What Does It Mean to Prepare for the Economic Collapse?Daisy Luther, Contributor All of this leads me to reconfirm my belief that people sincerely do not understand why we do what we do, and that ignorance leads to fear. Am I saying that preppers are all visionaries and sages? Not in a mystical Joan of Arc sense but I am saying that preppers are willing to see the writing on the wall and search for a deeper understanding. If you dont think this is realistic, then you arent paying attention to the world around you. People have this image of hunger they see it as the skeletal dark-skinned children in some third world country, bellies protruding as malnutrition sets in. But the face of hunger and poverty today is as close as your next door neighbor. Millions of North Americans can barely afford to put their next meal on the table. They are living in their cars, if theyre lucky, and without shelter if they are not so lucky. For many people the economic collapse has arrived. Their end of the world event has already occurred in the form of a job loss, the foreclosure of the family home, or an illness that has caused such massive personal debt that there is truly no way out of it. Less than 60% of Americans who are of age to be in the work force have a full time job. When you tally that, it means that more than 100 million people are out of work. More than 100 million people in the United States have no jobs. For more than 100 million people, the economic collapse has arrived in full force. Meanwhile, as people all over the globe (think Greece, Italy, Spain, Argentina, the UK) struggle with high rates of unemployment, the prices of everything have gone up. People are struggling to keep such simple necessities as running water and electricity. Grocery costs have skyrocketed the World Bank released a statement that global food prices increased by 10% in ONE MONTH July 2012. And its only going to get worse the Farm Bill was blocked by the US House of Representatives, and this means that the prices will skyrocket, as farms are no longer subsidized. This will cause the industry to revert to the Agricultural Act written in 1949, meaning that the government is obligated to purchase dairy products from farmers at a cost that is twice what they are receiving now this means that the price of a gallon of milk may skyrocket in January to as much as $8 per gallon. This is not an endorsement of government subsidies this is a simple cause and effect observation to explain the reason people will be shocked when they go to the dairy case come January. The price of food is increasing rapidly and dramatically. Mac Slavo, of SHTFplan, wrote, When you read the above information, the case becomes clear for stocking a long-term food storage pantry. It makes personal economic sense to purchase commodities like grains for your family at todays prices to be consumed when the price skyrockets even further. It seems, from some of the comments Ive seen and received from non-preppers, that stockpiling food is acceptable, if somewhat eccentric. But being able to defend that food is strictly out of the question. For example: So, this leads us to the next misconception about preppers why do many prepared individuals feel that there might be social collapse to go along with the economic collapse? Why do they feel that in the wake of a disaster that they and their families could be threatened? There are very good, well-documented reasons for this. Recent history tells us that frightened, hungry people become desperate and often violent. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, CNN reported that the city was under siege. A similar experience occurred after Hurricane Sandy struck the East Coast in October. The unmitigated violence and looting had residents terrified, especially after dark. Via Twitter, people actively planned looting parties as the storm bore down on the area, according to a report by Paul Joseph Watson. One resident described the scene to the Huffington Post. People are turning on each other theyre attacking each other. Even when theres no disaster, this building is disastrous. But after the hurricane, it just got crazy. Unfortunately, it isnt just in the wake of a disaster that the need for personal security is rising. As the economy plummets, violent crime is in the upswing. In 2011, the overall rate of violent crime increased by 18%. (The numbers arent in yet for 2012. As funding to police departments is reduced, the criminals have a larger window of opportunity. The police are throwing up their hands in defeat they feel that they cannot protect people. In Detroit, the police department warned people to enter the city at their own risk as budget cuts result in fewer police and shorter hours of operation. As the economic collapse increases and more and more people are going hungry, the need for proper security and self defense will also increase in a direct ratio, particularly for those who live in highly populated areas. Desperation breeds crime. People must educate themselves on the relationship between economic need and violent crime. Only then can they make a reasonable (and morally acceptable) plan to protect themselves and their families. The economic collapse is not some far-fetched, end-of-the-world fantasy. It is the reality that is occurring all around us, incrementally. The collapse that has been occurring since 2008 has been one of 1000 small cuts as income goes down and expenses go up. Ask the people in Greece whether they regret not having stocked up on food supplies when those supplies were abundantly available. Ask the people in Argentina whether they feel the need to be armed against roving gangs and home invaders violent crime increased by 35% in one year. One study went so far as to call property crime a tool of redistribution: This stuff is not fantasy I have provided links to support every fact I have mentioned in this article. Hunger, cold, crime and fear are the daily realities in many countries that once enjoyed a similar standard of living to that of the average North American. That debt-based standard of living is unsustainable, though, and you must be able to connect these trends with what is happening in your own country in order to see the need for preparation. I dont live in fear I live in security, knowing that through my personal responsibility, my trust in my own instincts and my faith, I have done everything possible to protect my family from poverty, hunger and crime. If you arent currently prepared, I hope that the facts and statistics Ive provided cause you to consider doing the same thing. 