I was recently invited by some neighbors to talk about "how
to start preparing". I was excited to share what I knew to help them. Their motivation was very valid and
paralleled many others in the prepping community with regard to why do we
prep. I have reconciled and confirmed in my mind that
responsible people take actions to take care of, protect, and provide for the ones they love. To assure others that maybe asking themselves the same questions, “Do I need to begin preparing for _________?" (fill in the blank) If you are responsible for yourself or others, then the answer is a resounding, Yes! To exemplify how a doubter may reach the same level of certainty, let me give you a very boring comparison. . . Insurance.
If you have a home, do you have
home owner’s insurance? Why?
Answer: to provide a means of
replacing items lost or rebuilding if your house was destroyed. You don’t plan on anything happening, but you’re
responsible. You prepare just in case
something bad were to happen.
What does responsibility mean as it relates to preparedness?
Life insurance, car insurance, home insurance, renter’s insurance, health insurance, unemployment insurance, even alien abduction insurance (It’s true. Look it up) All of this insurance is very boring to most people, but we tolerate it because it is necessary. We usually educate ourselves enough to get the right amount to protect us after a harmful situation or provide for those we care about. We’re responsible by having the right types of insurance and the right amount of coverage.
Prepping for a natural or man-made disaster is no different.
We don’t know what will happen, if it will happen, or when it will happen. It’s gaining knowledge and taking action to provide and protect yourself and those you care about just in case something bad happens. You don’t know if your house will burn to the ground or be washed away or just have a few shingles blow off by a thunder storm, but you consider all the options when you choose to protect your home. Creating a preparedness plan to protect your family in its essence, is no different at all.
While working in human resources, sometimes I have to get involved when an employee or an employee’s wife or husband unfortunately dies. One of the first steps I take is to verify what amount of life insurance the person had to get the claim started right away. It is heart-wrenching to find out they have no policy, no coverage. Was this person that tragically died a responsible person? Only the surviving family could answer that question. Please don’t respond that I’m trying to compare a life insurance policy to replacing an actual life. That’s moronic and absurd! The only thing a person can do to prepare for death is to provide a means that would insure the continuance of the lives of the family they loved.
Don’t cancel your life insurance policy. Don’t delay in preparing to protect and provide for your family in case of disaster. Both are acts of care and responsibility.
