“It was just a way of life, and probably still is for many rural people who don’t even think of themselves as ‘preppers’. They’re just doing what they - and their ancestors - have always done.”
This is what I thought my neighbors were doing when we moved. Just living the way they were raised and the way their parents were raised. But then they started talking about dropping trees at the entrance to the holler so nobody could get in when there’s economic collapse. And that he’s raising cattle because we will need them. And the guy at the end of the holler said he has enough ammunition to load everybody up to defend the holler. His hobby is reloading. So they’ve gone a bit past their ancestors. LOL.
I don’t know. It seems that we’ve evolved into an existence where Ideas - and Ideals - are the best weapons and protections. No matter what happens practically, God and Nature will endure - and the most valuable ideas and values will always come back around and be triumphant.
For me, ‘prepping’ is a practical thing - and in some ways a ‘fun’ one - to do and figure out, according to one’s personal situation. After all, there are always natural disasters.
But I don’t kid myself that it will somehow ‘save’ me if our society should break down completely. I put my real faith in things other than - and very different from - these material ones.