A thought: Mindset

[Dropy]

Ok here is said thread i mentioned in another discussion. Figured i would put it here since it had no place anywhere else.

So here we all are doing our "Prep'n" thing. SOme more serious than others, and thats ok. IF and WHEN the time comes to utilize our arrangements how grim are you gonna be on a day to day basis. Will the rustle of leaves cause you to instantly lock and load, then unload on said sound? WIll there be raiders around every corner in your eyes. Or will you try and find the possible best in every scenario and every person you happen upon?

I think sometimes as prep'rs we can get a bit.... pesimistic (hope that is the right word to use here) or perhaps a bit Hard in our views of our fellow mans inability to see the need to prep. This can easily flow over into a shtf situation where we can sit back behind our preps, guns, defenses, and possible team and just view the outside world with a bit of disgust, animosity and possible annoyance and even hatred toward those out there. Or wil still be able to enjoy the simple comfort of a sweet smelling flower, the songs made by a childs laughter, the sense of belonging as we sit around and chat with others who are trying to make it also. Or how about that sense of accomplishment for helping others to make it a bit easier on them and in return the community/area you are in.

I sincerely hope to maintain my sense of humor in a SHTF situation. Some are experiencing it on this board now (Izzy, Dragon, Backpakcer and others....). They say laughter is the best medicine, and i agree.

Let us not forget from where we come lest we be doomed to repeat it.

So i say look for the best, pray for peace, prepeare for war. But above all dont forget who you are.

[helomech]

Heck I have my gun on me and ready anytime someone shows up on my place now. Usually meet them with my 2 dogs and a AR. I live out away from others, and no one should be here. If they are, they are trespassing at best, which is a crime.

[Dropy]

Been around a few places like that in my life. Lived in a few. Hope to live in just such a place once i move to Alaska. However i dont think i will be meeting folks with an AR unless i KNOW there has been a SHTF situation or there was a prison breakout someplace. Having a handgun on me would suit me just fine i think. Meeting folks with a rifle can just cause a situation to become antagonistic, put people who would otherwise be fine on a defensive/negative posture. Up here in north Dakota you can go on a long drive between homes/farms/towns. You break down and approach a farmers door it would really suck to meet a 12g instead of a friendly smile when all ya wanted was a little help.

I mean sure lets be safe. Just lets not make ourselves so paranoid that we become the areas "Nutcase with a gun".

[helomech]

Been around a few places like that in my life. Lived in a few. Hope to live in just such a place once i move to Alaska. However i dont think i will be meeting folks with an AR unless i KNOW there has been a SHTF situation or there was a prison breakout someplace. Having a handgun on me would suit me just fine i think. Meeting folks with a rifle can just cause a situation to become antagonistic, put people who would otherwise be fine on a defensive/negative posture. Up here in north Dakota you can go on a long drive between homes/farms/towns. You break down and approach a farmers door it would really suck to meet a 12g instead of a friendly smile when all ya wanted was a little help.

I mean sure lets be safe. Just lets not make ourselves so paranoid that we become the areas "Nutcase with a gun".

Those situations are different. There is no road within 3 miles of my house that go anywhere. There is a locked gate a half mile from my house. So someone would have to jump my gate with no trespassing signs which is illegal, then walk up a hill for a half mile to get to my house. The whole way passing beware of dog and keep out signs. Anyone doing this is not there to say high. So yes I meet them with my rifle and I always have a pistol on my side. If I lived by a road it would be different.

[Dropy]

I can see where THAT situation would warrant a bit more caution on the side of the land owner.

[Stormfeather]

Well, I keep a full loadout prepped to go in mags for all of my defensive systems. But other than that, I dont see myself lock-n-loading for any normal sounds in my environment. This does not apply to my CCW/around the house gun. IF the SHTF, then I pretty much plan on having all systems loaded ready to work if the need arises, but for the most part, all of them are ready to go with just loading up a mag and chambering a round the only steps needed to be taken.

[The Stig]

One thing to remember Dropy is that not every SHTF event is a MadMax style, don the chest-rig, shoot everything that moves scenario.

I would like to think that during weather or environmentally driven SHTF events the members of this board would be the ones to rise up, lead by example, show people how to cope with a crappy situation and generally be the kind of men/women that others draw inspiration from. Frankly, we've already seen examples of that sort of behavior from our members.

I would be very disappointed to learn one of our members sat back and flipped the proverbial bird to their fellow man during an ice storm/tornado/earthquake/etc. I'm not suggesting members give away all their stocks to every societal leach that walks by (please don't think I'd ever suggest that), but I am suggesting that not having enough compassion to give a child a bottle of water from your stock because their parents were too ignorant to toss a case in the pantry is not honorable.

And beyond actual supplies, I'd be very disappointed, no actually flat out pissed, if I heard one of our members refused to share knowledge with his fellow man in a time of need. "Sorry neighbor, I'm not going to explain how to cut that tree off your car because you didn't have a years supply of ramen noodles". That is fail. Again, I'm not suggesting you have to ignore your own needs and help everybody, but there is something wrong with not helping anybody.

Keep in mind this all applies to temporary, short term SHTF events.

If the world truly does go all MadMax we're all going to have to reach into our inner psyche and draw out some really ugly stuff to survive. How you stop to find humor and sunshine in that is beyond me.

Maybe our combat vets can comment on that: How do you, in the fighting for survival, find happy moments and not forget to be human?

[Dropy]

One thing to remember Dropy is that not every SHTF event is a MadMax style, don the chest-rig, shoot everything that moves scenario.

I would like to think that during weather or environmentally driven SHTF events the members of this board would be the ones to rise up, lead by example, show people how to cope with a crappy situation and generally be the kind of men/women that others draw inspiration from. Frankly, we've already seen examples of that sort of behavior from our members.

I would be very disappointed to learn one of our members sat back and flipped the proverbial bird to their fellow man during an ice storm/tornado/earthquake/etc. I'm not suggesting members give away all their stocks to every societal leach that walks by (please don't think I'd ever suggest that), but I am suggesting that not having enough compassion to give a child a bottle of water from your stock because their parents were too ignorant to toss a case in the pantry is not honorable.

And beyond actual supplies, I'd be very disappointed, no actually flat out pissed, if I heard one of our members refused to share knowledge with his fellow man in a time of need. "Sorry neighbor, I'm not going to explain how to cut that tree off your car because you didn't have a years supply of ramen noodles". That is fail. Again, I'm not suggesting you have to ignore your own needs and help everybody, but there is something wrong with not helping anybody.

Keep in mind this all applies to temporary, short term SHTF events.

If the world truly does go all MadMax we're all going to have to reach into our inner psyche and draw out some really ugly stuff to survive. How you stop to find humor and sunshine in that is beyond me.

Maybe our combat vets can comment on that: How do you, in the fighting for survival, find happy moments and not forget to be human?

Yep i hear you on 100% of what ur saying here and i 100% agree.

[The Stig]

Yep i hear you on 100% of what ur saying here and i 100% agree.

And I failed to say, great thread and very through provoking. Thanks.

[dragon5126]

For even a combat vet, things are different. You have people trying to kill you over a difference in ideas, os it's a matter of kill or be killed. But when the fecal matter impacts upon the rotary impeller, it's going to be a matter of willing to die over things like food or medicine. When it's something that important and basic to real survival, things will be much different. It wont be defending against someone who hates you over something so trivial as words. It will be about some poor sucker who just wants to live... That is when we are going to have to really dig deep for humor and beauty in life, because without it what the hell good is living anyway? To suffer a spiritual deprivation? We need have something to build hope on and keep faith alive. In primative times it wasnt so simple to kill and take what we want. Today we can reach out from unseen distances with even the most modest caliber and wreak havok upon those that have what we want. It's the ability to destroy that has destroyed mankind's faith in fellow man, not the actual destruction. Statistically "killers" are not repeat offenders. So that means that they either dont really want to kill, dont have the stomach for it, or are too stupid to get away with it. While many are plain stupid. Most often than not, it's a crime of passion, anger. So the more able someone is to kill, the worse the situation can get. This is where the despair will get us. Not when we make our first kill, but the next one or the one after. The truth is, there are no simple answers. So we must go into this with a touch of humor and a lot of sunshine. We need to enjoy our abilities and practice them. Not the shooting or defensive skills, but the back to basics primative skills like blacksmithing, "hobby" farming, and so on, the skills that will sustain us then, we need to enjoy now, as a form of stress relief, and perhaps a way to make a few extra bucks, not just to buy preps, but for some of the nice things we enjoy, before we cant take the time to enjoy them anymore. Once we cross that line thats drawn between our humanity and the animal instinct to survive, we wont be enjoying much of anything civilized anymore.

[LUNCHBOX]

It's weird how after you go through a stressful ordeal you and your buddies/family will start to relax. I don't mean situational relax but I guess you get used to what's going on around you. There are a few here that will know what I'm talking about. Most people start out in a new situation a little shocked but you will calm down. That is why we talk and train, get new ideas and practice them. I can only hope that in a all out HTF timeline we are willing to help one another. Someone trying to take something is a whole other issue.

[izzyscout21]

It was always a help to me to have my brothers going through the exact same thing there beside me. That comeradery was an extreme relief to me. Many of us just had the ability to shove what we had just done deep down inside and move on. Others did not. Not to say that we don't carry those memories with us. I do still. But I have always believed that it's what you do with that that makes the difference. I carry with me the memories of terrible things we had to do, and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't mourn for the loss. On their side and ours. I take with me the burden of knowing that I ended the life of someone's father or son. It is a heavy weight to bear. But in the end, that decision is weighted out by knowing that my brothers and I came home to our families, sons, daughters, and wives.

When I put that into the context of why we prep, well, if it ever gets to that point we will be forced to make some difficult decisions. I hope that for those of you who have never had to make that decision, that you will never have to. I hope that that situation, if it falls to anyone at all, falls upon those of us have the experience and ability to deal and move on. It is for that reason that I feel being able to join with others like us should the need arise is important. I feel it is the responsibility of me and others like me to protect the innocent among us, not only from harm, theft, agression, or what have you, but also the emotional scarring that could result from merely defending one's self, family, MAG, you get the idea.


As for humor, I was really bad about hitting the brakes when someone was trying to piss.

[Stormfeather]

I agree with you on this as well Izzy. It always helps to have your buddies there with you going thru the same shit day in and day out. While it helps to "cope", there are some guys who just wont be able to and end up doing dumb shit, from self medicating to suicide. Ive had to deal with the whole range of coping mechanisms with my soldiers to include, unfortunately, suicide. The one glimmering hope about it is, that for the most part, we provide each other a lifeline when things get bad and the dreams dont stop.
As far as how this relates to preps, its all about the mindset I think. You can prepare all you want, buy all the supplies and meals, and tacticool gear in the world, but if your mind isnt where it needs to be, all you are going to do is supply some jackass with a new set up gear that may be better than what he has already. Being as how myself and good folks like Izzy are here, Im going to have to once again echo Izzys comment on how it feels like my responsibility to protect innocents, not only from the wolf at the door, but from the exposure that comes with it. I see no problem with being considered tainted goods when my actions will prevent my sons/daughters/friends from having to experience what myself and others like me have. Im not saying I wouldnt let them do their part, but I would prefer to save them the exposure of having to drop the hammer til the time it is actually needed. I cant explain it if you havent been thru it, maybe its because I dont know how to verbalize it properly, but theres those here that know exactly what I mean.

As for humor, I dont have a sense of humor, wasnt issued to me in my ta-50 or my 782 gear.

[Fatty]

Sarcasm was my by-product of stressful situations. Bring on the green weenie!