and if/when that happens it will not be as nostalgic as some believe. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section…I’m off to plow snow with my dog.
Two things I’m really gonna miss? Hot showers & iced tea in the summer. Ok, and a few dozen other things; good article.
Only a few dozen? 🙂
Thanks
As far as the iced tea goes…easy stock up is tea bags…a glass jug…and sugar…well that lasts forever…hot showers…get a couple of those hanging bags with the shower head..you hang them up and let them get heated up by the sun…of course these two fixes are going to be in the summer…I always believe stocking a few things that make you feel better go a long way…hard candy..sugar…salt..tea bags…instant coffee might not be the exact thing but its coffee….life can be made better with some of the easiest items to stock up on….
Good post. The most serious things are less likely to happen and a life spent preparing for the unlikely is going to miss out on a lot of things. Be prepared, but keep things in perspective and enjoy life. And be thankful.
Thanks David. Well stated.
Very good post! Do the best you can, with what you can? Be smart and prepare for the worst, and hope and pray for the best!! And be THANKFUL!!! We are all bless far beyond our needs? Enjoy life, and THANK GOD for it!!!
and not everyone is preparing for a grid down TEOTWAWKI. Maybe they are concerned with an economic collapse or, oh, I don’t know, a pandemic? Where you might still have your water and your electricity (or have it at least some of the time)? It always annoys me when people act as though their pet scenario is the only one that’s out there or matters.
Supervolcano? Or my favorite, world supply of coffee disappears: a true SHTF scenario.
Books!!! I will miss having books to read the most. Don’t mind scrubbing clothes on a rock, hanging to dry. Can cook on a campfire. Can hunt, prep, garden, forage, etc. But!! I have always been a reader. Have a selection of paperback and hard back books plus my Bible. Most now are on line due to space saving. Guess I could hit the used book store for a box of two of paperbacks. They can also be useful for fire starters, TP if I run out. Classics can be read over & over. Also paper & pencil or pen. I write stories, songs lyrics, tv ads, doodle on everything. Need a stock of notebooks, pencils & crayons. Guess I will start whittling after that! Farm family had a big farm where there is now the city of Atlanta. Had a trading post with Indians in 1700’s. Learned self sufficiency early!
I basically said the same thing a few months ago on another site. The author was saying how we needed to start learning to live without this and that. I mentioned that living in the mountains as I do I go through periods of time between 1 day to up 13 days the worst time with no power and feet of snow. Why would I want to start dumping modern conveniences before I have to? I think everyone should practice a few lights out weekends to look for holes in their preps but I’m not dumping hot showers, cable TV and air conditioning till I have to.
Good call – we are on the same page.
I have a washboard and many of those plastic totes. I have a wood stove to heat things, including me. I have a rain water catch system. I am NOT going to sell my washer, fail to order oil for the furnace or unplug the well pump. IF someday I have to use the washboard, I have it and will use it. Until then, excuse me, I have to go throw my sheets in the dryer. Good points by everyone.
Sheets in the dryer, awesome. We hang out sheets outside to dry in the fresh mountain air, they get a little crispy but that’s alright I suppose…I haven’t used a wash bucket since Iraq 2003.
Thanks for the post and thoughts as usual. Much to consider. System failures will be diverse in scope, impact, timing, complexity, etc. So hard to prepare for. One subject I’d like to encourage more discussion / debate on: how to prep and survive in a world together — without violence. IMHO, the only sustainable future is one of non-violence, where living in harmony with ecosystems and each other require skills of compassion, negotiation, compromise, sophistication, and recognition of necessity of such for us to succeed. Violence by individualism leads to isolation and entropy. What can we learn from the likes of people / community of Foxfire books, permaculture, transition towns, Buckminster Fuller, Sharif Abdullah, Christopher Alexander, Dali Lama, etc. What can be gained from developing strategies and resources that ensure collaborative success? Seems only a matter of time that after the last bullet is fired, can of whatever is eaten, injury incapacitates, or despair sets in — non-violent tactics are the only future.
I somewhat agree on non-violence but know that things can and will go sideways in a state of confusion / desperation. I do advocate training for personal protection but also state one should avoid conflict at all cost. The problem with gun fights is, people tend to get shot and in a SHTF environment that is not optimal (or any environment for that matter). Civility and discourse win the day, hopefully.
Unfortunately the world is a violent place and will be that way in the future also. That is just nature. The utopia world where everyone agrees on everything and all work for a common goal would be a wonderful place but it’s just not going to happen . There will always be some that think they shouldn’t have to contribute.
First timer here . A friend sent me this link and I have thoroughly enjoyed it . Going now to look at more articles , as long as you don’t hear me complaining – you’re doing a fine job .
Thanks Bill, welcome and I look forward to you sharing your thoughts.
I prep for when the time comes that me and my family need it.
I don’t want TSHTF to happen, no one in their right mind would.
But if it does then we will have some comforts.
I have always said I don’t prep to survive SHTF. I prep because I am afraid that I will.
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