Conversations With Pop Smith

Conversations With ’Pop’ Smith–PH: ’Pop’, it seems that a number of folks in the preparedness community have been struggling over how to win-over an unconvinced spouse/family member to become involved in the family preparations for possible future hard times.

Any ideas?

Pop: Let’s go at this a little backwards if we can and first look at it from the unconvinced spouse’s/family member’s  view. Their view might be summed up by three comments that seem to, in one form or another, come to light during (or right after) an “event”: natural or man-made.

#1. I didn’t understand.

#2. What do we do now?

#3. Is everything going to be alright?

If we can work from an understanding of these comments, from their viewpoint, then we’ve got a basis for “changing hearts and minds”.

The way I came to understand what #1 meant, and even to someone that had had been associated with family preparation for years but to whom the concept had never really “taken”, was just after the trade center twin towers collapsed on The September 11.

My youngest daughter was staring at the television, watching the folks evacuating that twin towers area on foot and exclaimed “Daddy, look, they’re walking out!”.

“Walking out” was, up until that time, a phrase that brought up some good-natured family humor at the old man’s expense.  I had used that phrase often in the past in describing an emergency exiting strategy.

Now she understood.

If you’ve got some time later this week, I’ll finish #2 and #3.

Until next time, keep your eyes on the horizon as the weathers moving fast.