"The DOOMSDay Prepper"

"The sky is falling! The sky is falling!" - This quote, made famous by the short film, Chicken Little in 1943 and then again with the movie of the same name in 2005, is an indication that people expect a Doomsday scenario to play out before the end of their lives. Many of you may remember reading Henny Penny and Chicken Little when you were little.

For decades people have had a hidden fear of what may be considered the "end of days" or armageddon type event where there is total destruction or annihilation of the earth. Recently, people have started bringing it to the forefront of their discussions and mass media has added to the fear machine with movies such as "Armageddon", "Deep Impact" and various Zombie classics.

Many have considered, National Geographic's Doomsday Preppers, as a relief for them to discuss what might have originally been taboo. I use it as a launchpad for many conversations around prepping and the reasons why to prep.

For this post, I want to set the record straight on something that has been weighing on my mind; The Doomsday scenario. If you watch the aforementioned show, you will notice that no one and I mean no one, has stated they were preparing for doomsday but instead something that would change the course of how they live their day to day lives.

I have heard about an EMP (electromagnetic pulse), tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruptions and even hurricane scenarios but none talk about the total destruction of the earth.

If that is the case, then why do we prep? Someone mentioned on Twitter around the Mayan Event (12.21.2012), the preppers will be sorry after the date passes because they will look foolish. To some I retorted and said many are not preparing for the Mayan Prophecy and went on to explain what I was preparing for when the question returned to me. I found this to be the case with many others as well.

I have created a friendship, albeit mostly virtual, with many in the prepping communities and credit a lot of that to the Twitter hashtag #preppertalk. Many of the discussions that go on are around great subjects such as food storage, reuse of old materials and general self-reliance. Yes, including gardening and permaculture. I was amused at the number of folks that poked fun and even gave me a "ROFL" when I asked if they were ready for the Mayan Prophecy to come to pass.

Please understand, there may be someone out there that they do fear an "end of the world" doomsday event where the moon and sun collide with the earth and the big blue marble no longer exists. It is for each person to decide why they prepare without judgement because it doesn't affect you. But please understand, many of us are just normal folks, looking to ensure the safety, security and well being of our families, now and in the future.

As for me, I just want to make sure that if I ever lose my job or if cold weather turns the power off, we have food and warmth until all things are restored. Sure there may be some other things, but really, Zombies? I use that as another launchpad for discussions and it works REALLY well.

By the way, thanks to all who watched my first video post. I hope to have more in the future.

Until then,
Use your instincts to survive