Everyone should do some basic prep, because you are virtually certain in your life to experience "a transitory situation where a buffer can make it easier to na

Everyone should do some basic prep, because you are virtually certain in your life to experience "a transitory situation where a buffer can make it easier to navigate" at some point in your life. This meme where if you prep at all, you must be worried about the zombie apocalypse is harmful. I do quite a bit of basic prep, but I am fully aware that in a total collapse situation it may not matter much. I prepare because I have been in situations before where a buffer is helpful. I've been without power for 5 days before... and I live in a reasonably dense area, not the rural backwaters, a storm just hit me three different ways and there were repairs blocking the necessary repairs. I've been unable to get to the store for a couple of days. My furnace has gone out in the middle of winter. I've been in a "boil water" advisory. Who knows what else may happen? I don't prepare to live my life unchanged in these scenarios, but because I prepared I was not uncomfortable, and no social resources had to be expended to bail me out. I particularly think every socially-aware person ought to have basic prep on hand for that last reason. Be ready to live in your own due to some disaster so that the people who really need the help can get it. Having a couple of weeks of food,a few days of water, backup heating plans, and whatever else you need to survive for a couple of days is not paranoia. It's preparing for things that have happened all the time, and will continue to happen. Don't pass up on cheap, basic, pro-social readiness because you're worried someone will accuse you of being crazy and worrying about the Alien invasion. Be reasonably ready. Be reasonably resilient. Don't be totally dependent on a day-by-day basis on everything going perfectly that day. That's all. This is cheap, easy, effective, and very likely to be helpful at some point.