Jumping on

Among the many things that bother me about the survivalist movement, or preparedness to use the politically correct term (they're not hookers, they're sex trade workers....) is the sudden number of people flocking to the banner. Just recently, we're getting shows like Apocalypse Man, After Armageddon, Out of the Wild and so on. Post apocalyptic novels like One Second After are showing up at ever increasing rates. There has been a huge explosion of websites concerning or catering to survivalists, and the proliferation of survivalist ‘gurus’ seems to indicate that like all lower life forms, they reproduce by fission.

So why is this bad? In one sense it is not. If awareness of potential disaster makes more people take steps to be better prepared for potential disasters, great. But if the trends I see continue, there will be a bump in interest, and then survivalism will return to being just another bad Y2K joke. Before that happens, lots of charlatans and con artists will make big money off of people honestly trying to provide some insurance for themselves and their families.

These people will try to convince you that unless you have a wilderness retreat stocked to the rafters with food, water, medicine, and guns you WILL NOT SURVIVE!!! Even if you have that, you will be told that you must also have night vision goggles, and wind generators, and a fully equipped …well, you get the idea. It’s wrong. It’s a swindle.

Yes, if bad things happen, you need some backup. No, you are not likely ever to be one ranch over from some survival ‘expert‘ in Idaho. No, it doesn’t have to be expensive to be prepared. It just takes common sense and a little time.

I’ve been around the survivalism thing for literally decades. I’ve seen the extremes, and I don’t like them. I understand that if you’re reading this, you might be worried about things, and feel a need to prepare. I also know that you want to feel secure without radically altering your lifestyle. I hope during the coming days and weeks, I can help you do this, in a small way.

So maybe I’m one of those survival ‘gurus’ that are trying to get your attention? Nope. I'm just someone that wants to provide a little advice, a little help, and do it without selling you a damn thing. You might notice that this blog is NOT monetized at this point, because it is not about lining my pockets.

I’m not jumping on the bandwagon here; I’m sitting under a tree playing my own quiet tune. And it’s just fine with me if you want to play along. Your choice.