Did you know 53% of US households have less than 3 days’ worth of non-perishable food and water in their homes?
See the summary below:
Source: https://consumer.healthday.com/mental-health-information-25/behavior-health-news-56/many-americans-not-prepared-for-disasters-poll-666756.html
You read that right, less than 3 days!
The first time I heard that statistic, my jaw dropped.
I had a tough time believing it was true. Because that’s what I do for a living, I teach people how to survive and prepare.
I’ve written hundreds of blog posts and sent hundreds of thousands of emails. And I’ve worked with dozens of other top survival sites.
My mission has always been to motivate and teach people how to prepare and survive when times get tough. But have I been doing all this in vain? Have I made even a small contribution to changing people’s mindsets?
A large part of Americans are what I call – The Fragile Masses.
Most Americans can’t recall a time of extreme hunger. As a Nation, we’ve lost touch with what real tragedy and starvation feel like.
- Maybe it’s just that we’ve all forgotten.
- Or maybe it goes even deeper than that.
- Maybe in our hearts of hearts, we WANT to forget.
For many, it’s easier and feels safer to forget.
Until recent events, most Americans lived in a bubble. Over the past century or so, we’ve experienced very few widespread disasters as a society (The Great Depression, WWI & II).
These were significant events, no doubt about it. Humans suffered on a wide scale. And these are the type of events that change people. They wake people up!
For example, those who survived The Great Depression were forever changed.
EVERYONE became what we call “preppers” immediately after.
All our Great Grandparents who survived The Great Depression were never the same.
Their bubble had burst. They experienced real fear for their lives. They felt the emotional agony of keeping food in their kid’s bellies.
Never again would they allow their pantries to be anything but completely full. Or get below half a tank of gas in their Buicks.
They took steps to create a buffer for the next tragedy because they never wanted to go through it again. And those actions, family by family, made our society stronger and more resilient (for a while)…
However, generation by generation, those real-world experiences don’t transcend.
The people who lived through those scary times forever changed. But their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren were less and less affected.
The children saw and learned a few things. They also heard the stories of tragedy firsthand. But the grandkids and great-grandkids see less and less and hear less and less.
And the stuff that does get through feels like such a long time ago; it doesn’t seem real. It’s more like an old movie than reality – it’s not really real and not all that interesting, either. But kids are one thing – but as adults, we should know better.
We should grow up appreciating, understanding, and learning from our past mistakes. We should be wise enough to avoid the mistakes of our forefathers.
We should use history to guide us going forward, to make us stronger, more resilient, and more prepared. But until recently, it seems like the opposite is occurring.
Why?
One contributing factor is the advancement of Technology.
This is an entirely separate topic, but in general, Technology makes life easier and makes us all less self-reliant as a nation. We gain comfort and luxury but also lose our resiliency. We’ve chosen to allow that to happen.
Technology has made us all more dependent and complacent. And we’ve allowed that to happen.
Why? I believe it’s because it feeds our EGO.
And EGO is often the #1 reason, the “root cause.”
EGO Is The Real ENEMY
What’s the first thing most people do when you point out they made a mistake?
Well, a few rare souls will own up to their mistakes.
Even rarer still, someone will surprise you by thanking you for having the courage to help. To appreciate you for pointing out the folly of their ways.
Nope, most people get immediately defensive. They do everything they can to quickly “save face.”
This natural reaction often comes in the form of blaming someone else or blaming the “unfair” circumstances.
By the way, I’m 100% guilty of this, too, so don’t think I’m preaching from a high horse here. But what’s this natural human reaction called? What’s going on here?
That’s EGO at work.
We have our image to protect – a.k.a. Our Ego to protect.
We believe that “admitting fault” means we’re weak. If we accept criticism, then we are less amazing than we tell ourselves.
And our EGOs will not have it.
Well, guess what? It’s EGO that prevents people from taking the logical steps to getting prepared. To avoid becoming resilient to life’s uncertain future.
And I’m not even talking about “Doomsday Prepping” at all. I’m talking about the necessary supplies to protect you and your family during times of tragedy.
Be it a week, a month, or a year (your call).
But to do nothing, to have less than 3 days’ worth of non-perishable food and water, is entirely irresponsible (and irrational). It makes zero sense.
Why would we do something so silly?
I believe the cold hard truth is we’re all scared shitless of the unknowable future. Not in our conscious mind but deep down in our subconscious lizard brain.
If I’m right on this, if most of us fear the future, you’d think we’d all put together plans to plan for such a scary proposition.
But again, it’s the opposite; why?
EGO.
Our EGO is there to tell us:
- “Nothing bad is going to happen.”
- “Don’t listen to all that nonsense; it’s just noise, and everything will be fine.”
- “Starvation, disease, and panic are things that happen to “other people” in far-off places.
- “We are the best, we’re different, we’re safe, and we’re tough as hell. No one would even try to mess with us, right?”
We have an overflowing abundance of confidence. But out-of-control confidence doesn’t fill your belly when the grocery store shelves are bare.
And you can’t quench your insane thirst with a glass full of arrogance.
Pursuing a resilient life can be terrifying for some people. Why? Because they let down their guard and must admit that there’s a real possibility of danger ahead.
Instead, the easier path is to listen to our EGO. The EGO soothes our fears.
EGO is like the ostrich who buries his head in the sand.
Everything’s cool – if I can’t see or hear the hungry lion, then it must not exist.
EGO replaces the rational part of our mind with self-absorption and safe delusions.
Maybe it’s time to own up to our real fears, to see reality for what it is.
Perhaps it’s time to trade in a bit of your self-confidence for a few freeze-dried meals. Or lay down a portion of your own self-importance for a bit of water.
To become a bit more humble, more gracious, and much more resilient.
When you set your EGO aside, you admit that getting prepared makes sense.
Preppers are not crazy; the people that label us that are.
“Just In Case” Jack
P.s. One of the best ways I know to get prepared is by joining The Resilient Life.
It’s an online coalition of like-minded folks who are working to increase their self-reliance.
As members, you’ll have access to tons of survival challenges and preparedness badge requirements to help motivate and improve your self-reliance. It also tracks your resiliency progress through something called the “Readiness Score.”
Click here right now to learn more.
"Just in Case" Jack
Co-Founder of TheResilientLife.com and SkilledSurvival.com. Creates content, helps members, and is the visionary behind The Resilient Life’s way of living. Husband, father, mechanical engineer, survivalist, and prepper.
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