The “Free Lunch” Mentality

I often hear people state that their preparation for disaster consists only of a few firearms and a stockpile of ammunition. They state, only half jokingly, that with those tools they can easily get anything else they need. Unfortunately, there are many people with that philosophy who aren’t joking at all. I call it the “I’ve got the pistol, so I’ll keep the pesos” philosophy. People of this mindset represent an important consideration for those planning to keep their families safe in the event of a societal collapse.

There are many people who would be more than happy to take anything you have, at any time, without a second thought, if it weren’t for the fear of jail. During a major emergency, such fear will no longer exist. There’s no need to look far for evidence of such behavior. A major disaster need not happen for the looter mentality to show its face. The riots that followed the acquittal of the police officers involved in the Rodney King incident are a perfect example of people taking advantage of a situation for material gain. When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, the first thing that many people thought of was to take a quick trip to the local Mercedes Benz dealership to secure a greatly discounted vehicle. Though their homes were destroyed and family members were in trouble, they still found time to steal a nice set of wheels. The truth is that many people look for any excuse to revert to animal-like behavior. A major disaster is not required.

Philosophers ponder whether or not it is okay to steal the necessities of survival in an emergency. That is a very complicated issue and beyond the scope of this article, but a major philosophical discussion is not needed to reach a decision as to whether it’s okay to steal indiscriminately. Vladimir Lenin is often quoted as saying, “Where there is hunger, there is no law.” Were he alive today, he might rephrase that to say, “Where there is no law, there are free televisions.” If so many people are willing to use any excuse to secure luxury items, what might they be expected to do in a real emergency?

If my family was starving and my only option was to steal food to feed my children, I would do so. If pushed far enough, you probably would too. However, I never want to have to resort to that, and none of us has to. Therefore, I do everything possible to prepare myself and my family for difficult times. Other people are quite comfortable letting others do the preparation; that’s part of the reason our country is in the trouble it is today, because so many people have adopted a lifestyle of dependency. That is fine, but don’t expect handouts when bad times come. And do not make the mistake of thinking that I will part easily with my family’s livelihood when you show up at the door.

The touchy-feely people like to think that we will all come together in a time of need, but I am not so optimistic. While I am willing to help anyone in legitimate need, I do not have the means, the time or the desire to subsidize those who refuse to prepare and then attempt to acquire personal gain at my expense. *I will defend what I have worked hard to acquire. I have sacrificed many things in order to be prepared for tough times. If you have the foresight to plan for disaster, you should also prepare for the dark side of human nature and be ready to defend what you have worked to achieve.