There are a lot of misconceptions about preppers and survivalists and even homesteaders, some of which an excellent article over at Ask A Prepper addressed today. In the last few paragraphs they sum it up quite nicely with:

We make all our preparations and then we hope we never need them.

Think about it this way: You have insurance on your house, so if it burns down you’ll get the money you need to replace all your belongings. Does that mean you want your house to burn down?

No, of course it doesn’t. Prepping is an insurance policy on the future. We’re not crazy Doomsday extremists who want to watch the world burn – just people who bought a different kind of insurance.

I’d like to take it a step further and offer my personal opinion that prepping is actually a civic duty that we should all take as seriously as voting. Why? A few reasons.

One, in a civilized society we don’t want to be a burden on others. We should want to live in a way that helps make life better and easier during the good times and bad. In times of need, we should want to be able to provide for ourselves and, if possible, other members of our community. Expecting the government to provide for us places a burden on our fellow man.

Think of it this way. If we sink into economic collapse and suddenly there are bread lines everywhere but I have prepared for this, then I am one less person waiting ahead of you in that line. If you are prepared, then you are one less person ahead of the next guy in line.

To take it a step further, if there is a natural disaster and no one is prepared with even the basics like food, water and medical supplies, then the likelihood of suffering and death goes up exponentially. Even just knowing basic first aid and understanding the needs specific to your area during whatever natural disasters may happen can literally save the life of you and your neighbor. That’s the embodiment of fulfilling your civic duty.

Another great reason is the self confidence it give you and your family knowing you can be self sustaining if need be. It relieves the anxiety and lessens the worry some people might have over being able to provide for themselves and their loved ones. This boosts mental health in ways other people can’t imagine.

We are often portrayed as lone wolves hoarding food and other necessities hoping for the end of the world, but that is far from reality. It’s a depiction that the media loves to put out there but it’s wrong and even harmful. It can make you distrust your neighbor who “identifies” as a prepper or homesteader. You may even choose to alienate yourself from these “weirdos” if you fall for the propaganda.

Instead, you should be happy that there are people close by who are planning for worst-case-scenarios and it may even be a good idea to reach out and make friends with some of them because you never know, they might just be a literal lifesaver for you someday.

Better yet, why not ignore the stereotype completely and become one of us instead? That way, if the time ever comes, you can be a benefit and not a burden to society.

After all, it is your civic duty to make your corner of the world a better place for everyone.