SELF-SUFFICIENCY = PREPPING
One thing that I have begun to notice across my social media accounts is the growing popularity of my content when talking about localism and self-sufficiency. There seems to be a growing urgency in the category the further we get into the pandemic and everything that comes with it.
This growing realization that maybe, things are not going to return back to how they were. Honestly. I do not see how they can, which has led me to ponder why the mental state is changing. Down here on the gulf coast, there is more of a self-sufficiency mentality, but that is probably due to us being so hurricane-prone. I think people in areas more used to the wrath of God are more prepared out of necessity.
I have ridden out Tropical Storm Claudette and Hurricane Ida this year. Ida wasn’t that bad for Mississippi but devastated Louisiana. However, what has happened is that we here are running out of gasoline and our grocery store shelves are bare; why? Everyone is driving from Louisiana to Mississippi to buy their supplies, and that’s killing ours.
IMPACT
I’m not mad or complaining about it, but it is an example of why one should be prepared. You do not have to be directly hit by a natural disaster in order to be impacted by one. The human refugee factor can be hard to predict.
But what is driving this sudden surge in interest? I believe it is directly linked to the divide that we see ever-growing in our country—this distrust of our government and even our neighbors. I am fortunate to live in a place where the neighbors all band together strongly, but I know this is not common in all places.
The divide is through politics, personal morals, and medical beliefs. We are at a place that we have not been to in 150 years, and most people do not know how to handle it. Some lash out, some turn inwards, and some are motivated by it.
DISCOMFORT
What it all boils down to, despite the reason, is the discomfort to an unknown future. We humans do not like to be left wondering. It is why we explored unknown regions; we want to know. There is plenty of speculation about our future, but the ultimate truth is, even six months from now is unforeseeable.
With this vast level of uncertainty comes the desire to control something. Turning to prep gives the people something that they do have a level of control over. We as humans need to be in control or to have an illusion of control at least.
I have been prepping for almost ten years. Not doomsday prepping, although I am well-read in that area, in self-sufficiency prepping. What is the difference? I do not spend time worrying about super-volcanos and solar flares; I spend my time worrying about hurricanes and power outages.
BE PREPARED
But there is something in the air that has more people becoming uneasy and shifting. There is something that is spreading throughout the subconscious collective mind of humanity. What are we picking up on? What instinct, long-buried, is rising to the top and creating this urgency within some or most of us?
I do not have the answer for that one, but I know it is there, and I highly recommend you follow that instinct. Learn to garden, learn to hunt, fish, and how to work with your hands. There is much you can learn from an observant walk in the woods near you.
Many random thoughts for me as of late but something I am paying attention to; I highly recommend you look into it. After all, having your family and yourself a little more provided for is not a terrible thing. And let’s be honest, if Facebook wants you to report preppers, you should probably be prepping.
AUTHOR
Questions or Thoughts? Leave them in the comments.
Padre
Twitter @padrehomestead
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