Prepare: Job Survival

To me, prepping is the real world and it is what I have been working on for years now. It started when I read Robinson Crusoe or Swiss Family Robinson that the bug got me. Then I moved on to Alas Babylon, Lucifer's Hammer, the original Stand (1976?), Damnation Alley (the book of course), a bunch of John Christopher books (remember those?) and it has been downhill since.

Until I had a family and children, I never took prepping really serious. I figured if it was just me I could live off a backpack and scavenging. But with kids you realize its a different ball game. They call it avoidance - not avoiding a problem but trying to avoid the effects of a problem, financial depression, civil war, nuclear attack, terrorism, etc.

One thing I rarely talk about is what I do for a living. I have some very strong opinions on work and whenever I talk with someone else who "preps" or is into surviving the worse, I find that their view of work and employment is the most glaring contradiction to the whole prepping mentality.

Here you have a person who on one hand has carefully managed his or her finances and lives frugally. He has purchased extra food and supplies and carefully put them away for an emergency. He has thoughtfully made plans for his and his family's personal protection. He has made the best decisions knowing that if the poop hits the fan, he will neither have nor count on the government stepping in and bring help. He is ready and willing to be the first on his block to "tell FEMA and every other alphabet agency to take a hike he does not need their help".

But the second this same person thinks his livelihood, his profession, job or position at work is threatened, he goes into "Big Government Mode".

"The government needs to stop our jobs from going overseas! The government needs to guarantee jobs and security for working people! The government needs to provide money, aid, jobs, unemployment benefits, retraining and other programs because our jobs are going away! We had lots of good jobs here in (Michigan, Rhode Island, Maine, California, etc). The government needs to step in and make sure we get those kinds of jobs back here again!".

Where is the survivor, independent, tough it out, individual now? Forget the word jobs, and replace it with food, safety, security, water, power, heat and other material comforts. Instead of "forcing companies to keep jobs here", how about we "force those who have food to give some of it to those who failed to plan"? Any difference there? Who is the "sheeple" now?

If a person is truly into surviving and prepping, that includes work, career and backup plans for both. There is no job security or "secure jobs". Start thinking about Peak Employment if that helps. That maybe the U.S. economy has already hit Peak Employment and it will only get worse, work wise. What are you going to do now?

I don't want to sound heartless, but part of the survivor mentality and preparedness comes from being prepared for economic downturn and depression. It can happen. Blabbing about a lost job and demanding "someone" do something sounds like the whining of one who did not truly prepare.

I work two jobs and do a bunch of other things part time to make money on the side. Nobody owes me anything. The government, my employers, nothing. I have to make it on my own. I am my own job security. If I don't work 60 or 70 hours a week, we may lose everything.

Again, I don't want to sound mean or heartless. I know what it is like to have a wife, kids, a mortgage, bills and learn your job is going away. I know what it is like to get laid off and have no idea what in the world you are going to do the next day to put food on the table. Believe me, I know all too well.

But the idea around here is to improvise, adapt and overcome. That is survival and preparedness rolled into one. Whining and asking the government to fix your problems only invites a bigger problem into your life.

Have a good weekend,