Negligence in Food Storage and Why You Should Start Today
People who do not store food long-term are negligent because they do not see how valuable it is. They may harbor certain assumptions about the likelihood of needing a private food supply. Alternatively, they could be in denial of their fears or misunderstand what prepping entails. Whatever the reason, too many people neglect long-term food storage and ignore the practical reasons it is crucial to start today.
There Is a Media Stigma on “Preppers”
Reality TV paints a picture of political extremists who let paranoia and mistrust of the government drive them to invest inordinate amounts of time and money into prepping. Perhaps they build extensive bunkers on their property or stockpile enough food and water to last for years. Unfortunately, since these behaviors are not common, many people believe that everyone who wants to secure an emergency food supply for their family is somehow crazy.
Most People Operate under Misconceptions about the World
The above perception only makes sense to people operating under several misconceptions. First, they need to believe that society has a plentiful food supply and that nothing could happen to disrupt it. While the first assumption may be correct at any given moment, the second is not, as the COVID pandemic has illustrated.
In addition, even if people know the supply chain is more fragile than we would prefer, they believe doing anything to prepare is pointless without special survival skills. Furthermore, they think long-term food storage's financial and social costs are prohibitive. They see a low probability of disaster with a high price of preparation; in other words, their values are skewed.
Prepping is Really about Skills and Values
Preparing for an uncertain future is about your values and skills. Learning about long-term food storage is a journey, but each step on the journey involves building a skill or set of knowledge. When you realize that each piece of knowledge could keep your family safe in a difficult circumstance, it's easier to keep your values appropriately ordered.
Furthermore, long-term storage is not about prepping for the end of the world. Instead, it is about ensuring that difficult circumstances, for which there are precedents, don't feel like the end of the world. The time and money you spend are more about developing self-reliance and investing in skills: building human capital.
Long-Term Food Storage is a Practical Concern
Long-term food storage can alleviate the stress of three familiar situations in the modern world. First economic disruption. This circumstance can be mundane, like job loss, but could also include global collapse. Having food on hand buys time for you and your family to maintain their health until you find stability. Furthermore, the skills you gain by learning about food storage and preparation, called human capital, are marketable whether the economy is good or bad.
Second, a food supply lessens the danger of natural disasters. For example, your area may be prone to floods, blizzards, wildfires, or droughts. In all cases, proper long-term food storage will protect you and your loved ones when you are cut off from the rest of your community. This supply is vital whether the roads are impassable for a couple of days or the power is out for weeks on end, as with hurricanes Sandy and Katrina.
Finally, and most appropriate to 2022, having a personal stockpile of properly stored food can help when government mismanagement makes life more challenging. Rampant inflation can make money worthless, and supply-chain disruptions can reduce the availability of products, baby formula or toilet paper, for example.
Starting the Journey is Better than Neglecting It
When problems elsewhere make it more difficult to secure food locally, your values and skills will keep you from running into trouble. While many of your neighbors may have to spend their life savings just to feed themselves for a few months, you can take comfort in the fact that you have the skills to provide for your family with what they need, even if you are still near the beginning of your food storage journey.
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