Beans & LegumesBut That Rule Doesn’t Apply to Me…
Alright by raise of hands whose ever been pulled over for speeding? And those of you who are raising your hand, after having been pulled over, since that time, have you ever gone over the speed limit?
I don’t think I’m going out on a limb here by saying that getting pulled over for speeding hasn’t stopped most people from speeding. It may cause some to slow down for a little while, but eventually we go back to our speeding ways. Why do we do this?
If the speed LIMIT is 50mph, most people will go AT LEAST 50mph, most will go 55mph and some will push 60mph or more. Somewhere in the human psyche we all find ourselves telling ourselves, “This rule doesn’t apply to me personally”.
From talking or texting while driving, to leaving your electronic devices on while taking off on a plane. There’s a lot of rules out there that definitely apply to everyone…but me.
Whether it’s man made law or natural law we humans seem to gravitate towards justifying ourselves as being above the law. And just like still speeding even after having been ticketed a lot of us have been through disasters unprepared, deal with the challenges that a scenario like that presents and yet we still seem to think that the need to get prepared doesn’t apply.
Certainly if you’re asked point blank, “Do you think it’s important to prepare for emergency situations?” Your verbal response will be something like, “Of course”. However, the voice inside your head responds, “Of course… and I’ll get to it when I have a little more time.”
Sadly that day rarely seems to come and so consciously or subconsciously we tell ourselves that the rules don’t apply to us specifically. With all things, there eventually comes a day of reckoning. Like the teenager who chose to hang out with friends instead of studying for the Calculus test on Monday you might be able to coast by occasionally but eventually the numbers work against you, trust me I know, I was that teenager who chose not to study for Calculus.
So why is this worth discussing? In short it really comes down to this, by recognizing our tendencies to justify decisions that may not be in our best interest we allow ourselves to do something about it. And while I don’t expect people to start driving under the speed limit (including myself) I am hopeful that people will take the time to consider the ramifications of what might happen if they keep with the mentality that the rule of “BEING PREPARED” doesn’t apply to them. The end result could very well be more serious than one more speeding ticket or one failed calculus test.
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I have found this to be true for many people. It doesn’t mean anything to them until it is too late. Not to say that such people are bad. Just not doing what they know they should be doing.
September 11th, 2010 at 7:58 pmI have found that most people are in a state of denial. It can’t happen here, or things have been rough before, we’ll get thru’ this as always. It is just a temporary bump in the road.
Even with the handwriting on the wall…..disaster after disaster all over the world, whether natural or man made, the threat of terrorism looming over our heads, they ignore it, they don’t want to believe it or think about it. Just living day to day in this economy is stressful enough. I know many who will not even watch the news or read the paper any more because the news is so bad. Yet, if you mention that getting prepared could save their lives if it happened in their little piece of paradise, you are a fear mongerer, a fanatic, a nut case, someone who makes much ado over nothing. And you are laughed at. After all, if you live thru’ it, the government will take care of you. Mention Katrina and other disasters and it still doesn’t sink in.
No one wants their “apple cart” upset, but it is happening every day with apples rolling all over the place; no where to go, no means to survive on the ground and no means of getting back in the cart. Best to keep our heads in the sand, so we don’t have to see or hear or worry about it. After all, it can’t happen here!…..Right???
September 12th, 2010 at 11:57 pmThe trick is being able to drive a sense of urgency with folks to make them prepare now instead of waiting until it is too late. That is why having a plan to get prepared can be so important: you do not have to get everything at once, which is often overwhelming for people. It is more like college savings for a child, you need to prepare in small, but very regular increments. It would be great to see more guides from the site on how to prepare to handle more and more over time, perhaps by doing something incremental every month.
September 13th, 2010 at 4:25 amSome day soon the “Blue Lights” of a disaster will be in everyone’s rear view mirror. And it will be too late to say, “but officer, Can I go buy food and electrical backup today. I promise to get it today!”
No will be the response…look around…there is none left. You’re the 800th that has asked me that today.
Pray You never need it, but order it today, like it will be needed next week!
September 13th, 2010 at 5:12 amI think Roni has it right on how most people ignore the signs of serious problems!!! All that Doomsday stuff is just a marketing tool and only happens in the movies!!! It seems that the more Critical the Situation gets, the more people go into Denial or get another refill of the meds they take!!! Deep down, people know the government can’t and won’t help the average person in any Widespread National Crisis!!! As mentioned, imagine a Katrina Scenario happening Nationwide. A quote I like is from the BBC Movie “Threads” which is this: “What makes Society strong, is also what makes it Weak!” If just 1 piece of the Puzzle is missing, let’s say the Rail/Trucking Industry just stops working, Society as we know it Crumble!!!
September 13th, 2010 at 7:48 amYou are all so right. It’s so easy to put one’s Disaster Recovery plan on the back burner. I just spent MONTHS getting a plan for over 500 people updated and current with first aid items, food items, etc., because it was put on the back burner for so long that it was at least 2 yrs outdated. No one anticipated that a disaster could possibly occur. You should never wait for the disaster. Be prepared. It’s worth keeping things up-to-date!
September 13th, 2010 at 9:02 amI agree with all the above too. One more point I would like to make is that when I talk to my friends about getting prepared, I tell them that “even” the goverment is preparing and has told us to prepare. If your own goverment is telling you basically that you won’t be able to depend on them for help then duh, do that math and be ready to take care of yourself and family. We started securing supplies 3 years ago when the local Wal-Mart was passing out brochures that were printed by the state goverment listing out the recommended supplies for a 72 hour kit. I was shocked because I had never heard this before. And I was especially shocked that the goverment was the one saying we should do it. This was the year after Katrina I believe. Anyway, after that we started purchasing a little at a time and I started going on different websites and again was shocked to find out how much info was out there on this subject. I am so glad, even though we were very slow on the uptake of it all, that we got the message loud and clear to be prepared. Now three years later we have a good deal of supplies but you are never really “finished” with preps. Thanks for the great newsletter! Very appreciated!
September 13th, 2010 at 11:11 amBuying preparedness supplies is like buying any other kind of insurance – you buy it hoping that you won’t need it, but when you do you are grateful to have planned ahead.
September 13th, 2010 at 11:31 amSome of the people out there that have money think they can throw money at a problem like a speeding ticket and it’s done.Then one day some Rag Heads flew planes into 3 buildings on September 11,2001.What good was their money then?
You better look at America’s track record.Sunday,December 7,1941.The Japanese attacted Pearl Harbor.They hit us fast and hard.America was cought sleeping.Over 3,000 people lost their lives that day.
September 11,2001.Two planes got hijacked and flew into the World Trade Centers,Then another flew into the Pentagon.Again America was cought sleeping,
When our enemy’s attack,they wait untill we don’t know they are coming,then it’s too late.Blam!2,000 people are dead,and we are like OMG,what to do?
So are we ready for the next time?And don’t say that there will be no next time!What would you do if a country that hates us American’s invaded us?You put a War machine in play on our home land?The death and chose would be over whelming.
September 13th, 2010 at 8:41 pmBe ready for anything!