What is a Prepper and what makes them different than a normal citizen?

The term 'Prepper' comes from the word prepared and the word prepared embodies the mindset of a typical Prepper.

Prepared for what?

Prepared for anything they may encounter as society faces difficult times. Prepared for disaster, chaos and anarchy. Prepared for unexpected events that could leave themselves and their families in dire straits.

The word responsibility comes to mind and as a leader of my own household this pattern of thinking is both logical and responsible. I remember the saying, 'its better to have it and not need it than to not have it at all.'

Preppers aren't always anarchists but they certainly believe in the possibility that anything is possible and they are prepared for that possibility through diligent planning and the implementation of their plans.

The following are segments I found interesting from an article found in the New York Times entitled 'The Preppers Next Door'

One by one, they stood in front of the room and exhibited their “bug-out bags,” meticulously packed receptacles filled with equipment meant to see them through the collapse of civilization.

The technology of the prepared citizenry is quite advanced when compared to people living and trying to do the same thing a century ago would have had available:

Onto a folding table came a breathtaking array of disaster swag: compasses and iodine pills, hand-cranked radios and solar-powered flashlights, magnesium fire-starters and a fully charged Kindle with digital road maps of the tristate region. Many of the items on display went far beyond the “10 Basic Pillars of Bug-Out Gear” that Jason Charles, the network’s leader, had passed out in advance through the Internet. A good number were tweaked to fit their owners’ needs and interests. A locksmith in the group had a lock-picking set. A vegetarian had a stash of homemade dehydrated lentils. One man had a condom designed to serve as an emergency canteen; another had a rat trap — to catch and eat the rats.

Anyone who is prepared to catch and eat rats during the collapse of society certainly deserves to survive in my opinion based on Darwin's ideas and proposal that humanity has evolved on the principal of 'survival of the fittest.'

Furthermore the article goes on to describe the nature of prepping and the conclusion that most Preppers have come to which is explained beautifully in the following paragraph:

PREPPING IS THE BIG SHORT: a bet not just against a city, or a country or a government, but against the whole idea of sustainable civilization. For that reason, it chafes against one of polite society’s last remaining taboos — that the way we live is not simply plagued by certain problems, but is itself insolubly problematic.

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I would say that certainly there is a fine line between prepping and paranoia. Being prepared is a responsible behavior for people living in society. If we are prepared to help ourselves we are better prepared to help others around us as well. At the end of the day we are all in this together and we should act upon our instincts in order to protect our families and our loved ones.

There are many different types of 'Preppers' and the spectrum is quite large:

“On one end is mindless complacency. On the other is paranoia. The challenge is to find that place in the middle where you understand that bad things can happen, but it doesn’t consume your life.”

We must find the middle ground and return to roots of sustainability and community planning in order to face the problems that are certain and on the horizon in society.

I'd love to get a discussion going on this topic, please leave your thoughts, comments and feedback below!

Be prepared or be square.

Thanks for reading!

Sources:

National Geographic

The New York Times - 'The Preppers Next Door'