Most folks tend to think in extremes, black and white, all or nothing.  Case and point is the topic of barter.  As the U.S. Economic situation dims, the public slowly loses the faith it once held for the fiat greenback.  The next option will be to barter for what one needs.

Presuming that all Hell has broken loose, folks tend to be thinking it's a bad idea to "be the guy with the stuff" with regard to available goods for barter.  Instead, they prefer to be invisible.

If we wish to talk extremes, there is a world of difference between the two and a billion and one combinations of the two.  As previously stated, I believe that a manufacturer of sorts will fare the best in any economy.  But this is far removed from being the "guy with the goods".

Let's put this into perspective; In an "end of the world as we know it" situation, if a person is alone, his/her supplies are finite......extremely so if that person has to carry everything they own on their back.  Sooner or later such a person will have need.  That is, assuming that they can be invisible long enough to outlive their stores.

The need will arise for them to find a source.....this will most likely be a group, as loners, contrary to the movies, don't fare well "against all odds".  (Besides Rambo, how many loners thrive in a war torn country?  Looting, killing, starvation, disease.....one needs friends.)  Groups have "stuff", or they wouldn't be groups for long.

Now let's plug in a little reality to the scenario;

1.  A successful loner will be so by having many caches in their area of operation as well as fall back areas.

2.  Groups will have their "stuff" well secured and post adequate security if they are going to survive long enough to be available for barter in the first place.

3.  A loner who is not known by the group will have no chance of barter.  If they don't trust him, they won't let him know they have anything.

4.  A loner who doesn't know the group won't risk his life attempting to trade with them.  Who's to say they don't capture and attempt to extract the whereabouts of his stores.....especially if they are nearing starvation.

Obviously, extremes won't pan out in the long run.  The best bet is to keep stores hidden and secured while bartering manufactured goods.  Once must certainly know with whom they barter.  In the event of the loss of manufactured goods, they can be replaced.  In the event one party or another needs valuable perishable medical supplies, only a person or group known and trusted will have a chance at it. 

The all or nothing approach is no different with regard to survival than a boxer knowing only how to charge in or run away.  Odds are not good that he'll last very long.  To someone who knows nothing else, well, other than evoking admiration for doing what they can, it still doesn't change the odds.

The all or nothing mindset is prevalent in the vast majority of topics. However, since our site is devoted specifically to the topic of survival, we'll stay on point.

Regarding preparations themselves, one sees either no preparation at all, or everything under the sun.  Some folks (without any experience actually carrying the load they dream will save them should they have to "bug out"), are in for a surprise a mile away from home as they begin leaving the trail of dumped goods they can't carry.  Personally, I'd rather stand my ground and go out fighting than to go out cold, exhausted, sick and hungry....having watched the rest of all I cared for go along the way....if we really want to talk extremes.  

Then there's the retreat itself.  Home....or hideout.  (For now, let's not discuss the journey from one to the other.)  Who's to say there won't already be somebody scoping your area in the event "it" happens....whatever that "it" is?

Even worse than the false view of what the future may hold is that nature abhors a void.  If one retreats as a rule, such a person only allows their opponent a better foothold or position. I can say this; thank God our military doesn't look to run away every time there's a threat.  Where on earth would we be if it weren't for our brave fighters?  

If we wish to talk "all or nothing", let's talk about position.  All the knowledge, skill and gear cannot overcome bad positioning.  Think; camping in an avalanche area.  (The best boxers in the world do not get that way by leading with their chins.)  Remember, positioning is everything and advantage = superior position.  Though there are exceptions where advantage/superior position is not the deciding factor, as a rule wouldn't you want it on your side? Therefore, instead of thinking void, think superior position.  Who has the home field advantage/superior position....the home team, or the visiting team?

Though some may recite, "he who fights and runs away lives to fight another day".  I would remind them that the key word here is "fight".  The object being all about resistance.....one must first fight, to run away and fight another day as well.  He who runs away without offering resistance, invites occupation.  The latter only resulting in strengthening the enemy.  For it will be harder to remove the incumbent than to defeat him in the battle for office.

As the media has done a great job manufacturing fear in the public, simply departing from the mainstream does not remove the programmed fear.  I further suspect that many of the plans and schemes surrounding preparations in general, are made as a direct result of said fear created by the media. While understandable, remember that courage is action in spite of fear.  

When fearful, folks tend to think in terms of all or nothing....extremes.  One would be wise to ponder whether their best laid schemes are the result of wisdom, or in reality born of fear, as fear corrals the sheep into their respective pens.

Rather than thinking in an "all or nothing" pattern, it's best to consider as my Grandfather was fond of saying, "there's many a slip betwixt the cup and the lip".  The two extremes, if you will, the source and destination of that which is desired.  In short, when dealing with extremes of any kind, don't count on it.  One would do well to train themselves to think along the lines of "the in-between".

One of the greatest dangers we face as a country is the lost of trust of our own neighbors.  How can we trust them if we never get to know them?  The most likely culprit being the constant state of change in neighborhoods.  In the old days, folks tended to stay put.  That and the movies and stories about " the neighborhood wacko" planting the seeds of doubt along the way.

Another problem is the lack of tolerance for others doing things differently than we might prefer.  The "my way or the highway" mentality couldn't offer an easier victory to an opponent bent on dividing and conquering. 

Here's a few ideas that may help to get folks out of an "all or nothing" frame of mind;

1.  Get to know your neighbors rather than hiding from them.  Talk with them once in a while.  Wave at them, even.  Smile and let them know they're OK, from a distance, at first.  All change is regarded as strange, so rest assured, they'll probably think you're nuts in the beginning...so don't prove it to them by going overboard....the other extreme. 

Bring them a plate of Christmas cookies.  When you're cutting your lawn and you see them in their back yard, take a break and give them the time of day.  You aren't deciding on world changing events and you're not likely to settle global disputes over the fence.  

If your neighbor says something that seems to irritate you, let it go.  Win them over.  Don't bristle over their politics.  Many folks are blinded by programming.  Keep it simple, keep it honest.  If you've established that you may disagree on a subject, say, "let's talk about something else.  We disagree, but you know I really respect your opinion".  That's how one leads a neighbor by example.  Everyone wants to think their opinions matter.  Let them know you can be trusted.....that you are a good neighbor....and equally important, that you credit them the same....whether you really do or not.  Sometimes, people need someone else to lay a secure foundation before they can come out of their shell.

This doesn't mean that you tell them everything you've got going, it simply means that now you have more possibilities than the "all or nothing" you had previously.  

Anyone who's ever tried their hand at exercise of any kind can tell you that giving "all or nothing" is a fast ticket to injury or total abandonment of the subject.  It's the slow, steady, patient and consistent work that allows a person to go the distance.  The same is true with human relationships, friendships and trusts.

Chances are good that it won't be an easy task.  Most folks are layered with fears and have a vast array of defense mechanisms.  The least of which is the "tough guy" attitude.  Let it go.  Just smile.  Let them think they're tougher, smarter or somehow at greater advantage than you.  Time will eventually show them otherwise.  Put down the swords, we're not fighting the Persians for Pete's sake.  Remember that true strength is demonstrated in gentility, towards your fellow man, that is.

OK, you've tried everything and your neighbors are just evil.  It's time to move to a different neighborhood, not time to head for the hills.  At least you'll have the advantage of finding a better geographical position.  Once done, begin establishing a rapport with your new neighbors.

Don't give in to laziness in any case.

Want an all or nothing scenario?  Which would you rather do; go it alone, facing fear, starvation, attack, disease, never having a place to lay your head, constantly working your butt off just to live day to day, watching your loved ones suffer and knowing that you can never go back to what you once knew?

Or

Building your community a neighbor at a time and establishing a home team advantage?

Make no mistake; as nature abhors a void, the lack of the one, will leave room for the other.

Ok, we've established long ago that preparation is tantamount to our ultimate survival.  But what about our every day lives?  Do we become "total survival" and disappear into the woods?  Do we prepare, then forget about it?  Believe it or not, the vast majority of folks dabbling in preparedness have a dual mindset when it comes to survival, preparation or self sufficient living.  They snap into "survival mode" and then to "every day life mode" and back again.

Though doable, it's not realistic.  In fact, it can set someone up with a false sense of security as well as leave them unprepared mentally for the survival challenge....the actual one, not the "oh good, let's see if I have all the right answers" one.  So let's start there....answers....they're just words.

One of the most common mistakes with word usage is to employ words that, often can be used synonymously in place of the word demanded by definition, for the situation at hand, resulting in what I like to call "elastic communication".  Sadly, when the rock of reality falls on a person and crushes them, "having a less than excellent day" though more pleasant to the ear, doesn't seem to adequately relay the facts.  So we need to give ourselves clear definition of what exactly it is that we're after, first, and proceed from there.  Those with which we communicate, without clear definition, may have an entirely different idea of what the intended goal actually is.

Another common problem with words themselves is that they don't automatically line up with action.  If we are not diligent, we can find ourselves speaking all the right words, but walking a different path.  Make no mistake about this; I'm not talking about posers or blow-hard types.  I'm talking about good, well intentioned folks who don't realize they are still under a bit of programming.  Without clear definition of what exactly you are trying to accomplish with a given task, there is no goal by which we can measure our progress, or lack thereof.  This results in a lack of feedback on how close we are coming to the target, which in turn eliminates the opportunity to adjust for accuracy.  

The first thing that needs to be done to begin breaking down the programming that has occurred over a lifetime, is to give clear definition to the words we're talking about; Survival, Preparedness and Self Sufficient Living. They are not the same thing, though each one is closely related to the others.

Survival: The act of surviving, or the state of having survived.  One who, or that which survives.

Now we plug in the threat.  Is it a one time occurrence?  Is it an ongoing situation where we are "hopping from rock to rock across the babbling brook"?  (Similar to one of "Murphy's Rules of Combat" - Combat: A continual series of close-calls that end when your tour is over or your number is up.)  This is important as it changes the requirements of survival (by De-facto, that is, by implementation), from establishing a fortress streamlined for a particular event, to a series of fortresses and/or fall back positions in sort of a "Survival = Point A to Point B" type scenario.

Preparedness:  Readiness; especially, a condition of military readiness for war.

Now we ask a question; are we ready?  If it all went to Hell right now; are we ready?  If not, we have what Joe (Viking Preparedness) calls....a wish.

Self Sufficient Living:  Maintaining existence without aid or cooperation from others

More likely than not, the given definition is not the goal of most preppers.  In fact, the most likely definition in the minds of the general populace across the country will range somewhere between total dependence on the current system and move toward a self sufficient group (which in my opinion is a more survivable scenario overall than being individually self sufficient.), as preps and skills are increased.  I have no problem with the final decision on how a person will conduct their life and the degree to which they prepare.  Just keep in mind that unclear definitions as well as actions that do not line up with the intents invite added problems and disappointment......that and the fact that we will bear the consequences of our own choices.

Let's say for the sake of argument that we've got all three definitions clear in our mind and we are ready.  Our next step is to ascertain to what degree we able to make a transition from a civilized society into a desperate situation mentally.  (Assuming, of course, that we are not currently in 100% survival mode 100% of the time.  We are talking rational, here, not fanaticism.)  Are we in every-day-life mode 99.9% of the time?  Except, maybe on the Internet?  If so, how do we expect to make the transition to 99.9% survival mode in a real situation that lasts more than a week?

It's easy for us to think, "I can make a fire.  I can purify water.  I can navigate, build a shelter, shoot a gun, hunt for food and fish.  I know CPR, have IRAs and can hike across BFE.  I can do any one of a number of things."  The big question is, "Yeah, but can you do them all....every day....over a period of time....making decisions for you and your family that could result in great personal loss if unsuccessful?"

The truth is, many think they can....sitting on the couch.....eating another bag of chips.....maybe even watching Bear Grylls....and dreaming they could survive.  It's easy to imagine what we'd do, or not, while in the comfort and security of our living rooms.  If we haven't done it and/or aren't currently doing it, then we don't know what we'd do until we're in the situation doing it. 

Fortunately, we can cultivate skills and mindsets that will bring us ever closer to success should we find ourselves in a perilous situation.  The good news is that we can build these attributes in a civilized society without running around in camouflage and learning to speak only in military acronyms.

Let's ask ourselves this; Do we work for someone else....maybe a company?  Are we the top, or does someone else make every decision for us?  If we lost that job, do we have the means to maintain our existence indefinitely or would we have to seek employment from someone else?

If so, how are we preparing ourselves to make the transition when all the responsibility for continued existence falls on our shoulders on a daily basis....indefinitely?  Let's not kid ourselves into thinking that "it will happen naturally".  It won't. 

The bad news is that failure in a survival situation won't simply result in the loss of a home like it would in a civilized existence in the aftermath of a bad turn of events.  The stakes are much higher in a survival situation and any loss will be very personal.  The good news is that if successful, we get to continue living.

What is our mindset on a daily basis?  Do we avoid fearful situations out of wisdom or do we avoid them out of fear and pass it off as wisdom?  What if we had no choice?  Most folks blow off such a question stating, "well, it would be different if I had no choice".  Think so?  Overwhelming evidence suggests otherwise.  Unless we have a handle on fear, what it is and how to deal with it, we may be in for a surprise.  In a survival situation, we can be in short supply of many things.  Fear will not be one of them.  We would do well to learn how to properly deal with it now.  (See the article on The Fear Factor in our Header at the top of the pages of our site.)

How about an uncomfortable situation?  Do we tend to avoid making waves?  Do we worry what others will think or say about us?  If confronted, would we stand our ground or cave in to pressure?  Do we have the courage of our convictions or do we only think we do?   Rest assured that we will make waves in a survival situation.  If "you can't please everybody" now, when the stakes are low, what do we think will happen when it's "every man for himself"?  Keep in mind, it's "winner takes all".  Again, success won't magically appear.  Simply becoming extremely selfish won't add an hour to our lives.  We must have the ability to wisely assert convictions with courage from the start.  If we don't have any convictions, we'd better develop them now and learn to live by them regardless of what may come.  This does not eliminate, rather, underscores the need for discretion.

Ok, let's talk about preps; are we covered?  As nobody can know the future, can we ever be truly covered?  Odds are, probably not.  This brings up a very good point.  Sooner or later, survivors of a prolonged situation will find themselves in need of one thing or another.  Assuming there are others, somewhere out there, how will we barter or trade for what we need?

To answer this, we have to ask; what do we have to trade with in the first place?  A generally preparedness minded person will have all their bases covered regarding general survival.  But then, any surviving group will also have those things.  If they didn't have them, they wouldn't be survivors for very long.  Odds are, that the things you can "do without" can also be "done without" by the group with which you wish to trade.  In the event the group you wish to trade with is taken over by a more hostile group, perhaps better equipped and/or manned, they will have even less desire or need to trade with you.  In fact, why trade with you when they can just take what you have?  Assuming other groups will have your code of morality would be the gravest of mistakes.

Your best bet, in a survival situation is not to have an over-abundance of goods to trade.  More to store, more to lose.  Your best bet is to be able to produce something valuable on a continuing basis.  In other words, you would be a manufacturer of sorts.  

Generally speaking, as most folks are acknowledgeable (not to mention, inherently lazy having a choice) compared to someone who does a given task on a daily basis, they'd much rather have a pro do the job and trade for it than to try to re-create it.  This can make you a valuable asset to larger, well prepared community, that would otherwise simply pounce upon you and take what you have.

But then, how will we make the transition to manufacturer in a survival situation if we've never done it before?  How will we have learned to "find the niche"...that place where nobody else is....the gap....that which puts us in higher demand?

Understand this; in a survival situation of any duration, societies will fall back to their default positions of efficiency.  Everyone will have jobs to do.  There will be only so many jobs to do.  Once those positions are filled, any stragglers will have a hard time finding a home....that is....unless they can bring something unique to the table. To possess skills in duplicate of those already possessed by the community will likely not be enough. At such time, most folks will have cross trained as untimely death will be the norm and communal education will have become well rounded.  There needs to be something a person can manufacture.

Chances are that each community will have their own types of manufacturing/repair.  That's why it's so important for us to be able to find a niche.  To trade with other communities or individuals.  The niche can be entire products, innovations or just plain better quality, more usable sizes, configurations or multi-function.  The point is that we need to think along the lines of having a use in society now, rather than continue the "consumer" mindset.

Simply becoming a salesman, or middleman might be a risky endeavor.  Since they don't actually produce anything, what's to stop a community from simply taking their goods and doing away with them?  Sooner or later, another salesman/middleman will wander in and bring them more "free goods".  But the actual manufacturer will be a great asset.

The better the niche/product, the less dependent on "economic upheaval" the manufacturer is.  (There will always be a position for a community undertaker.....regardless of the times.)  That is not to say there's a guarantee that a given enterprise will never be affected by the ups and downs of economies, local or national.  Rather, that a manufacturer can have direct involvement with his or her success in any economic environment.

Making a transition from our way of life into a survival situation of unknown proportions, with regard to all manner of self reliant living, boils down to one thing; going into business.

All points considered, all headaches of business combined, pale by comparison of the headaches of a given survival situation.  I'd personally prefer to run a dozen businesses than have to survive a catastrophe for even a month, risking life and limb, not to mention the welfare of those close to me.

That being said, it would advance a person greatly to locate a niche and create a small business now.  The education is universally applicable, as well as the experience.  The business doesn't have to replace current employment, but in time, you may begin to enjoy the freedom and benefits of self employment that you make a permanent move towards it.

Among the many benefits of even a small business are;

1.  Less dependency on people or corporations whose policies are arbitrary or do not coincide with yours.  Corporate policy?  You decide what corporate policy is.

2.  Less expendable in times of economic crisis.

3.  Tax benefits.

4.  Building of the U.S. economy.

5.  Inventory can be bartered if a currency fails.

6.  The 9-5 mentality fades and a task oriented lifestyle emerge.  Eerily closer to the schedule of a given survival situation.  (You'll be surprised how difficult such a change is to make.)

7.  Less reliance on a single paycheck.

8.  Less reliance on the opinions of one or two people.

9.  Confidence in your abilities.

The list goes on and on, but all add up to varying degrees of independence.  If we can't become independent now, how do we truly think we can do it under times of great duress?

If this country, as a whole, stopped putting so much energy into whining about how bad things are, and got off their over-fed backsides and put their energy into actually doing something about it, we would be back on top in short order.

Somewhere along the line, folks seemed to have forgotten, that small business is the backbone of ANY economy.

In short, the best way to hone the survival mindset to a razor's edge in a civilized society is to hone that which you'll need to thrive in a survival society.  That which we call manufacturing, answers every requirement by definition.  The result, in my opinion, brings us ahead of the curve with regard to the ability to transition any change that should present itself.

One thing you can always count on people to do; that is, to be people.  Some are honorable to the death, while others are at the least, variables.  Unknown to be sure.

If people disappoint you when times are good, it may be upsetting, but make no mistake; the stakes go up in a time of crisis should a person or group, burn you good.  A community in the throes of calamity may prove unpredictable at best.  With regard to preparation, "The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men, Gang aft agley, An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain".

"The next thing you know", no, Jed's not a millionaire, he's fighting for his life and the life of his family, in the middle of a disaster, simply because he was smart enough to prepare and has food and supplies.  Now, those he considered friends are willing to kill him to take what he has stored up.

The immediate reaction is to find someplace where nobody can find you and set up a retreat.  That sounds great on paper, except that a plan that revolves around not being found is a tad lacking.  What if you're found, then what?  A shootout?  A stand off?  Hostage crisis?  What if one of your little ones is captured by the bad guys and they bargain your retreat for the life of the little one(s)?  What if they just burn you out?  Here's one for you, forget the bad guys, what if a secondary disaster overtakes your retreat; earthquake, tornado, floods or wild fire?

Sounds a little trusting on the part of the prepper, doesn't it?  Most folks don't realize there's only two perfect places in this life, those places we've been and those places we're going to.  Where we are is never perfect.  The problem with most plans is they are usually thought of (and planned) in the future tense.  There's very little reality planned into a "future" event.  Only when one rehearses that event do some of the "present problems" begin to surface.

So, you've prepped.  You've practiced fire drills and taught your children.  You've armed yourself for the bad guys.  Have you mixed the cocktail and taken a snort?  How about a stand-off with the bad guys who want your preps and your house is on fire?  Oops. How about going all through your paces, only, you've broken your arm after taking a tumble yesterday?  A bad tooth?  The flu?  Anything can happen.

This leaves you with a choice; stay and pay or run and regroup.  If a person has been too trusting in their own forecast, a slow starvation may bring a cloud or two to their expected sunny future, should they find evacuation their best option for any number of unexpected surprises. That brings us to Rule Number 1;  "When it comes to human predictions of future events, don't count on it.  Negotiations happen."

Fortunately, at the time of this writing, there's no major widespread disaster going on, so we have a little time.  For those who haven't already done so, caching is in order.

This means to find places to bury your gear, food, resources that might otherwise be taken or destroyed in an unexpected turn of events.  Only the hardest-of-core cache because it's time consuming as well as difficult and has to be done at odd hours.  In the event one leaves the area, either the caches must be retrieved or they are abandoned for another day....maybe.  This, just for starters.

Having only what is absolutely necessary, at any given time, gives one ample freedom to move about, with very little in the way of responsibility to "mind the store-house".  This is a monkey on one's back that one could do without in a SHTF situation, and one that could easily be eliminated. 

In a bad situation, there must certainly be recon patrols to check out the area.  Since one never travels the same way twice, plotting a recon patrol according to cache retrieval would be one way of doing things.  Of course, make sure your cache retrieval is toward the end of said patrol.

There are lots of resources for caching if you don't already know how to do it.  Check out the Viking Forum and the U.S.R.S.O.G. websites, just to name a few.  If you are prepping, but haven't a single cache, you're just kidding yourself and you are in violation of Rule Number 2;  "In God we trust.  All others must use cache."

There's another difficult, but necessary topic of discussion for the prepper; betrayal.  It can come in the form of relationships gone south, or pressures from authoritative figures on those who might otherwise have been considered one of your own.  It could also just be a person's true colors finally seeping to the surface.

One can never guarantee the actions of another human being. Therefore, take action.  Betrayals betrayals can come from very unexpected people at very unexpected times....that's why they're called betrayals.  Consider, "Then you will be handed over....."

Again, one might be tempted to become an island to oneself.  Such a goal is not only unnecessary, but foolish.  One only needs to prepare, just a little....for the outside chance.

In a recent post to a thread on The Viking Preparedness Forum, a member wrote the following regarding a domestic breakup;

"That wasn't even the worst part . He had let her pay the bills without keeping an eye on his finances. She had been 4 or 5 months behind on most everything and all the savings was gone."

The commonality and/or details of the situation notwithstanding, the elements of survival and the importance of prior preparation clearly stand out.  While this particular person was setting up her betrayal, she began a personal cache.  Despite the arguments on either side of such a split, one has to concede that a personal cache trumps being left with nothing any day of the week. 

On the other hand, what of the betrayed party?  Obviously, the only defense against such a surprise is a personal cache as well.  While this goes against the grain for some, I'm sure, after 3rd degree burns from several situations over a period of years, repetition will no doubt begin to bear heavily.  Providing you survive, that is.  

But think about it for a moment.  We have all manner of insurances, yet have no intention of being hospitalized, sued or ever implementing the "optional death and dismemberment plan".  What would happen if you were given realistic odds that by leaving your house today, you have a chance of being killed that exceeds 50%, would you even step outside your door?  

Marriages, once considered the most sacred of human covenants, now exceed a 50% casualty rate (I know, "not mine"....heard it before).  All manner of promises are broken, betrayals occur and the trend doesn't appear to be slowing anytime soon, and definitely not because of moral character as much as a refusal to enter into marriage in the first place.  But then, "live in" situations don't fare any better.  They just aren't as easy to document.  Arguably, the love of many appears to be waxing cold.

Most folks who strive to be "true blue" tend to dislike the idea of having a secret. Though a person may hesitate to "keep secrets", a personal cache is really not a matter of anyone else's business any more than how many times you visited the bathroom today.  Your personal survival stash, like your bathroom adventures, can always be volunteered at any time you wish, in part or in their entirety.  The bottom line is, the option is yours and can only be given away.  Not taken away.  Not by any sleazy maneuver, not by any corrupted person.

This brings us to Rule Number 3; "Consider the squirrel, who buries his nuts as he is quite particular who he allows to handle them."

Though a difficult subject for folks who strive to give 100% in a relationship, the internal conflict of having "a secret cache" is really no different than our paradox of any other facet of preparation. On the one hand, we like to prepare for what may be inevitable adversity. On the other hand, nobody really wants things to unravel....except the idiots pushing for it, that is.

Until it happens to them, folks don't like to even think about the breakup of their marriage or relationship.  But remember, anything that can happen, will happen.  Somewhere, to someone. 

Even outside the context of betrayal in a relationship, there may come times when all is lost, but your life is spared. You still need your personal cache.  In the event your relationship(s) fare well, one never knows if your personal cache will someday aid you and/or your loved ones in some future time of distress.

A personal cache is much like any other type of insurance.  It's great to know you have it, and to move on and not think much about it at all.  All energy can then be put into the task at hand, instead of worrying that you're hanging out in the breeze should anything unexpected happen.  That being said, every added bit of care and energy can then be put into their relationships, which only lessens the chance of splitting up in the first place.  A veritable win/win. 

If the idea of a "personal cache" is too much burden, always remember there's a Rule Number 4; "You can always include others in some or all of your personal caches down the road if you so choose, but you can't 'un-include' them."

As anything else in life, there can be no guarantees.  No matter how a person tries to prepare for what may come, sometimes people just get caught with their britches down anyway. I suspect more folks will be caught like this in the long run than currently expect it. "Et tu Brute?"

"That day will be darkness, not light. It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on a wall only to have a snake bite him."

In the event disappointment pays a visit, one needs to have the mental BoB packed as well.  All the preparation in the world can't help a weak mind.  Folks who would have otherwise been in a great position, have fallen to their inability to cope.

Coping will be a necessary feature of any disaster, though not often recognized until one is in the middle of such a situation.  There's always something in any scenario, more often than not a veritable "take your pick", that folks will just have to "suck up".  Nothing is ever perfect. 

Adaptation. Learning to accept things for what they are, learning to go through the motions regardless of feelings (of loss, depression, despair, disappointment), learning to actively seek out new growth, new friends, new family. Learning to be constructive on all levels.

Look for reasons to live, trust, love, grow, again and again and again if necessary.  Whatever it takes. Anytime a forest is burned out, it takes time for new growth to develop. Give yourself that time by learning to fend off that which destroys the mind, thereby destroying chances of surviving....or surviving intact. (It's all about "enduring to the end".) Rule number 5; "When dealing with one's own mental fortitude, it's the negatives that will positively destroy you."

Just think about it this way; if such topics are difficult to take now, in times of security, how would they sit in times of distress?  Perhaps, in a worst case scenario?  The graveyards are filled with folks who, at one time or another, thought it could never happen to them.

Don't be caught by surprise.