As I was reading my friend, James Steven’s book, Making the Best of Basics, and reviewing the various types of disasters that may befall a person and his family, I zeroed in on two categories of disasters— people-caused disasters and personal disasters.  More often than not, depending upon the type of environment we live in, I believe the odds are heavily stacked in favor (disfavor, if you prefer) of us suffering from among these two categories of disaster more readily than that of the 3^rd category, natural disasters.  Of course, it is wise to prepare for all 3 types of disasters, and the earth’s elements are definitely in commotion whatever the region.  And it can’t be overstated that a natural disaster can be just as devastating or more devastating than people-caused or personal disasters.  Add to that, a natural disaster is far from our control.  But, being human and imperfect as we are, we are much more prone (in my humble opinion) to disasters that we (as a collective whole and individually) ironically have a more added measure of control over, yet fail to see the warning signs of, much less to adequately prepare for the onset and duration of.

James speaks of all of the distractions that prevent us being prepared for whatever type of emergency or disaster that is becoming ever more plausible for us to face, regardless of our “it couldn’t happen to me” mindset.  He speaks of our societal practice of by and large living from hand to mouth.  Much of this is derived from our interdependence and affluence/prosperity.  Our self reliance is in large measure voluntarily left by the wayside because we are able to store value.  Money is a store of value, and it allows us the freedom to specialize in something and in many ways to expect that others will specialize in the something else’s that we want.  Instead of exchanging directly our goods or services for that which we want or need, we can remove ourselves from trade and bartering, which may become an inconvenience if a would-be trading partner doesn’t need or want what we have to offer.

Were we to have to trade/barter for that which we wanted and needed, we would likely be much more self reliant because of the hassle of either not finding someone who wanted or needed what we had to offer in exchange for the item they offered that we found so much utility in, or alternatively we may not often get a “fair” trade, falling short of our asking price.  We would probably then do our best to become a Jack of More Trades, instead of merely a Jack Squat.

I’m all for money, don’t get me wrong.  I love the conveniences and abundance that life offers because of a medium of exchange, and for the simple fact that I can concentrate and focus my efforts in becoming very good at what I do, not requiring me to spend time to be able to excel in every single area.  But has money and the freedom are carelessness that it affords caused me to disregard my personal responsibility as it relates to my survival, especially in a disaster?  To some extent, most people are guilty of this.

During the current economic downturn, there have been those that were once princes who are now paupers.  Reveling in the excesses that were afforded them during boom times, they risked much and have paid dearly.  Some have risked so much that they will never catch up or return to their former station in life, economically speaking.  Imagine those who were looking forward to retirement who will now have to work far beyond what they formerly expected to.  To help calm their ill and unsettled feelings over the whole mess many rationalize along with the media that nobody could have seen it coming.  Common sense proves otherwise.  There were warning signs stacked up miles high as far as the contrarians were concerned.  But as once “Princely” CEO put it—“When the music stops, in terms of liquidity, things will be complicated.  But as long as the music is playing, you’ve got to get up and dance.  We’re still dancing.” (Chuck Prince, former CEO of Citigroup)  Sure, throw caution to the wind, and mortgage your future.  Sounds a lot like the scriptural passage: “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.”  Contrarians pick out these subtle signals and are prepared far in advance, recognizing clear patterns from history, and not being a victim of thinking that history will not repeat itself this time because, as a professor once told me in regards to there not being another Great Depression, “The Fed is so much more sophisticated.”

Closer to home, were you prepared for the economic fallout, a disaster type that COULD HAVE been averted (collectively and individually)?  Were you over-leveraged in your investments (home included), living a lavish lifestyle, or did you live within your means?  Was a credit card your vice?

Some of those who now live in tent cities strewn across the country’s landscape once had it good, and now regret their prodigal life and not having set aside what they could have for a rainy day.  What many of us did have in times of prosperity could have easily been shaved off the top and sacrificed by saving for more meager circumstances, in many cases EVEN WITHOUT having to give up special occasional indulgences to satisfy our need for the niceties of life.

Realizing that most disasters are likely brought upon ourselves by ourselves (directly or indirectly), is it too late to change?  Absolutely not!  James points out that an awakening can and is happening.  I believe that money can be transformed from being our master by enslaving us (excessive debt) to being our servant by being used as a tool.  We can invest it in the only true form of wealth—the precious metals, which are not so much a hedge against inflation as they are a hedge against mismanaged government.  And in the meantime, we can become more fulfilled by learning life sustaining self reliant skills, having food storage, and practicing emergency preparedness principles so that no matter which kind of disaster we may face, natural disaster, human-caused or personal disaster, we can confidently come out the victor, living through it to see another day!  Don’t let money be your distraction, disguising the fact that all of what is now available will not always be.

Related Posts:

Disaster Survival- Food for Thought and Belly
The Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Survival Readiness Pyramid
Food Storage: Enough and More (Plus Earthquake Proofing)
Self Reliance: Beekeeping for Food Storage Honey