The deep purpose for preppers

[Arzosah]

The foodbanks are huge too of course, as Jenny and Kiwififer mention. Though personally I won't donate to any organisation that puts its religion front and centre, I don't care what they do, there's plenty of choices if you want to help people. Which is my point all along, really

I'm torn on this. As a devout atheist, I too object to helping any religious organisation. But try to find a non-religious food bank. At the end of the day, I remain transactional about it.

Just over 40% of independent foodbanks ie not the Trussell Trust) are non-religious, as of this report from 2019: https://uploads.strikinglycdn.com/files ... 19-pdf.pdf
"Over half of independent food banks were run by a Christian faith group. Most of the
remaining (43%) were operated by secular organisations, but one was operated by a
Muslim faith group and one was run by a multi-faith group." Midway down the second page. They're obviously not easy to find, but they're out there.

Hope you're doing okay, Jenny.

[jennyjj01]

Just over 40% of independent foodbanks ie not the Trussell Trust) are non-religious, as of this report from 2019: https://uploads.strikinglycdn.com/files ... 19-pdf.pdf
"Over half of independent food banks were run by a Christian faith group. Most of the
remaining (43%) were operated by secular organisations, but one was operated by a
Muslim faith group and one was run by a multi-faith group." Midway down the second page. They're obviously not easy to find, but they're out there.

Thanks
What an interesting document. It's a bit late now, but I'll pop it on my kindle for later.

Hope you're doing okay, Jenny.

One day at a time, but some other gremlins beyond the bereavement.

[grenfell]

I'll admit a certain degree of agreement with the original post in that community or society is more important than an individual's survival. If we want to continue using things like the health service then societal continuation or survival is paramount. To be honest I've never really seen the whole lone wolf hollywood idea as making any sense , abandoning everyone else and more than likely dieing an early and possibly painful death. All that said it's a big leap for everyone to form a "proper" civil defence service. It's far beyond the scope of pretty much everyone to have or fund the resources needed. But , by individual prepping we can have an indirect impact by being another family that isn't in urgent need of emergency supplies.
Arzosah mentioned the use of the word prepping in relation to this and I have to agree with the comments. To be honest I sometimes wonder about the term being over used or perhaps misused. Many of us on here had parents or grandparents who kept a full pantry , that was never called prepping , it was just normal common sense and that's what I see most prepping actually is.
Going back to the civil defence aspect , an interesting video ( the subject rather than the presenter ) on CD tool kits
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyrvQfeIwYg

[Frnc]

Things are different than they used to be. Maybe there is no going back. However, couple of points to ponder:

1. In general, people pull together in disasters. This fact has been documented by WHO and others.

2. For almost all of our time from the first modern humans 300,000 years ago, to about 10,000 years ago, we lived egalitarian lives in hunter gatherer tribes. We survived through cooperation. There were very few people then, so we couldn't live in the same way exactly. But the point about cooperation might still stand.

[jansman]

Things are different than they used to be. Maybe there is no going back. However, couple of points to ponder:

1. In general, people pull together in disasters. This fact has been documented by WHO and others.

2. For almost all of our time from the first modern humans 300,000 years ago, to about 10,000 years ago, we lived egalitarian lives in hunter gatherer tribes. We survived through cooperation. There were very few people then, so we couldn't live in the same way exactly. But the point about cooperation might still stand.

To a degree ,people do pull together. COVID saw that happen as we know. However,cooperation only goes on for so long.

I am a handy bloke. Friendly too. I have helped many neighbours down the years - and most of the time,happily. Unfortunately too many people,indeed the vast majority, are not the helpers; they are the *wanters *.

[jennyjj01]

I am a handy bloke. Friendly too. I have helped many neighbours down the years - and most of the time,happily. Unfortunately too many people,indeed the vast majority, are not the helpers; they are the *wanters *.

"A friend in need is a Pain in the Ar5e"

It's an enigma. In the first instance, we preppers look after number #1 (and our close family) with a high level of independence and secrecy. And here we are all secretive and grey, being the lone wolf, while 'non-preppers' get to flounder and battle each-other for resources. But after TSHTF, we would need to crawl from our bunkers and reform communities, from a position of strength.
The transition from bunker bound lone wolf to ranking community member will be a toughie.

I admire Jansman's foresighted approach of building his community right now without outing himself as a prepper. So.... 'Making useful contacts' is itself a handy prep in it's own right.
I wonder how much long term influence Jansman had on his unprepared, hapless neighbours during his recent local crisis. https://www.uk-preppers.co.uk/forum/vie ... ts#p228061

[Yorkshire Andy]

I am a handy bloke. Friendly too. I have helped many neighbours down the years - and most of the time,happily. Unfortunately too many people,indeed the vast majority, are not the helpers; they are the *wanters *.

Further embellished to "want everything for nothing". I'm not a greedy person by any stretch.. lost count of how many pints I'm owed ... Sorted a few people's cars out in the past, and a intruder alarm which was in my grans old house which I fitted "how much do you want?" Just get us a pint next time you see me in the pub...
Even the direct questions of how's the car now whilst stood at the bar fell on deaf ears to two different people..

It's funny how they avoid you like the plague until another problem arrises then your a horrid person for saying no and you in the case of the alarm I won't tell
aka "oh sorry I can't remember" the the engineers access code and the system has bricked itself on opening a tamper circuit due to them taking a cover off a sensor ..

A pint is cheap Vs you now having a alarm engineer telling you the control panel is useless and needs returning to the manufacturer to be decoded or replacement buying and fitting..


Even funnier when you give advice when asked "will you put a headlight bulb in my car," "yes not a problem buy 2 bulbs I'll do them both if ones gone the other won't be far behind ". "Next day my husband says only one needs doing" and she hasn't bought a lamp yet ... When you find out that night driving home she's had to call out the RAC as the other bulb went ping 10 miles from home mid winter on a unlit B road and they charged £20+ per bulb as they class them as a consumable part

And how your friendship circle diminishes when you start to say no ......

[jansman]

I am a handy bloke. Friendly too. I have helped many neighbours down the years - and most of the time,happily. Unfortunately too many people,indeed the vast majority, are not the helpers; they are the *wanters *.

Further embellished to "want everything for nothing". I'm not a greedy person by any stretch.. lost count of how many pints I'm owed ... Sorted a few people's cars out in the past, and a intruder alarm which was in my grans old house which I fitted "how much do you want?" Just get us a pint next time you see me in the pub...
Even the direct questions of how's the car now whilst stood at the bar fell on deaf ears to two different people..

It's funny how they avoid you like the plague until another problem arrises then your a horrid person for saying no and you in the case of the alarm I won't tell
aka "oh sorry I can't remember" the the engineers access code and the system has bricked itself on opening a tamper circuit due to them taking a cover off a sensor ..

A pint is cheap Vs you now having a alarm engineer telling you the control panel is useless and needs returning to the manufacturer to be decoded or replacement buying and fitting..


Even funnier when you give advice when asked "will you put a headlight bulb in my car," "yes not a problem buy 2 bulbs I'll do them both if ones gone the other won't be far behind ". "Next day my husband says only one needs doing" and she hasn't bought a lamp yet ... When you find out that night driving home she's had to call out the RAC as the other bulb went ping 10 miles from home mid winter on a unlit B road and they charged £20+ per bulb as they class them as a consumable part

And how your friendship circle diminishes when you start to say no ......

Spot on Andy.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Spot on Andy.

To be fair now I've a family I've got no time free for any bugger let alone myself

( (did get a big hug tonight from little man when I showed him what the post man fetched today (new cycle helmet in his favourite colour ). To say he's six his head is massive... We did the National coal museum last summer mum and 11yo sister took the kids size hard hats ... Little man needed an adult size hard hat the guy at the lamp room didn't believe it when I said he needs a adult hat took him for a bike ride last weekend from last summer his hat no longer fits so he had to wear daddy's linesman hard hat probably better protection than most bike hats it's both industrial hard hat and climbing helmet rated) )) happy kids (and wife ) is all that really matters

still got a few jobs my mum and dad want doing , did make my dad's day when I found him the gas regulator he required for his new outdoor pizza oven in a box of my crap In his garage ......

Told him I expect a decent pizza once he gets the hang of not burning stuff

[jansman]

Spot on Andy.

To be fair now I've a family I've got no time free for any bugger let alone myself

( (did get a big hug tonight from little man when I showed him what the post man fetched today (new cycle helmet in his favourite colour ). To say he's six his head is massive... We did the National coal museum last summer mum and 11yo sister took the kids size hard hats ... Little man needed an adult size hard hat the guy at the lamp room didn't believe it when I said he needs a adult hat took him for a bike ride last weekend from last summer his hat no longer fits so he had to wear daddy's linesman hard hat probably better protection than most bike hats it's both industrial hard hat and climbing helmet rated) )) happy kids (and wife ) is all that really matters

still got a few jobs my mum and dad want doing , did make my dad's day when I found him the gas regulator he required for his new outdoor pizza oven in a box of my crap In his garage ......

Told him I expect a decent pizza once he gets the hang of not burning stuff

Family comes first. One’s Tribe. After that,your neighbours ,then perhaps the rest of your community. A good example is my wife. She is a teacher. As a result of the situations she deals with,she helps at the local food bank. That’s good. However ,given the size now of our village population,she is one of few who helps. She has had to take time to look after and assist me with my hospital treatment for the last four months , and the food bank organisation has been rather rude to her because of her absence! As she put it to them- try advertising for more help then. They did. Folks want,but won’t give !

Sure,I am using our NHS to stay alive right now. As grenfell mentioned earlier,the NHS is a big deal community-wise. It is ! However,as I thanked a radiologist for my treatment one day and I commented on what important work she did ,she said, “ Yes it is important,but I won’t do it without being paid properly “. I heard that several times,and boy ,I’ve spent some time in hospitals in the last four + months.
So in an emergency,a real one, people whatever they do for a living,may well look out for their tribe first!