By: MOTH
When speaking to a friend today, I realized just how paralyzing fear can be, sometimes, well, maybe even a lot of the time…see, I had been inundating this friend with tales of worldly woe for most of the last year. She often smiles, and places her hand over heart while stating, “I’m prepared right here.” Not a stupid woman she- being gainfully employed her entire adult life, beloved grand mom, physically fit, informed (even if only by me.)
She told me today that if she says it out loud, it’s almost like she will make it happen, that it will come true. The “it” of course, being any number of trials we are currently facing: economic collapse, insertion of Sharia into our daily lives, hyper-inflation, or nuclear threat from a certain “hasten the chaos” Middle Eastern country. What example she referenced was if someone states they are getting a cold, and then they get one.
The problem is here is that she is not misinformed, she is simply making the choice to not make a choice [to be prepared.] Her version of the self fulfilling prophecy is causing her to turn a blind eye to the facts at hand. Even if the answers or the money (not monopoly money, but REAL stuff) suddenly appeared in the U.S. economy, the rest of the world as we know it is not going to suddenly right itself into a peaceful existence.
The answer is really a simple one: being prepared is tantamount to being protected. We protect ourselves constantly, whether by personal or legal necessity. We have medical insurance, auto insurance, life insurance, long term care insurance, homeowners/renters insurance, private mortgage insurance, credit insurance, (to protect against default) the list goes on and on.
Suppose you never have a claim. What are you left with? A pile of cancelled checks and a stack of bill stubs showing you were never late on a payment. Hopefully, we all have a stellar credit rating as well. But the question remains: with our dollar being constantly manipulated by way of “quantitative easing” what will become of that pristine credit report? It may become just as useless as that pile of cancelled checks and stack of bill stubs that you can start a fire with, provided you remembered to invest in some matches. (I prefer waterproof.) But, I would think that otherwise useless pile of paper won’t be very tasty in the face of adversity, even with a healthy dose of your favorite barbeque sauce or honey mustard dressing. We hope to never have a claim on any insurance we possess, but we do have that insurance, regardless of the outcome.
So the plan to protect ourselves should really be just as common as any other insurance we currently maintain. Why isn’t it? We currently live in an age of overflowing grocery stores, with little or no memory of the shortages, rationing and economic difficulty that our parents and grandparents faced. In all reality, early item sell-outs at the grocery are really a minor annoyance, and never a reminder of what the true possibilities may be.
Food storage is only one more type of insurance to add to the crowded list. But, here is the key: food storage is a tangible remainder of a sound investment. Food will never be a bad investment. Food will protect your future and your wellbeing, as well as giving peace of mind to your spiritual and mental health. What you spend is within your control. What you choose for purchase is yours to keep. Everyone needs food. You can sell yours, eat yours, or trade yours.
Even if you don’t want to consider the biggest, scariest reasons to have food storage, just put it in the ‘to-do’ list. If you lose your job, suffer a reduction in pay, have a family member in need, or you can sponsor a food drive. To go without this type of insurance may or may not result in dire consequences. The reasons why you acquire food storage aren’t really important. What is important is that you do acquire food. And that you do it now.
