INDIPENDANCE OR PREPPING ?

[Henry]

Last night was listening  interview with John Bush about  independent living and self sufficiency .I thing it better than calling it prepperidenes.. Every time I read "What did you prep today" I get a filing that we live in constant fear . Would not it be more better call it " WHAT DID YOU DO TODAY TO BECOME MORE INDIPENDENT"  If anything happen You do not want wait for government  help, instead you want to be able help others. Being sovereign, independent, self sufficient is being preppered for anything and still enjoy life fully.
check the link  " www.sovereignliving.com"  interesting.
HENRY 

[wild_E]

Henry,
I agree.. that is why I think of myself as becoming Self Reliant vs prepper ...
good post and thoughts

[M590a1]

It's insanity that "prepper" has become a dirty word.  "self reliant" will be the next "independent" is frowned upon and on and on...  Is the solution to keep changing the way we refer to ourselves to hide the fact of how we live our lives??  Being a self reliant individual thinker is thought of by tptb and general brainwashed people as 1 step away from terrorism.  When will it end?? 

Only when the store shelves are empty and everyone stands in the gov't food lines behind the barbed wire fence for their gruel will they submit to reality.

[Henry]

I newer said '"prepper" is wrong  or dirty just do not want some people live in constant fear and wasting life waiting for end.
Life is too short and worth enjoying it. I am completely self sufficient (almost) and have time of my life. Now I just go around  helping other people and making lot of good friends. In same time I still buy stuff if I see good deal and know that will help me in case of disaster or make my life easier. fear and worries will ruin Your life.
Some time make big difference what You call thinks. At  my age we do not have sex with my wife we make love and that is big difference
Henry

[icrcc]

Everything in moderation would be the key being ready for anything while at the same time enjoying life to the future. It is much easier to enjoy life to the fullest when you have the peace of mind that no matter just about what comes your way you will be able to adapt to the situation.

 It used to be the term survivalist was popular. Then it became vilified so the term prepper was invented. I know of some ``preppers `` on one site that did not want survivalists to be members, go figure. Now the word prepper is falling out of favour and we have the terms self sufficient, self reliant and homesteader that are gaining favour. For anyone who is organising their lives in an urban environment the term homesteader obviously does not apply. The term self sufficient means not requiring any aid, support, or interaction, for survival. This term in its strictest form does not describe what we do or in fact our goals. Self reliance refers to reliance on one's own capabilities, judgment, or resources.  While I would hope that everyone in society would strive towards this goal I think it falls short of describing the lifestyle that we have chosen.

There are many terms to choose from does it matter which one we choose to be describe our lifestyle?
Survivalist, prepper, self sufficient, self reliant, self supported, self sustained, independent, sovereign, self sustaining, self supporting, homesteader, self subsisting, self dependant, independent, self subsisting are all terms that have been used in one form or another. I would say that all of us have the goal of self reliance and most of us believe that at some point there will be a severe degradation of the society in which we live. That belief, like it or not, makes the term survivalist the most applicable.

Call me old-fashioned but I think that I would prefer to use the terms used by my grandparents. When asked to describe themselves they would use the term “normal” and when asked to describe what they were doing they would use the term “living”.

[Dangphool]

It used to be the term survivalist was popular. Then it became vilified so the term prepper was invented.....That belief, like it or not, makes the term survivalist the most applicable.

Call me old-fashioned but I think that I would prefer to use the terms used by my grandparents. When asked to describe themselves they would use the term “normal” and when asked to describe what they were doing they would use the term “living”.

Where is that "like Button"?
I have this issue at work or with friends and I refer to emergency preparedness and self-sufficiency (normally in relation to an immediate, local emergency).  People don't like to think about larger scale disasters and most would scoff at the possibility of societal failure.  When I refer to emergency preparedness, they can see the benefits of being ready for a local power outage or a temporary loss of drinking water in the city. 

When doing this I also refer to how a generation(or two) ago, this was just the way people lived.

It is then a much smaller step to the next level of preparing for larger events.

Survivalist conjures images of gun-toting libertarians... 

[hayseed]

Independence and prepping are two sides of the same coin.

Some of us, like Henry, have been able to build the base required so that our shopping lists and veiw points (see the other very applicable thread "top 100 list") are different than those who don't have the luxury of a homestead or homestead type background.  I don't sit around worrying about if the power goes out. I simply don't care if it does. But that is the luxury of experience and of having a sustainable base from which to keep going. I simply don't need some of the stuff on the lists because I have gone through a time where that stuff never existed in the first place and life was just fine. We worked harder and that was just the norm. 

Doing 12-16 hours of hard labor is beyond the realm of what many people these days are willing to do; not even to put food on the table. I have plenty to share, but I won't give it away. I've worked too hard ( I am still hardworking most times) and made too many sacrifices for that. I believe  independence means more than having a years worth of food and camping gear, but prepping comes first and than perhaps one can move towards sustainability as you cease to be a liability to those who can take you a step or two further towards actual independence. The two things that need to be stocked up on more than any others, in my mind are, work ethic and good attitude. This includes yourself and any family members. If SHTF the kids will be working for their supper too.

If you came to my door with just those two things,  you would never go hungry. Naked maybe, but not hungry.

[rmactsc]

You can call me independent, self reliant, a prepper, a survivalist; doesn't really matter.  What matters is having the right attitute and mindset when it comes to survival and preparedness.

[NObshere]

I did not even know the way I was (am) living was called prepping. Just thought I was crazy