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Posted: 1/25/2009 5:38:12 PM EST
Just lost my job at the church and am thinking about a new line of work that's a little bit outside of ministry, and outside the box for that matter.  My wife and I have been studying survivalism and changing our lifestyle for almost two years now and the more we share our story with people the more people say, "Oh, my gosh!  I feel the same way but I've been afraid people would think I'm crazy."  So my wife and I are thinking of offering a seminar on modern survivalism for the average Joe and Jane.  This would be in churches, community centers, libraries, whatever.  Couple question for YOU:

Read my rough draft for an intro below and let me know what you think.

How can I make it better?

Do you think this is something that is useful to people right now?

How do you feel about the idea of charging for this, like $10/person?  (I'd like for it to be free because I BELIEVE in it, but this would be for alternative income.)

Thanks for your help, guys!  I'll update thsi as I add content, but here's what I have so far off the top of my noggin'...

~~~

I am not an expert on anything, especially survivalism.  I have no environmental, biological or political degree.  I have no military experience.  My background is in music and ministry.  I’m just as average as you.  In fact, many of you in this room will likely know more about the topics we discuss today than I do.  Good.  I want to learn from you.  In fact, that’s really why we’re here: to take the average person who feels the desire or urge to prepare for a time of hardship out of isolation and silence.  I’ve been feeling the need to prepare since early 2007, and I spent more than six months in tormented silence thinking I was crazy.  If I can do this, you can do this…and none of us have to do it alone.  So let’s talk about modern survivalism.

     
MODERN SURVIVALISM
What is survivalism?  Survivalism is the practice of sustaining life, especially during a time of adversity.  What can cause us adversity?  What are the threats to our way of life?

[LIST THREATS & STATISTICS]
Economic crisis
Natural Disasters
Terrorism
Etc…

With all the threats that are possible and with all that we’ve already seen come to pass, it’s stands to reason that one of them will impact our family at some point, possibly with devastating impact.

SYSTEMS
Our dependency on certain systems increases our vulnerability to these threats.

Income system
Debt system
Food System
Healthcare System
Government System (Everything from Law Enforcement/Defense to Public Parks)
Energy System
Transportation System
Entertainment System

Is your way of life defined by dependency on a system?

Is your way of life a threat to your way of life?

If one or more of these systems were to collapse, what would the effect be on you and your loved ones?  Well, that depends largely on your role in this culture.

PRODUCER VS CONSUMER
Are you a producer or consumer?

Modern survivalism encourages not just self-sufficiency, but productivity.  Americans  have worked hard, producing for hundreds of years so that each successive generation could benefit from an improved quality of life.  But what happens when the very value of living a productive lifestyle leaves our culture.  What happens when our collective sense of entitlement reaches such a critical mass that the majority of the population believes that they deserve a high quality of life just for being born.  Look around you.  We are a culture of consumers.

The threats that traditional survivalism address are magnified by our collective belief that it can’t happen to us.  We’re Americans and we are invincible.  Our quality of life is the best in the world and I really don’t have to contribute all that much to reap the benefits of where I live.  I deserve all that this country has to offer.  Modern survivalists know better.  They not only can live through an extended economic collapse, power outage or terrorist attack…they believe that this country, this world, would be a better place if everyone shifted their mindset from consumer to producer.  

So here’s the catch…as we become less dependent on systems, we become more dependent on each other.  My neighbor loses his job.  He’s denied unemployment, disability, welfare and his insurance dropped him when he was laid off.  He has four kids, three cars, two mortgages and one week’s worth of food in the pantry.  Who’s gonna help him?  The income and government systems have just collapsed on his head and now the debt and food system want what’s let of him.  Can the church help?  There’s only so much they can do.  A bag of groceries, some prayer and counseling, maybe a small cash gift.  Guess what?  If you’re a modern survivalist, you are the church.  You realize that you’ve strategically placed yourself to help someone else.  So take what we’re going to learn today and PASS IT ON.  When you store food, store more than you need.  When you garden, plant extra rows.  When you take a course, take notes or learn the skill in a way that’s easy to teach others.  

When you begin your preparations, build in a margin to account for those needs that you may be uniquely qualified to fill.

That said, let’s talk about preparations…

[BEGIN BREAKDOWN OF 'HOW - TO'S']

FOOD AND WATER STORAGE
GARDENING
FINANCES
EMERGENCY/DISASTER PREPARATIONS
ETC...
Link Posted: 1/25/2009 6:20:10 PM EST
[#1]
I think your idea is excellent.  People being people, are going to come to your seminar for answers though, not just the questions.  I would have answers ready even recommending different vendors, and/or systems to stockpile and store food and supplies.  

Remember, people want answers and the easier and more "turn-key", the better.

Just my .02
Link Posted: 1/25/2009 6:49:06 PM EST
[#2]
Right.  This is just the intro to what I plan on being a two hour seminar.  The rest of it is a 'how-to' for food storage, gardening, finances, emergency preparedness, etc with a packet of information that includes resources.  Sorry if I didn't make that clear.
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