Survival, Disaster Preparedness, Food Storage and Shelters

I would like to talk to you today about how to maintain peace of mind and a positive mental attitude in our changing times through rational preparedness.

History teaches us again and again that disasters, wars and political misfortunes do happen!

Life today is full of uncertainties. We are seeing the potential threat of Y2K, an increase in the occurrence of natural and man made disasters, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and an increase in crime.

Uncertainty, by its very nature, is threatening. What we need are ways to turn our concerns and anxieties into constructive action. Action is essential. Taking action allows us to overcome fear and gain peace of mind. By doing something, even if it is just a small first step, we are starting to take control of our lives, and thus not just allowing ourselves to become helpless victims of circumstance.

It is important to understand that threats cause predictable human reactions. Some people try to deny problems out of existence. When people feel overwhelmed by a threat, many revert to denial. They stick their heads in the sand in an attempt to get away from or bury the problem. Their hope is that the threat will go away or fail to materialize. In the event of a disaster, the individual in denial is unprepared, vulnerable, scrambling and reactive. He or she has very few options to choose from.

The other extreme of human reaction views every threat as a clear indication that the sky is falling. Whenever a dark cloud appears on the horizon these individuals conclude that the world is going to end. These types typically overreact and are a self-fulfilling prophecy. It is self-defeating to feed a potential problem with fear and negative emotion. Allowing our attention become inordinately preoccupied on a potential problem gives life to it and increases its future probability. Things that we fear are eventually drawn into our life's experience.

In yet another category of human reaction, the individual has his head in the clouds and he thinks that disaster can't reach him because he has a positive mental attitude. Positive mental attitude by itself is not enough. We need to be positive and at the same time mature and realistic. Discernment and understanding are also necessary ingredients for successfully maneuvering around threats. Failure to recognize the signs of the times can bring disaster in spite of positive mental attitude.

And finally the last category of human reaction to threats is the individual that has no hope for the future. This individual believes there is no use trying. He wants to be at ground zero when the bomb drops so that there will be no pain and so it will all be over with quickly. This individual certainly lacks a can do attitude!

Now that we have identified the negative reactions let us examine the constructive and balanced attitude toward change and threats, rational preparedness. Rational preparedness is a state of mind that involves being alert and discerning and understanding potential threats while maintaining hope. This gives an individual the ability to successfully maneuver around oncoming threats.

Also, faced with the unknown, prudent people prepare. It is better to have what you don't need then to need what you don't have.

Preparedness mitigates the effects of disasters. Preparedness is the spare tire in your trunk, you hope you never have to use it, but it is there just in case.

It is important to note that preparedness is not hoarding. Hoarding occurs when people try to accumulate extra resources during a shortage. Preparedness actually improves the availability of resources during times of shortage because during times of shortage prepared people are not a burden on the system. This means fewer people are competing for the scarce available resources.

Rational preparedness puts the individual in a proactive, self-reliant and stable position. Although there are no absolute guarantees in life rational preparedness creates the best potential for the future. Rational preparedness is a sort of alternative life insurance that pays back invaluable dividends, peace of mind in daily life and maximum safety and stability for our family, friends and neighbors.

Life provides us with all the circumstances and resources we need to learn our lessons and meet our challenges. That is, as long as we are actively and consciously participating in the process. If we play our part, that is if we do our 50%, life miraculously provides everything we need to do what we need to do ???

When demanding circumstances in life challenge us, most of the time we are not able to see how or from where the necessary resources are going to come. But if we move forward with faith in life's purposes that which we need always materializes. We don't always get what we expected or wanted, but we always get what we needed, in the long run.

Faith in the purposes of life and a sense of hope can pull us through the worst of life's disasters. Life has its periods of challenge and despair. One common factor among people who survived life threatening situations is that in their deepest hour of despair they held onto and visualized themselves in a positive circumstance somewhere in the future. This created a magnet that helped pull them through the crisis.

Now, many people tell me "I can't afford to prepare, I'm on a fixed income".

We are all ruled by whatever we believe. Belief is the strongest force in the universe. If we believe we can, we can. If we believe we can't, we can't. Belief can either open up or close off possibility. Our own beliefs and imaginations about ourselves are the only major things that limit us. We are limited by who we think we are and what we think we can do.

All of us make choices every day that result in consequences that we end up have to live with in the future and in some cases for the rest of our lives.

When we have the responsibility of parenthood the burden of choices and consequences can be doubly hard to bear. As we look into the trusting eyes of our children, it is very clear to see that they are completely dependent upon us. We as parents hold their lives and futures in our hands.

Taking this into perspective, being prepared makes perfect sense.

Better to be safe than sorry. Better be considered a fool for over preparing then have to explain to a hungry and crying child why there is no food.

And finally please remember that in any of life's battles he who has the greatest sense of victory eventually wins and overcomes.

Make it happen now!