If you are a modest investor as am I, you probably listen to what market guru’s have to say. After paying attention to their various pronouncements and predictions, it appears that you have two acceptable alternatives: bury yourself in a very deep hole, or fill your basement with precious metals. There are a few stock pickers who forecast rosy scenarios as far as the eye can see, but they usually have a very hefty stake in a robust market. When you look around, when you shed your wishful thinking, you’ll note that the U.S. economy is standing on shaky legs….quivering, jello-like legs. The source of the instability is difficult to identify because there are so many factors that are in play.
The present situation in the Mideast as it affects oil prices could swing either way. The potential closing of the Suez Canal could cause petroleum prices to skyrocket, and on the other hand, the disintegration of civil order in several Gulf States could undermine the power of OPEC and result in lower fuel costs. An emerging global food shortage is beginning to impact and undermine political stability. Demagogues and opportunists will not hesitate to capitalize on hunger as a motivating reason for disruption. Hungry people become desperate. Quality drinking water is another variable that could have serious repercussions in the times ahead. If water is of poor quality, then disease will become commonplace and devastating. Food, fuel and water are three vital staples for the preservation of social order, and all three of them appear to be at risk at the present time.
Eric Blair, writing in the January 30th “Activist Post,” identified five “collapse-proof investments” that everyone should have. They are food, alternative energy, tools, precious metals and useful skills. Without wanting to be unnecessarily alarmist, I wholeheartedly endorse Blair’s list. In my own life I can identify a period of time when I drifted from having basic skills for survival and the tools for doing so. Now I’m not writing about armed bunkers, camouflage clothes and fully-stocked arsenals, but I do believe that everyone should acquire some basic gardening skills, gardening and general household tools while building a healthy stock of non-perishable food. Some LP canisters and a turkey fryer would give you the means to cook food and heat water if for some reason the power should fail. Again, I’m not necessarily predicting an economic and social collapse as the cause of massive power disruption, but as we have noticed in recent years, the weather can wreak havoc with the power supply and expose your vulnerability.
Being prepared is not just a good idea for Scouts, it is a prudent approach for everyone who has the means to do so. How much is enough? How much food? Alternative energy? Which tools are needed? These are the types of questions that you must answer for yourself and your circumstances. If you live in an apartment, for example, then your gardening opportunity will be limited to container growing, and you may require a larger cache of food than someone who has the means to grow and harvest it.
Here on the little Pat-Ch of Paradise we are doing all of the above. We are stocking fuel for the generators and the tractors. We already have an excellent selection of useful tools (many of them purchased at auctions), and our skill set is improving every day. We currently have about a two-month supply of non-perishable food in storage, but our short-term goal is for six months or more. Admittedly, I am not satisfied with our preparations to date, but I am much more at ease than I was last Spring.
Bangles and baubles are beautiful, but you can’t eat them. Preparation should never be underestimated, and should always be undertaken. Do what you do every day, but be ready if the situation changes.
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