There are two types of preppers in the world. First, you have the preppers that do what they do because being prepared makes them feel comfortable and the act of prepping is fun and enjoyable to them.
Second, you have preppers that only prep because they understand the need for prepping and approach every part of their prep with a doubtful eye.
Neither of these types of preppers is right or wrong, but both have a place in the world and both are making plans to survive coming disaster. The first prepper is the one most commonly showcased on programs like Doomsday Prepper, but the majority of people in the real world tend to fall into category number 2, known as reluctant preppers.
The Reluctant Prepper
So what is a reluctant prepper? To put it plainly, a reluctant prepper is someone who knows he or she needs to prepare for disaster, but is hesitant about any major prepping purchase or change in lifestyle. A reluctant prepper is someone who sees the benefit in learning skills that could be useful in a disaster, like CPR, basic first aid, and how to can and preserve fruits and vegetables.
The reluctant prepper understands that there may come a time that food is scarce, whether that be from loss of job, failing economy, or natural disaster, and that it’s only common sense to save food now while times are good. The same goes for water, as the reluctant prepper saves water in case of water main breakage or massive contamination. For this type of prepper, reason is heavily influential on every decision.
This isn’t to say that the first type of prepper we mentioned doesn’t use reason or logic when prepping, but for them prepping is not only a way to stay safe, but it’s also a hobby.
At the risk of sounding sexist, more often than not the reluctant prepper in the family is more often than not the wife, as most women bring their husbands a good helping of common sense very frequently, but this isn’t solely a woman’s world.
Ideally, any smart person that isn’t a “Type 1” prepper should be a reluctant prepper. While it’s easy to discount talk of supervolcanoes and complete economic collapse (even though these are real threats) it’s hard to scoff at the idea of losing your job or a massive drought hitting the US. These are in most people’s realm of understanding and because of this, everyone should be a prepper to some degree, even if they don’t consider themselves a “prepper.”
How Can This Help?
Remember that when you’re talking to friends and family that most of them are reluctant preppers at heart. Most smart people want to make sure their family is safe and protected from disaster, and the best way to do this is to plan ahead.
Most people that aren’t in the prepper community do this planning ahead by saving money in the bank, hoping that they can use that money in time of emergency. Since they are technically prepping, it should be easy to help them understand the prepper mentality based on this act. If you want to include family members in your prep, this is a great place to start.
For the reluctant prepper, start with something they know and bring in the gas masks and 10 years of grain storage a little later.