You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.

 

Just give them more time for all of it to sink in. When things start to become more problematic they shall see your point of view.

 

Good try mate...you can go to bed at night knowing you tried...This is a conversation i will be haivng with my wifes 2 adult children, who now have our grandchildren...My wife is now onboard, and we are workging out a strategy...

I will use this .pdf in my argument, and only reference the various guvco sites like you did..I figure if it comes from the crazy old man, (me) it won't be heard, but they believe and adhere to the gov't...

So, in a little PSYOP'ing of my own, i am going to use the gov't against them....


Will report back...

Meanwhile, here's the file...

 

That sucks Crutch!

It's the curse of 1945-2010 that people can't get past. We have lived in a very unique bubble after ww2, some actually believe this is financial reality.

We had no competion with Europe being in ruins after the war and we ran the table worldwide ever since. That game has been over for a while now so we've being using the credit cards to keep the music playing in the dark for as long as we could.

Some people just don't want to look behind the curtains, some even know how ugly it is but just cant bare the thought of it.

So far, I have been pretty successful at getting family members to prep. As I talked to them about "events" most of them knew it was bad but just needed a little direction on what to do. The best way (IMO) to combat fear is to do something pro-active like prepping and learning ways to survive if things are taken away...a very freeing experience in my opinion.

OM

 

Viable women will survive once the ball and chains are out of the way. Its nature, if he wont provide another will. Besides she has you to fall back on.

 

Crutch, you've tried. Give yourself credit. I don't mention my inlaws on the forum much, because they are the same way. Father-in-law is 94...and just doesn't care. He's old, but capable. He drove the 50 miles out for Christmas dinner. The wife was showing him the new place, and he saw our "stuff." No comment at all.
We went through this several months ago with them. The wife's sister thinks we're kooks....yet has as many as 63 greyhounds living in their house at once! (She's a rescue organization.) Yep...we're the nutty ones alright! Nothing's gonna happen. Obama is a good man....blah, blah. It's like witnessing, Crutch. You say what you can, lead by example...then move on.

 

Wow. You expect that from strangers. However, if anything ever happens, they will be slapping you on the back saying how they always KNEW how smart you were. Oh, and here are their friends from the bridge club, and the sewing circle, and your father's golf buddies, and... my family was the same way during Y2K, so now I don't tell them anything about my business. TP

 

Crutch, a lot of times people resist a new idea, and argue against it the first time or first few times they hear it. But then in their own time things begin to process in their minds, and they come around. Or think that they've thought it all out themselves .

So it might be by springtime they actually are onboard to some degree. The opposite may be true, too, but I do think there is hope. Pray for them!

Well done for trying, and I think you made a good case.

 

my sister told me "ignorance is bliss". some people just don't want to believe anything outside of their own world.

 

At least you tried. Maybe prep a bit more for her and then call her stupid (while cooking a hot meal for her) when she rolls up in a time of need.

My sis and bro-in-law are sort of the same way. They all but laughed at us when we told them about out latest shipment of rice from the LDS. Oh well, better order some more so at least they'll be well fed when doing manual labor at my place

 

I will probably give them a few #10 Canned foods for them to take with them. Might have my son write scripture on the sides of them. Being that they live in ND and I am in NC, they have no chance of getting to my home if the SHTF.

It's not much, but maybe seeing it, will make them start to think?

 

I think this is a good idea. Crutch, some people are concrete thinkers. . . they don't think until the concrete hits them in the face. Something will trigger a concern and then they will be more approachable. For instance, I was speaking with my mother about a few preps I was doing and she said, "Are you going to make a tin foil hat?" (I had to look that up, seriously) I left it alone. A few weeks later she marches over to my house with Turbo Poodle and says, "I was watching a program -- something about the Mayan calendar and 2012. What do you know about that? Better order me one of those dehydrators and extra trays too and some of that powdered milk." Is she prepping? Not to the extent we are; but at least she's thinking.

 

Crutch, having lived in ND, their attitude is odd, given the fact living there is like living on the #$%^ing moon! EVERYONE i knew, had a basement and preps....Winters are brutal, summers can be miserable, add in tornados and flooding, and you have makings of a shtf state in a second...

You are going above end beyond in my book, in trying to assist them..Good luck and God bless....

 

I dont think you should have used the term survivalist. I think you should have talked to them about emergency preparedness. Survivalist comes off as some nut job with a hundred guns and a million rounds living in the mountains somewhere. Now had you talked about preparing for an emergency, such as a blizzard or some thing then maybe they would have listened. Then again they could just be old and dont care so much any more.

 

They have 3 gold wings, a large warm home, and they are living the dream. I don't count another mans gold, but their concept of reality is skewed..

Which is fantastic for now. It's easy to avoid being exposed to the plight of the world, if you just turn off the TV and live in a gated community.

Ignorance is bliss, and often well defended.

 

You may have hit her with too much, too fast. Very few people immediately embrace a concept they've just been presented with. I'd suggest continuing the effort, but lower key and tied less to the possibility of disaster and more towards it just being common sense ("Food prices are going up. Buying extra of things you use a lot when they're on sale saves you money", "Stuff breaks, having spares is essential", "If the snow is howling, the roads are impassible, and the power goes out, you BETTER have an auxiliary heat source and lots of food and water or we may not be able to defrost you until Spring"). That might work.

Also, are you SURE she DOESN'T have plenty of food? She might be practicing OPSEC, herself...

 

I gave up trying to convince anyone years ago.

Tell 'em once. Let 'em know: "You have been warned ...", and move on.

Ya can't fix stupid. Don't even try.

 

I have to be cautious when talking to people not to hit them with too much , I tend to be more concerned for them than they are for them selves .
And I think that is the case for some . They don't want to live through it , it is too terrible to digest.
The Bible speaks of men's hearts failing them for fear, and this kind of stress is adding to all their present concerns economically ,is just too much for many folk to handle.
Many need a reason to servive , for instance if you have children and they love you.
A wife that loves you , friends that love you , These you care for are in them selves a reason to servive or at least to set aside for their servival. There is no limit to what a man will do for his family , If he knows they honestly love him.
But treat him like a servant, and simply a bread winner, not needing his influence , he has little reason to hope for any thing in the future. servive for what ? more of this??
Those are the hardest to encourage , they've already given up.
Want to encourage some one , prove ,not just say, they are of value to you.
Want to discourage some one , prove by independence, they are of no value to you.
simple as that. Choose wisely.

 

I know how you feel Crutch. I have a friend who I thought was pretty open to prepping. Her family lives in the sticks, is very frugal, and has a load of guns. I've talked to her about her father's AR's.

Last time we were together I showed her some videos about politics and prepping. She got a beer and looked distressed. Later she said " you know, I just don't want to know the truth." I felt really bad for showing her.

Doesn't it stink that we only want others to be safe and it literally feels like we're in the wrong?

 

I know how you feel Crutch. I have a friend who I thought was pretty open to prepping. Her family lives in the sticks, is very frugal, and has a load of guns. I've talked to her about her father's AR's.

Last time we were together I showed her some videos about politics and prepping. She got a beer and looked distressed. Later she said " you know, I just don't want to know the truth." I felt really bad for showing her.

Doesn's it stink that we only want others to be safe and it literally feels like we're in the wrong?

I avoided showing them my guns for the purpose of not freaking them out.

Then I showed them some of the videos I've made. The more serious ones, some that I haven't uploaded for what ever reason.

I think it creeped them out. 10 bucks says, they are making fun of me right now... I really wish they would go home.

 

Crutch you did the best you could. You planted the seed, but only they can make it grow. I commend your effort. I also know how frustrating it is. I've tried over the years, and the only ones who realized I was right rewarded my efforts with "we'll just come to your house in a crisis". As soon as they realized it would take their bar hopping/TV buying/vacation money to prepare, they lost interest and shuffled back to the herd.

You might keep dropping reminders about the economy as you can. Right now, that's the most visible and easy to prove threat. If they start to get nervous about it, their eyes might begin to open. Good luck.

 

Crutch, I have put in similar efforts with friends and family. I would share the story but it would sound like a carbon copy of yours.

 

You tried, that's what counts. It's like someone who has a health issue, knows they "should" go see a doctor but find more comfort in denial and/or procrastination. The possibilities of what could happen is not something they want to face. We've all been there.
That's why I try to prep for extended family as well.

 

There's nothing you can do to convince family and friends that "don't get it" yet.

You will just risk alienation by them because you will be perceived as the crazy one.

If you care about them, give them an emergency contact sheet to keep on the fridge and the glove compartment, then set aside enough preps to feed them when they show up (which they will).

 

My Mom and Dad, both now in their 70s, are not deniers or sheeple ... I am a testament to that and the way they raised me. Both were born before WWII, raised in the late depression era of hard knocks - so they understand what is going on and they lived by the old rules of paying the bills, limiting the credit use, etc. We had huge gardens growing up, raised chickens and beef and hogs ... did a ton of hunting. Kept freezers full always and the girls in the family did a ton of canning.

Dad recently upgraded his arsenal to include a couple of magazine fed semi auto rifles ... I hate to admit this but he chose Mini 14s because he trained in the ROTC with the Garand and subsequently he was comfortable with the Mini 14 for that reason - go figure.

He practices.

Still yet, they are beginning to back off of their prepping for the first time in their lives. I think it is up to us younger generations now to pick the torch up and carry it for our parents AND our kids until everyone is on the same page.

Our parents looked out for us - we gotta do the same for them - they may be getting a little bit tired and not wanting to worry as much.

Something to consider anyways - give it some thought.

My wife and I are preparing for her mother and my parents just in case. Distance becomes a bit of an issue but my Dad made a sound decision with his new retirement location choice ... he chose well for a lot of reasons. He's in very Conservative country, close enough to hospitals for Mom and him just in case ... but still far enough in the hills to avoid the big population issues. He's surrounded himself with good old country boys my age, in their forties and fifties and he contributes to the plan.

Now if I could only get him to invest in a generator for his new place.

 

This is the best post yet on this topic.

Not only am i preping for my family, but i am preping for my extended family also. My parents and my brother are doing the same thing.

What if you have to bug out and leave your preps behind? you show up at your relatives house with nothing? Are they going to turn you away? of course not.

I will have preped enough for everybody and they will have too.

 

My mom and her husband are down for Christmas. ... they swear they have "plenty of food", and this is just a faze...

I think they were more entertained then attentive. Her son the Misguided side show.

Being that they live in ND and I am in NC, they have no chance of getting to my home if the SHTF.

If they live in North Dakota, they more than likely DO have plenty of food stored away considering the brutal winters. Perhaps they were amused with your attempts to convince them of their need. Maybe what they view as everyday lifestyle, you view as prepping.

 

Nephew and girlfriend went into my spare room to change their baby. They came out and then called in his brother to see my preps. They told me I really have a problem. Nephew hasn't worked in almost 2 years, unemployment runs out next month, he also hasn't looked. His girlfriend was laid off in June. I gave their son 2 ounces of silver for his 1st birthday.

In the beginning I could tolerate the ridicule but it is starting to bother me. Will I help all of those that have made fun of me and have done nothing to conserve in their home or better their situation? I just don't know.

Prepping can be isolating.

 

Chin up

They came out and then called in his brother to see my preps. They told me I really have a problem. Prepping can be isolating.

Keep your chin up. I had family members who thought I was crazy until they heard that our city is starting to store food in the fallout shelters....We didn't even know that we had fallout shelters! Then suddenly, I didn't look so stupid.

Hopefully, something will wake them up soon. :thumb:

 

My parents live 2500 miles away and are preppers although they're getting old. I have family who live a couple hours away and are not preppers in attitude, although they have guns, some ammo and all can garden adequately. My biggest problem were neighbors who had the attitude "We'll just come to your house if SHTF". They have all moved away to what I consider a safe distance. Now it's OPSEC time. My new neighbors think I'm sheeple just as they are...... Just the way I like it now. I have finished talking about preps to anyone unless I see a legitimate interest, and then, only on a limited basis. I will still talk about the Gospel to those that will listen, but prepping is a different animal all together.