Hello, my friend and welcome back! While talking to a young man recently, he said something that caught me by surprise. What he said was “I wish I could be a Prepper, but I just don’t think I could live without my electronics!”. This is the subject for today’s post so grab a cup of coffee and have a seat while we visit.
Well, I guess he noticed the look on my face and continued. “I have heard about those CMP or whatever they call them, you know the ones that will knock out all electronics and I don’t think I could live without ANY electronics at all!”
Now, as someone who spends a great deal of time researching and writing about prepping, I was floored. I immediately asked him where he had heard that and he said from my posts and on TV. Now I was really confused, so I asked him to explain.
He began telling me about how he had read one of my post about a CMP(EMP) and had looked up more on the internet. Then he saw a show on TV about it. Which one I have no idea and he couldn’t remember the name of it.
He said it all seemed hopeless to him. Now, the light was dawning and I was beginning to put the pieces together. His outlook about prepping was based on a combination of facts and fiction. He mixed them both together and retained nothing but the bad. I needed to help separate the two.
After thinking about it for a minute, I asked if he knew what a Faraday cage was? “Not really”, he replied, and continued to say that he had heard something about them, but he didn’t really know what it was. ” I’m not into electronic repairs”, he replied.
I told him to sit so we can talk. I said, “Let’s start from the beginning and I will help you sort it all out. First off, yes, there is a chance of an EMP happening but there are ways to protect electronics from it and you don’t need to know electronics to do it. Secondly, there are a lot of other disasters that can happen and they don’t take out all electronics.”
“Just because you are a Prepper or live off grid, doesn’t mean you have live without electronics. It simply means that you are preparing for the worst and will be willing take the responsibility of providing for yourself and those you love.”
“Forget about what you have seen on TV, most of that is just fiction anyway. Instead focus on the real facts about what may come. What good will your electronics do you if you starve to death or if you are placed into a work camp? You need to plan ahead and learn how to survive first and then worry about your electronics. There are a million ways to create electricity for charging and running your electronics. But if you are not alive and free they will do you no good at all.”
“In fact, if you are worried about your electronics, just find you an old non-working Microwave and put your electronics in it. I could also teach you to build a Ferriday cage to protect larger electronics if you want.”
“Just because you are a Prepper doesn’t mean you must live without any electronics at all. In fact, I would go crazy without my computer and Radios, but I also know that the day may come when they might not be around. I take comfort in knowing that if, and when, that day comes, I will have a new life and be ready and willing to face it when it does. Until then, I will prep for all the challenges that lie ahead so that when it does all hit the fan. Me, and those I care about will survive with our electronics intact, and food and tools to feed our families.”
“That makes sense, I guess,” he said, “but it just seems so big, I mean where do I start?” By storing up one item at a time and never stopping,” I said as I patted him on the back.” “I think I will do that,” he replied.
Now, why did I relate this story to you? Because he is not the only one out there who thinks and feels that way. Many people don’t really understand what Prepping is or how to get started. Hopefully, if you run across these people, you won’t simply discount them, but will take the time to educate them and help them get started. I know that is how I got started prepping, because a friend challenged me to disprove something he said was real.
One by one, we can open people’s eyes if we only take the time to try.
Well, I guess that is it for today and I hope you have enjoyed today’s post. Until next time, stay safe, stay strong and stay prepared. God Bless America!
-Sarge-
Anyone who has taken the first steps towards living off-grid has taken a large step towards “prepping.” Prepping is a relatively new term. Back 37 years ago when I first started homesteading/living off-grid, it was called self-sufficiency and self-reliance.
Really doesn’t matter what you call it, If an event occurs, regardless of what that event is, you never want to be in a position of helplessness, waiting and hoping some government entity or person comes along to help you.
I take responsibility for being prepared myself and do not want to leave my fate in the hands of someone else.
well if it comes to an EMP no one else will have electronics so the ones you have will be of ZERO value to you or anyone else. Cell towers and radio towers will be gone TV stations will be gone Ham radios Maybe will work but if no one else has one then what good are they??? one does NOT need Electronics to survive.