Is Prepping Worth it? What if Nothing Happens? Is it all a Waste?Gaye Levy, Contributor Myself, I like to think that I bring a very unique perspective to that particular time since, as an old COBOL programmer, I knew how the computer code of old would blow up with the turn of the millennium. I also know many people who were frantically involved in code conversions, and even I provided a bit of consulting to the telecommunications industry in that regard. So why was Y2K a non-event? I would say that the diligent preparation on the part of governments and businesses played a huge role in insuring that utility companies continued to work, the ATM machines continued to function and that daily life continued without a hiccup. (That is not to say that I did not have $5,000 in small bills hidden under my mattress, however.) Coming back in to the present, we have six more months for the Doomsday 2012 events to unfold. And now that the end of the Mayan calendar has pretty much been dispelled, what is left? So gee, have a nice day too, right? Jeff, the Berkey Guy and his sidekick David articulate the answer well. What if Nothing Happens? Thats exactly the question Ill ask you. You, the prepared individual. You, the prepper who purchases food to have in the event your employment situation loses its revenue temporarily, or a minor movement of the earth closes local markets and grocers. You, the healthy student of nutrition. You, the responsible parent who works to provide the necessities of life for your children and grandchildren and works to secure those ongoing needs. You, the involved citizen who talks with your neighbors and cares about the safety of your neighborhood. You, the owner of a vehicle who pays auto insurance for security against an undesired vehicular event. You, the purchaser of health insurance for a family whose health is fundamental and essential. You, the ardent securer of water storage, just in case another 5-day boil-water-alert happens this month. You, the consumer who also produces constructively while others are socially-secure thanks to your payroll contributions. You, whose money is lent to banks whose bail-outs secured enormous pensions. You, whose income tax returns without interest. What if not one thing happens this year to drastically or even minimally- inconvenience your lifestyle? In the event that your storage of food, water, medical, and other resources remains unmoved out of necessity, then count yourself fortunate. This is what we hope for, although wed be willfully ignorant to discredit the vulnerabilities of our current environments, local and global! If your application of primitive or pioneer skills finds use within recreational or standard homestead practices instead of emergent necessity, then continue enjoying their practice in peace. Please carry on and experience the following in your endeavors to be self-reliant: Natural disasters are going to happen as part of life. Adverse events are somewhat out of our control, so we prepare for those things which we can control: having something rather than having nothing. Knowing-by-doing rather than not knowing and doing nothing. And if nothing happens, we have the satisfaction of having prepared for when it does. . . . David SafeWater at Directive 21 The Final Word From time to time we all need to be reminded that all of our efforts to prepare are not a waste of time, money or energy. Both mother nature and human nature tend to send us curve balls both large and small all of the time. Some are bigger than others, but regardless of the magnitude, these burps in our lives and in our normal routine can be disruptive if not disastrous to those that do not prepare. As so well said by David in his article, there is a certain inner peace and sense of satisfaction that comes from being self-reliant. As a prepper, you can stand with your head high and be proud: self-reliance is a grand adventure of the highest magnitude. Spotlight: The article What If Nothing Happens? originally appeared on The Berkey Guy Blog in March 2012. The Berkey Guy has been a sponsor of Backdoor Survival and selfnews Post from almost the get go. He introduced me to the Royal Berkey water filter which I have to tell you is far far superior to any my old pitcher based Brita or refrigerator PUR system. The filters in the Berkey last a really long time making this an extremely economical source of healthy drinking water. According to my math, 6,000 gallons from two filters = less than 2 cents a gallon (this is exclusive of the cost of the unit itself). For more information, visit Directive 21. Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation! Gaye Levy, theSurvivalWoman, grew up and attended school in the Greater Seattle area. After spending many years as an executive in the software industry, she started a specialized accounting practice offering contract CFO work to emerging high tech and service industries. She has now abandoned city life and moved to a serenely beautiful rural area on an island in NW Washington State. She lives and teaches the principles of a sustainable, self-reliant and stylish lifestyle through emergency preparation and disaster planning through her website at BackdoorSurvival.com. SurvivalWoman speaks her mind and delivers her message with optimism and grace, regardless of mayhem swirling around us. linkwithin_text=Related Articles: 