Situational Awareness

The Prepper is that person who looks ahead to see what is coming.

PREPPING AND SITUATIONAL AWARENESSshawn-and-t-rex.jpg

Prepping is simply getting ready now so that you will be ready later.  Prepping is simply common men and women organizing their resources in such a way that they have extra staple food, water and living supplies that can carry them through tough times, natural disasters and even end-time tribulation. It is concerned individuals and families striving for independence, self-sustainability and mobility.

The Prepper is that person who looks ahead to see what is coming. Imagine a scene of a tidal wave approaching a crowded beach. On that beach are men, women and children playing in the sand. They are relaxing, socializing and living it up. They don't really even notice the huge wave that is approaching. If they do see it, they downplay the seriousness of the situation. They say, “Yes that wave is a little bigger than the others. But nothing to be concerned about.” This scene is a parable of our modern culture, by-in-large. People don't see the dangers ahead. If they do see them, they diminish their significance. They don't want to think about it, so they go into denial. They believe what their media, education system and politicians have told them, that everything is under control and that the future is calm and secure. Then comes the wave. Once an emergency is immediately upon people they often wake up and jump to respond. However, when everyone rushes to escape and protect themselves, they end up running over each other in the chaos and there may not be enough time. There are others in society who spotted the tidal wave way in advance. They assessed the situation. They moved off of the beach to high ground. They gathered their families and loved ones around them. They began to prepare. They are preppers. When the wave hit the beach they were safe and in a position to be first responders for many who needed them in the aftermath.

Why should someone prep? We live in a world that is falling apart. Economic crisis, natural disasters, threats of terrorism, cyber attacks, etc, are all realities of our fragile twenty-first century world. Prepping is facing this reality proactively and doing what you can to prepare yourself and your family.

One thing that the preppers in our tidal wave story had was situational awareness. All preppers must have this. It is being aware. It's being a watchman on the wall. It is seeing what is going on around you and refusing to ignore what you see. It is looking at the big picture of what is happening but, also, the details too. The situationally aware man or woman is processing what is going on around them, identifying threats, and then devising plans to meet the challenges that those threats pose. It is the same mentality that  a policeman on duty at a crime scene has, or a soldier conducting a military operation has. They are observing the area and zeroing in on the threats. This alertness is foundational to the mindset of the successful prepper. So, turn off the music headphones, the cell phone, the gameboy and turn on your street smarts, your wilderness smarts and your prepping smarts. It's time for situational awareness.


REFFERENCES
Tim Macwellch. Prepare For Anything Survival Manual. Weldonowen San Francisco 2014.
Skousen, Joel M. and Andrew Skousen. Strategic Relocation : North American Guide to Safe Places, 3rd Edition. Lindon: Printing Resource, 2010.