Just wanted to know peoples thoughts on what they think is radical, too-much or over preparation?

As I see it if someone puts a complete Alternative Energy (eg Solar) system in (on) their house then how can that be considered radical preparation? How can it be radical when at the very least you probably will not have to pay electric bills for the rest of your life.

Or how about the family who has decided to grow their own vegetables because of Y2K? How is it so different from a family who did it say 15 years ago because they wanted to save on grocery bills?

How can it be considered radical for a family or person to have 14 days worth of food on hand? All my life my father and my step mother have had that much food on hand, he always said to me that it was a good idea just in case. To me my father has always been a sensible man.

Why is it so radical to change your lifestyle to a more self-sufficient one? Or even to a better outlook on how you see the world? Is it radical to become friendlier with your neighbours or participate more with your community?

Is it just too much for someone to stand up and say 'I believe this with all my heart' and act accordingly? Aren't people allowed the right to improve their lives physically and mentally?

Is it soooo bad that many people world wide are standing up with one voice saying that we must cooperate to fix this problem? Is the thought so terrible that for once the entire world has to work together to solve this problem?

Sorry that I am digressing. I find it sad that there are people who seem to find offensive the fact that there may be a geniune problem and they have to ridicule it. It does not matter that it happens to be Y2K, what matters is that we all work together in making this a better world.

For Y2K it means fixing the problem, it means having extra food and water on hand so the government doesn't have to divert their attention from getting things back up and running if the problem actually does happen. It means that people won't be crying out for help and not knowing what to do, as they will have their supplies and they will have a focus.

I was brought up not ridicule a persons beliefs, listen to their reasoning and respond accordingly. If they seem to be wrong then help them out, provide information. However the worst thing this world has done is dismiss things out of hand because of disbelief.

I've said enough, it got a bit garbled to what I was trying to say but I hope you got the general idea.

Just be good to each other.

Regards, Simon Richards

-- Simon Richards (simon@wair.com.au), April 16, 1999

Answers

Simon, many thanks for expressing my thoughts much better than I ever could have.

Ray

-- Ray (ray@totacc.com), April 16, 1999.

Good comments, Simon. To me, the tragedy is that the spinmeisters are insisting that you have to make an all-or-nothing choice, there is no middle of the road, no sliding scale for them. It makes me positively bristle at their "over-prep", "heating for the hills", "hoard" speeches, and I am so sad when I see newly or barely GI friends who think they are being irresponsible for looking after themselves.

What made sense to me was staying where I am (no hills or bunkers), crossing my fingers about my neighbors (no guns), stocking for months but not years (no oxygen absorbers or drinking well). But I reserve the right to change my mind about all this (even if it is getting too late to do anything about it).

Being single, no children, has probably toned down what I might otherwise have done to protect my family. But I would have loved to have had the opportunity of a change-of-lifestyle adventure which could have made the more extreme measures a very appropriate choice for me. I am an environmentalist at heart, and wish I could afford the solar arrays and other low impact, self-sufficient options.

And if *they* had been responsible and gotten their act together a year or so ago, so we would know what we were really up against, then perhaps what I am doing would be radical. But *they* haven't given me a choice, and I refuse to be intimidated by it!

-- Brooks (brooksbie@hotmail.com), April 16, 1999.

Prepared people don't panic! Just find a prep level you are comfortable in and go from there. Thanks for the great comments.

-- R A (R A@wildcats.com), April 16, 1999.

One (subjective) definition of over-preparing would be taking steps to get ready for any scenario(s) so extreme that quality of life under those circumstances would be such that you wouldn't much care whether you lived or died. Another (objective) would be trying to prepare for any scenario(s) in which one couldn't possibly survive regardless of how prepared. Each definition leaves plenty of room for serious preparation.

-- Steve Hartzler (s.hartzler@usa.net), April 16, 1999.

Simon -

since I have always tried to keep the freezer stocked with meat and vegetables, either from my garden or from a trip across the mountains for corn and beans and asparagas to freeze, and fruits and tomatoes to can, maybe I've always been a "hoarder". Just the way I was raised and I always feel better knowing what my family is eating. I have simply bought a few more noodles, extra rice and beans to the pantry. Only consessions I have really made are extra fuel for the generator and oil and extra wicks for my beautiful new Aladdin which I will use anyway due to frequent power outages in the area where I live (my husband and I have joked that it will take a while for us to figure out if it is a normal ower outage or the "real thing" (y2k)!!

Radical prepping to me would be people who buy survivalist food with out knowing how to use it and who wouldn't ordinarily use it in "real life". Or buying things they will never use unless Y2K is a 10 and they think it will only be a 5. And most of all preparing out side some sort of a budget is not prudent. Even well fare Mom's can squeeze $6 out far a bag of rice or a case of Top Ramon. May not be healthiest or the most variety, but it will get you through.

T repeat the common thread that seems to run through these threads, think about where you think it will land on your own scale and do your best to prepare to that limit, otherwise , you will drive yourself nuts!

-- Valkyrie (anon@please.net), April 16, 1999.

My definition of overkill would be someone buying a truckload of Preparation H. All else I consider OK if you have thought it out, and it meets your needs. In the military your taught to always continue to upgrade your position, and to worst case everthing, and even then to have a back-up plan, because you never know when Mr. Murphy will raise his ugly head (that's Mr. Murphy as in Murphy's Law).

-- (snowleopard6@webtv.net), April 16, 1999.

Simon,

Most people worry about what other people think. BAD MOVE. Why are you worrying about what other people think? If you spend even 1% of your time doing that, your in for a world of hurt brother.

You can read this crap till the cows come home but, you either do something, or you do nothing. Make a decision. time's short.

627

-- 627 (627@thefarm.com), April 16, 1999.

I have already made a decision, I have also been preparing.

My post was simply to discover why some people think that X amount of preparation is radical and their reasoning behind it.

It's also to find out why some people will condemn others for their beliefs, it is other things as well.

I'm listening because I like to better understand my fellow human beings.

Regards, Simon Richards

-- Simon Richards (simon@wair.com.au), April 16, 1999.