Chapter X - Part 2 - Intellectual - Mindset

[The Watchman]

Chapter X - Part 2 - Intellectual – Mindset

Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, or Do Without!

I'm writing with a bit of hesitation and concern. It isn't about any specific survival or homestead skill but about getting into a mindset of surviving and then practicing this on a sustainable and continuing basis. As Americans, we all know deep-down in our hearts that when times are good, we are good and when times are bad, we are bad. In the bad times we become moody, confrontational, and are full up to the top with animosity. We do not trust people any further than we can throw them! To an extent this way of thinking DOES harvest some good. It keeps us on our toes and we sleep with one eye open and our boots on. We'll get into security in a later chapter but now, suffice to say, we need to put a foundation in place that will support our preparedness actions.

Preparedness, simply defined, is to be always ready for any possible challenge to our personal security and existence. It encompasses everything from when the light bulb goes on in our brain to harvesting our home-grown food on the 5th season after the SHTF. Every aspect of our life is based on KNOWING what to do and DOING what we must. This is a difficult task because every other time in our lives before [shtf], we had it done for us or with little trouble or challenges. As long as the beer was cold in the refrigerator and the game was still on, we were content and slothful. Slothful is another word for lazy. We did not give a darn about the future and when the future came we cried BIG tears because we were not prepared – our family was hungry and things were happening all around us which made for sleepless nights. We had no friends or family we could rely on and we were Po'd at ourselves for not taking things a bit more seriously. This is the scenario IF we had not taken actions at being prepared.

Now, let's go back to the light bulb. Something is not right and you sense it. Now is the time to do something about it. Suddenly you think of your parents and your grandparents and the stories they told you about surviving during the Great Depression. The saying printed at the top of this page says it all – Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, Or Do Without. You mean you did not listen to them? You say you wrote off what they said as the meanderings of old people? Shame on your sorry ass. I can remember my dad cutting up an old inner tube to make patches for the holes in me and my brother;s shoes. My mom talked about foraging nuts, berries, wild greens, roots and other growables as food for the table. How about 'poor man's chicken', squirrels and rabbits? These are examples of things we should have done or listened to, but did not. Now we (dad, mother, sister, and brother) are hurting terribly. We can't do much about what we did not do – we were buttheads and didn't listen to anyone, period!

Let's start at the very beginning of the light bulb episode. Define first, those of your acquaintances and family who also realize something is wrong and have decided to do something to save their bacon. If they do not want to band together into a loosely-formed group, go for it anyway – just don;t stop your own preparations. You and your in-home partner have to be on the same wavelength or it will be a constant battle to be prepared or not. You will have to formulate plans and projects to include food storage, medical exigencies, transportation, defensive measures, home-schooling in some cases, boredom, growing food and saving seeds for the next harvest, communications, a PAW library and everything else we now take for granted.

You will have to learn some basic skills before you ever attempt to put your survival plan in place. First and foremost don't waste anything! Let that be a beacon for everything else. Get to know, appreciate and help your immediate neighbors. They will actually be your first line of defense against tyranny or lawlessness. Try to understand all those you interact with. You can mitigate problems sometimes if you know what or whom you are facing. Don't worry about those who think you have loose screws – they will be the very ones who show up on your doorstep and need help. Now is the time for you to plan for a possible post-apocalyptic future. You won't get a second chance!

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