Recently, I saw someone asking a question about prepping on the popular question and answer site, Quora.
The questioner so eloquently asked:
“Are preppers crazy, or do they have a point?”
That was it, no further elaboration needed apparently!
I normally don’t entertain internet trolls and just keep scrolling, but for some reason this one stuck with me. I mean, maybe this person was legitimately searching for justification to go against the grain of society and begin prepping themselves.
Or maybe it’s the fact that I’ve put many long hours into building an educational site and resource that stands in direct opposition to this very stigma that prepping is only for loonies.
Either way, since I took the time to type it out for some anonymous bloke, I thought it’d be far better to share it with you in case you face a similar prepping skeptic in your life. (We all have them, don’t we?) 🙂
So here it is…
Do you agree, disagree?
Is prepping reserved for crazy people?
Should I answer more questions about preparedness and prepping on Quora or do you think it’s a waste of time and effort?
After reading my response, please be sure to let me know what you think in the comments below!
—
“Are preppers crazy, or do they have a point?”
Before I answer this question I think it would be beneficial to get on the same page about what the definition of a “prepper” is.
My definition of a “prepper”
In my book, a prepper is simply ‘someone who makes preparations (aka. preps, prepping) in advance of a potential emergency situation.’
If someone, for example, has a basic car emergency kit, or stocks extra bottles of water in their garage, or owns a back up generator in case of a brief power outage, I would consider them a “prepper.”
Now that low key of a definition may come as a surprise to those reading this…
Reason being, it is far more popular and accepted for preppers to be romanticized as those prepping for more extreme scenarios — cataclysmic events such as a financial global collapse or a society-crippling terrorism event.
While preppers indeed span across a very wide spectrum, they all have a common understanding of how life works —
Bad things happen that are beyond our control. Prepping in advance can help soften the blow.
So with “prepper” now defined, let me answer your question “Are preppers crazy?” with another question.
Are you crazy for carrying insurance?
There’s car, home, life, health insurance… just to name a few.
You rarely if ever use it, but the thought of not having it is almost unthinkable or worse yet, foolish. (And for those of us in the US and in other parts of the world, even illegal!)
Like any insurance policy, prepping is — as survival expert Creek Stewart calls it — “SHTF Insurance.”
And for those skeptical of “prepping,” if you have insurance of any kind…
You’re a prepper too, whether you want to be or not!
So if Life Insurance is a policy that is paid out upon death, then maybe it will help to think of prepping as a “Don’t Die” policy for you and your family.
When “stuff” hits the fan in your life, you will be glad to have it!
Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean you need to go and sell your home and build a bunker in preparation for the Apocalypse…
Some might call that crazy…
Rather, if you have yet to do so, you might want to first start by having some extra food and water in the pantry, putting a basic car emergency kit together and having a bug out bag ready… you know, just in case.
Some might call that smart!