I think that a year to two years is a reasonable goal. Long enough to survive things like a EMP or a Solar Flare. Do I want to live in the world like ‘The Road’ no, but the world of ‘Mad Max’ isn’t that much different than that of our recent ancestors, the western pioneers who managed to tame a Continent,are you saying we should not or can not do what they did? Have Americans becomes so soft that we can not match the sacrifices of those who gave us so much? If so many you are right and we are all better off dead.
I was doing some reading on an EMP and assuming there was a big enough burst at a high enough elevation that most of NA was effected the authors estimated that 90% of the population would be dead in a year. I thought that was ridiculous on it's face when I read it...and still think it's way too high...but in any case life will not be pretty in the face of such a catastophe. There will be millions of people who think they are prepared for such an event but there will also be hundreds of millions who aren't prepared to last a week. And many of those folks will descend on everyone else like packs of ravenous wolves when they get hungry enough, cold enough and scared enough. Imagine what it would be like to be stuck in Phlly or NYC when THSHTF. Once they've destroyed those cities they'll move out to the burbs and finally the countryside. Ugly scenario.
INDEED.
My opinions—
1. I am not against preparedness. In fact I think it is wise and prudent.
2. while I believe “lay up your treasures in heaven” I also like the sentiment of an old WW1-era song — ‘praise the Lord and pass the ammunition’ This is not about fate, this is about being smart. There is lesson after lesson in the Old Testament about saving up for hard times.
3. “Have Americans becomes so soft that we can not match the sacrifices of those who gave us so much?” 80% yes. They are fodder for the barbarians. 10% will resort to ruthless, barbaric plunder. 10% are honorable pioneers, <50% of them will make it *IF* TSHTF.
4. Survival in place anywhere near ‘civilisation’ is preposterous if TSHTF. Surviving in place for longer than 2 weeks means you’d better live in and be prepared to defend (or abandon) your fortress. To wit, we have Mormon neighbors, nice people, who have a year’s worth of food and materials. They also have no defensive firearms. Targets, sadly.
NET: being prepared is a multi-faceted state of materiel, mindset, mobility and survival/defensive tactics..