Trust…The most important prep of all!

Hello my friend and welcome to today’s post. You know that when I was growing up in East Texas, my father always said that trust and integrity were the most important things in a man’s character. “Without it you are nothing”, he would say to me.  He was right and today we are going to look at how that translates into the world of prepping, so grab a cup of coffee and have a seat while we visit.

When SHTF hits, trust and integrity will become the most important things you will possess. If people can’t trust you or if they believe that you are not always on the up and up, then they will avoid you and not want to barter with you when the time comes.  Not only that, but what about the other members of your group?  If they can’t depend on your when the time comes, then you will quickly become dead weight and soon find yourself out on your own.  You see people will rise up to defend an honest hard-working person, but someone with not integrity they will leave to their own fate.  Think about it, if you can’t trust the person next to you when you are defending your group, then they might as well be on the other side.  Trust is everything in a survival situation!

I know people who do not share my point of view on this subject, and that is their right. They believe that when the time comes that others will have no choice but to trust them.  They also believe that not telling the whole truth is not lying.  I strongly disagree with that philosophy and think it will come back to bite them in the rear.  Now don’t get me wrong, I know that there are some people who will not trust anyone in a post SHTF world and I can’t say I totally disagree with that idea.  The thing is that there is a big difference between not trusting anyone and not being trustworthy.  Let me give you a little example of what I’m talking about.  Let’s say that I want to barter with you and you sell me a sealed bag of coffee, but when I get home and open it I find that it is something completely different in the bag.  Do you honestly think I will ever barter with you again?  Of course not, I will find someone else that has a reputation of being honest and do my trading with them.  Not being honest in a post SHTF world will get you killed very quickly so you need to think long and hard before you decide to cheat someone.

Let’s look at another example. Let’s say that SHTF hits, and for one reason or another, you are not part of a survival group.  When you do find one and ask to join, what do you think they are going to say if you have a reputation for lying or being undependable?  I don’t think they will accept you with open arms and welcome you in.  However, if you have a reputation for being an honest and dependable person, then you have a much greater chance of being accepted and becoming a part of their inner circle.  You need to remember though is that it all starts now.  A reputation for being honest and dependable takes a life time to build, and can be completely destroyed in a single moment.  Think about the consequences before you speak or act.  Now I know that we all make mistakes and that is not what I’m talking about.  What I am talking about is a deliberate effort on your part to deceive or mislead someone for your own gain or benefit.  While this is not acceptable behavior now, it could definitely be deadly in a post SHTF world.

I have actually spoken to people who have said that after SHTF hits, they will lie, steal and cheat if they need to so they can survive. They argue that there will be no laws so why worry about it.  I strongly disagree with that thinking!  To make my point, just think back to a time in history when there was no real law.  Society had others ways of dealing with it.  They were call lynch mobs and many a dishonest person met their death at the end of a rope with an eager crowed looking on.  Just because there will no “Cops”, does not mean there will be no justice.  In light of this, it would be best to be honest in your dealings and realize that everyone is in the same boat.  Just ask yourself what you would do if someone cheated you, and you might start to see my point.  Trust and integrity are the two single most important preps that you can have and you need to start thinking about it now.  Well, that is it for today, and I hope you have enjoyed our little talk today.  Until next time, stay safe, stay strong and stay prepared!

-The Sargent-