[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Do you panic? (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 11/30/2010 5:15:24 PM EDT
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How do you react to posts like the late deleted 11B thread - make an honest assesment of your reactions.
If you have never thought things thru in a rational sense its time to start. There will be more and more of these type of reports and events/non-events as time goes on. I believe this world is hurtling towards an inevitable climax of events that has been in the works for ages. Can we head it off? Not forever. Many peoples have experienced both calamites and mere bumps in the road and we are not immune to the tides that rise and fall around us. Some things are localized and some are widespread - we can't pick and choose our calamity. And bear in mind that our enemies use psychological warfare against us just like we do against them. If they can cultivate a bunch of chicken littles and scared sheep that run to and fro at their slightest prod, they succeed in their mission to disrupt our society and lives. Tension and fatigue caused by the constant inducement of stress and fear can tax a community to the breaking point. I like what Tolkein wrote between Frodo and Gandalf in the Mines of Moria: Frodo: "I wish none of this had happened." Gandalf: "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." So I choose to prep and plan for my family to thrive, survive as needed, and to rebuild if necessary. Just like my forefathers and their's before them. Discuss how you receive intel, screen it for your use and how you react/adjust to what you learn. Given any number of scenarios we could come up with, do you see your survival as definite, likely, somewhat possible or unlikely, so I'll eat drink and be merry? Will you be able to stay in your primary residence unless forced out or do you plan on bugging out as Plan A? I guess I am interested in how people see themselves reacting and moving thru a SHTF event on a statewide or national level. |
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I tend to keep my cool in most situations. Reading and hearing bad news usually does not get me worked up.
I may get angry, but I tend to look at the big picture and focus more on what I need to do in order to be prepared for the "what if its true" Although I have never been the type to get worked up and "chicken little" I find that each step I take toward preparing myself, The easier it is to shrug off the "what if" I like the rest of you worry. If I didnt I wouldnt take measures to prepare myself. I have no control of the if, when and how bad. What I can control is how prepared I am for it....So why freak out? |
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I don't get worked up over projections. It's something that no one sees coming that will be a problem. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile Halffast: good to hear from you. True its the unexpected that catches you. Some like Rusteerooster have seen some personal SHTF and lived thru it to tell it all. Many of you guys have. Post your experiences, your thoughts both good and bad and how you overcame your obstacles and got thru it. |
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I have an almost unique background and because of my training I believe nothing at face value. Nothing.
So my approach to this type of stuff is different. I take the info available and come up with all the possible explanations for that info being available especially the info on what is NOT specifically being said. |
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Between the last 22 years in the military and LEO field my panic button is shut off..............it's not an option to me, ever.
Panic is all about lack of preparation.....never believing bad things can happen....never believing bad things can happen to YOU! and since they walk around in a fog of denial they have not planned or prepped beyond tommorow's lunch. Their instinct and intuition have vanished due to lack of practice....their senses dulled from relying on others to tell them what to do and where to go........they are left with nothing to do but panic and feel overwhelmed at even the simplest of emergencies.......... Think about all the people who suffer from "anxiety attacks" from the most simple of life's curveballs and now add in the worst. |
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My job revolves around chaos. What I've found is once you have purpose, there is clarity which creates calm.
Let's say a car hits a substation and the power goes out. You know that since the substation is damaged, you'll be without power for awhile. There will be initial panic due to the refrigerator and such but this is when you have a decision to make. Do you sit there worrying about the ice cream melting or do you do something about it? Doing something about it gives you a purpose and that purpose brings calm. Here's another example. I was up north with my 2 kids with just enough money to pay for the gas home. About a mile away from the farm, antifreeze started pouring into the cab due to a cracked heater core but managed to get back to the farm before the engine overheated. Panic has now set in. I'm stuck up north with my kids, no money for repairs and no food. I could have sat there worrying about it or start looking for solutions...which is what I did. After popping the hood, I was able to see where the heater core exited the firewall and where the connections to the block were. I then noticed that the block lines were the same size and there was enough hose leading to the heater core that I could simply bypass the core. A quick fix later and we were back on the road. We prep so that we have a purpose and a solution to a problem. If/when a problem occurs, we have the preps in place which gives a purpose. Once you start working the problem, you have clarity in the solution and that will bring calm. |
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That's an interesting question that I really don't have a specific answer to. To be honest, there are so many variables and scenarios that could unfold that I really don't know how I (or anyone) would respond / react. Through my prepping, I hope to be ready for whatever unfolds. Every night I read through posts on this and a few other sites, and after many months (I'm a recent convert), many different scenarios have been presented for us to consider/prepare. I try my best to ensure my preps are general enough that I'm covered under a range of different SHTF scenarios (limited budgets suck).
With our first child on the way in the Spring, trying to figure out what's in store for America is definitely keeping me up at night. The thought of raising a child in times of uncertainly seems for some strange reason unfair –– to the child. Growing up during the 80's and 90's was a pretty care free time, and now I certainly see how lucky I was. I'm going to do my darndest to provide as safe and sheltered childhood as I possibly can. Thanks to the members of AR, we'll have a fighting chance to make it through whatever happens. |
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No panic. Didn't panic at Y2K, I was partying. Didn't panic on 9/11. I did get a little nervous when we were lit up with a foreign fire control radar one time.
If I panicked at every Internet post predicting the end I would be divorced living in a bunker. Guess I'll get a little nervous when the lights go out. Until then I just watch, listen and live life. |
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We have our preps pretty well set up. We live in a very rural area of Nebraska. We will not deal with many of the things that the majority of the people will. We are definitely bugging in and have a like minded couple that are coming here.
I filter most of the info I get or hear through this site. There is a ton of intelligence with this group. There are things that keep me up at night. I have a problem shutting my mind down at night. It's not a panic thing, just one of those deals where I tangent off of something simple and innocent into defending my family from the ravaging hordes. As a result, I have become an expert at reciting the alphabet backwards. It helps to take my mind of the stupid shit I dream up. I'll race anyone doing the alphabet backwards. 
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the short answer is no.
the explanation is this: I don't instantly believe what I'm told, by anyone. If I can corraborate the information, I may go into a sort of Overdrive mode if necessary. It rarely happens anymore, I've been at this for almost 30 years and have been thru enough general and personal events to know that there isn't much we can't handle. Ops |
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I have a very bad (or good) habit of running scenarios through my head all day. LEO's and military probably do the same thing. As you're going about your daily life, ask yourself "What would I do if this failed"? It doesn't need to be SHTF/TEOTWAWKI. You try running the dishwasher and it doesn't work. Run the scenario through your head on all of the steps you'd do to diagnose the problem and fix it...and I don't mean call a plumber. If that tree near your house chashes through the roof during a storm, how would you go about solving the problem to keep the rain from coming in?
These are all simple things but getting into that mindset (or mental masturbation as my father would call it) keeps you prepared. You'll also find that the solution for one may help solve another problem. |
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I don't get worked up over projections. It's something that no one sees coming that will be a problem. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile Halffast: good to hear from you. True its the unexpected that catches you. Some like Rusteerooster have seen some personal SHTF and lived thru it to tell it all. Many of you guys have. Post your experiences, your thoughts both good and bad and how you overcame your obstacles and got thru it. The biggest obsticle we had was trying to hang onto our land so we would have a place to be (if you know what I mean) we were covered for food but after over a year the stores were getting kind of thin. When necessary you can live off one meal a day. A years worth of food isn't enough for a long term event. If our land had been paid for we would have been in way better condition (get your debt paid off). Garden saved our bacon to some degree but the kindness of friends saved our land. You think you can't do without all the niceties of life but when you have to you can. Plant a large garden (wheather you need it or not, practice will save you). Can as much as is available it is mighty good in the winter and adds to your stores. If you have room get chickens and a couple of pigs. Cows would be good but they take a lot of room, pigs can live in a small cage or fenced area. If you think you have enough TP and personal hygein items you probably don't. If you like milk or think you have to have it better get used to powdered stuff and stock lots of it. There is lots more but I will stop here. ETA: You have to keep a positive attitude no matter how bad it gets. |
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I have found that anyone can panic. Not panicking is about being mentally prepared and that is a state of mind. If you forget to maintain that state of mind you will panic. I am an inner-city pastor and have pistols and knives pulled on me all the time. I have never lost my cool and have always been prepared to responded with reasonable force. But I did have a situation where I crapped my brains happen last year. I was at home talking on my cell phone when my pregnant wife came and told me someone was in the back yard stealing stuff. I picked up my Glock 19 and kept talking on the phone. I walked out into the back yard and confronted the two men that were stealing things. One pulled a knife on me and I panicked! I fired a round of before I could think about it! I am not certain if I put the round in the air or at the bonehead with the knife. My wife and 2 year old son were watching from the back window. The crazy thing about it, I had 2 knives pulled on me the week before and actually joked with the kids that had pulled them on me. I learned a lot that day. As I have said I am used to having gang members pull weapons on me but I am always watching and I am prepared for it before it happens. There are times I use my weapon (Glock 26 or 19) with a CT laser on it to back them down. If I know the family of the young man I will ask him how his mother/grandmother is doing. I know what to do when out in the inner city neighborhoods but it was a hat that I took of when I came out of that area. What I have learned is that panic comes from not mentally being prepared and keeping your mind aware of everything around you. I should have never walked out talking on the phone and I never expected someone to pull a knife on me in my backyard. When the police responded I told the officer that I did not know what had happened to me. He laughed and said it can take anyone unawares. Anyone can panic if they are not aware of the situations going on around them... So with that said I believe that we have to prepare ourselves for anything! I did not believe that I could have a knife pulled on me in my own back yard but it did happen. I believe that we can get to caught up in what we are trying to prepare ourselves for. But with that said I try to mentally run through any situation that could happen and worked out what is the correct thing to do. I do not believe in zombies but it does not hurt to say and think what should I do if attacked by zombies!!! LOL! Just my thoughts, Amos1909 |
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You don't just "not panic". You learn to use your brain in the place of panicking after lots and lots of practice and planning. After a while, you face tough situations and your default setting is not to panic.
As for the warning threads, my emp preps are surprisingly similar to my civil unrest preps, and my chinese invasion preps, and my storm preps, and my government gone wild preps, and my economic collapse preps, and my........ 
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I know where I am going no matter what happens However, what would you do if you could not get there? The ultimate plan for not panicking is being willing to walk away from everything (excluding your SO and kids). You may have a BOL, a BOV and 10 years orth of food and ammo but could you walk away from it and never return? You're in florida. Let's say society has broken down and there is no power, food, fuel, ect and there is a mob or hurricane approaching. Would you stand and fight a losing battle or could you walk away from everything and start over somewhere else? |
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the short answer is no. the explanation is this: I don't instantly believe what I'm told, by anyone. If I can corraborate the information, I may go into a sort of Overdrive mode if necessary. It rarely happens anymore, I've been at this for almost 30 years and have been thru enough general and personal events to know that there isn't much we can't handle. Ops Yep. Experience is a hard but thorough taskmaster. Good thoughts all. Dispatch mentioned running scenarios in your mind - nothing wrong with trying to visualize situations and using that as a training exercise for contingency planning. Columbia, one reason you though the 80's and 90's was a fairly carefree time is that the caretakers above you were doing just that - taking care of you. Sounds to me like you will be a good caretaker of your kids and allow them a chance to be kids and grow up happy and healthy. Like others posted - mindset. I take a page from my Dad's playbook each day it seems. He had that tried and true courage as a man that came from his life. Depression tough, WW2 Airborne trooper tough and he didn't get rattled over little stuff. Sure he got irritated at things but a lot of stuff pales by comparison when your high school graduating class doesn't have reunions because there aren't enough guys left out of it to really hold one. Taking stock regularly and keeping it all in perspective is very important. |
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I have an almost unique background and because of my training I believe nothing at face value. Nothing. So my approach to this type of stuff is different. I take the info available and come up with all the possible explanations for that info being available especially the info on what is NOT specifically being said. I'm curious what your background is Mach. You've had several interesting reactions from your posts the past few days... |
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Panic? No, I grabbed a calculator. With a reflexive trait like this, I surely won't be long for this world in a disaster, and will probably die a cold, hungry death, but fuckin'A if I'm not going to do so with eight-digit precision. LOL  Must be a danged Engineer!
Rusteerooster said you could still have a "Oh Shit" moment.......story time. My Dad was dropped into Holland in Operation Market Garden. In his stick there were several replacments - new kids. Daylight jump and they were taking a shitload of fire before they jumped. Once out the door he said it was like being in a beehive. On the ground they rallied and moved to their objective and dug some hasty fighting holes. He had two new guys with him and the one kid in the middle was stinking really bad. They had been fed a big meal the day before and everybody had gas he said. So to lighten up he said "Parker, did you fart?' The kid just kept staring down his M1 sights and shook his head no. They engaged some Germans for about 10 minutes maybe. He said this kid really stunk. In a lull, he asked again "Parker, did you fart? Damn that stinks!" The kid was still glued to his sights and shook his head no. Then the Germans started walking mortar rounds across the open and right in amongst them. No one was hit that he remembered. After that he said "Parker you stink something terrible! Did you shit?!!!" The kid never looked up from his rifle sights and just shook his head and said "Yes. A couple of times!" Oh well. Mindset - it can make or break you regardless of whats in the pantry. |
| Occasionally, I'll feel some anxiety, but it never reaches the panic stage, b/c of my preps. Lately, however, my biggest concern hasn't been physical preps, it's been the emotional strength of my wife. We've been on a financial roller coaster for a while and my wife has recently began to struggle w/ a lot. Niche was only partially correct, when he said that which does not kill you makes you stronger. Adversity can beat some people down if they lack the skills to pick themselves up. |
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I have an almost unique background and because of my training I believe nothing at face value. Nothing. So my approach to this type of stuff is different. I take the info available and come up with all the possible explanations for that info being available especially the info on what is NOT specifically being said. I'm curious what your background is Mach. You've had several interesting reactions from your posts the past few days... Curious as well. |
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Panic? no.
I'm a nerdy unemployed geoscientist, everything is rationalized as best as can be. Some events I know i will die if I am at home when they happen due to my proximity to a major bomber base, but i still have a Plan A, B, C if warning is available. If the klaxon sounds I know a incoming daisy cluster of warheads is going to hit the base and the area of the most likely flight paths out of Dodge. I know the civilian airport just to the south might also be hit if there is force dispersion, so I rationalize the best BO route in the AO and practice it. Granted 9 of 10 times I will be vaporized if it is sub launched, but maybe just maybe I will be lucky that day. So I watch the airbase for increased activity and if all the Bone's get out quick I can be on my way before the sixth bomber lights his after burners. I don't plan on the government giving civilians any notice that the nukes are coming. Natural stuff if prepared for, no risk of flood or earthquake. Twisters and grassfire can happen, but the main natural SHTF would be our winter blizzards, we usually get four to five a year so prepping for them has become second nature. The current economic spiral and out of control government is what has my attention the most right now. |
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My job revolves around chaos. What I've found is once you have purpose, there is clarity which creates calm. Here's another example. I was up north with my 2 kids with just enough money to pay for the gas home. About a mile away from the farm, antifreeze started pouring into the cab due to a cracked heater core but managed to get back to the farm before the engine overheated. Panic has now set in. I'm stuck up north with my kids, no money for repairs and no food. I could have sat there worrying about it or start looking for solutions...which is what I did. After popping the hood, I was able to see where the heater core exited the firewall and where the connections to the block were. I then noticed that the block lines were the same size and there was enough hose leading to the heater core that I could simply bypass the core. A quick fix later and we were back on the road. We prep so that we have a purpose and a solution to a problem. If/when a problem occurs, we have the preps in place which gives a purpose. Once you start working the problem, you have clarity in the solution and that will bring calm. Leaving home in an ill maintained vehicle with no money in your pocket doesn't seem like good preparation to me. There's about a 99% chance that vehicle is going to leave you stranded and you've done almost nothing to mitigate the possibility. What good is a basement full of ammo and canned goods (that's there for the 1 in million chance of nuclear holocaust) if you're stranded on I-95? You got lucky in this situation, but don't give credit where it isn't due. |
| i dont "freak out"over news articles. i do become very concerned. iv been buying guns, and ammo and accessories for several years, and im pretty well off.the inflation, and the us getting into debt, has made me concentrate on buying silver as much as possible. im planning to start buying food next, and stick to that for awhile, once i get my man cave finished, ill have climate controlled storage for both ammo and food. ... ...news stories, just make me more concerned, and helps keep my motivation for prepping high.... |
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Nope. Been badly injured thre times, after about a minute of 'oh shit / cursing', I set about rectifying the situation. Another time, awoke smack in the middle of the northridge quake. Been deathly sick, helped other very ill family and loved ones. Stood off a robbery attempt. Was the subject of a mistaken felony stop, four 'tac' deputies pointing guns at me while I danced to their tune. I let loose a little inappropriate laughter at that one, at the ridiculousness of it. Didn't enhance their calm any.
Been thru a bunch of other high-stress situations. Came out fine during, mostly fine after. Mostly. Everything else falls under the 'prep' category. My vehicles all have roadside emergency gear. I plan roadtrips with enough leeway for 'fun' but I know where I'm gettig gas, food, shelter before we leave the house. I have security enhancements and plans in place at home. Talked through various scenarios with the missus. Considered others myself in advance of need. I do maintenance before it's in dire need. I'm a defensive driver and a capable off-road driver. If it's mostly horizontal its 'road'. I consider everything a potentially lethal weapon. By me or against me. I'll use a vehicle as one wihtout hesitation. And my time in the Marine Corps - while having no actual combat experience - exposed me to lots of stress situations and my combat arms duties gave me plenty of reason and opportunity to consider things. And my bugout bags and minuteman gear are packed and ready to go. I consider myself reasonably ready. I tend to take a wider approach to things, instead of chasing a single subject all the way down the rabbit hole. I double back and enhance things once a basic broad level of prep is achieved. It's a method that's served me well enough so far. I especially appreciate, emulate and espouse the idea that one should prep for the most likely events first. But with one small proviso - prep for the would-be lethal right away. Arms, water, necessary meds, first aid / CPR training. Driving all over socal desert regions, road prep and vehicle maintenance gets a higher priority. Being in an active major earthquake zone gets a priority. I've got sturdy work clothes, hand tools, pry bars and water in a barrel out back in my pool equipment enclosure. If I can successfully escape my house again, I can dig my way back into it, at least enough to reach my preps. Gone on too much, but it's all an answer to why there isn't much need to panic. I'm not prone to it, and I've put in the work to prevent cause for it. |
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Stress is a [chosen] reaction.
There are other choices one can make. Regarding our current economic/political situation, I choose anger (and occasionally deep rage), followed by doing what I can to change it and preparing for my likely failure in changing it. I'm relatively new to prepping, and feel more secure in my future after each trip to COSTCO or the Dollar Store. |
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I've learned over the years that just about the only control we really have in our lives comes in how we react to things. As Steven Covey puts it, that moment between stimulus and reaction is where our control comes in.
We can't control the weather, other people, the economy, or our enemies. We can control how we react to them. I believe panic comes from a lack of forethought and preparation. One of my instructors once noted that every fight is decided before either combatant steps in the ring. (echos of Sun Tsu, I know). The idea being that you have trained, contitioned and prepared for the confilct (or event), or you haven't, and you know which is which as you step into the ring. Cheers, SMS-ret |
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OK, I admit that I panicked after reading "The Post". Am I the only one on this board that did?
I did not run around in little tight circles thinking that the world was coming to an end and I am going to die. What that thread did for me was wake me up and make me realize the big holes that I have in my preps. I have only been prepping for about 15 months and still have a long way to go. But I have come a long, long way in 15 months. That thread made me step it up. A lot. The main reason I prep the way I do is for my family. I have a wife and small kids that are my world. I would not want to be here on this earth without them. If SHTF they would probably not survive if I were to die. They depend on me and my decisions. The thread made a lot of scenarios run through my head for the first 12-14 hours after I read it. Did I panic because an attack is coming? No, I paniced because my preps are lacking. And my BOL is only 15 miles from a nuke plant. I have studied maps since then to try and find another place to go, but I am still trying to find a place. And I will find a place. So I am thankful for "the post". I pray what he said on there never happens. But it might and there is nothing I can do to stop it. But I can prep for it as best I can. I think it woke up a lot more people than just me, because in my time here on this board I have never seen so much written and discussed about a particular post like that. |
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Between the last 22 years in the military and LEO field my panic button is shut off..............it's not an option to me, ever. Panic is all about lack of preparation.....never believing bad things can happen....never believing bad things can happen to YOU! and since they walk around in a fog of denial they have not planned or prepped beyond tommorow's lunch. Their instinct and intuition have vanished due to lack of practice....their senses dulled from relying on others to tell them what to do and where to go........they are left with nothing to do but panic and feel overwhelmed at even the simplest of emergencies.......... Think about all the people who suffer from "anxiety attacks" from the most simple of life's curveballs and now add in the worst. Good post. Guess I missed or forgot about the deleted thread the OP mentions. Anyone bring me up to speed? |
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How do you react to posts like the late deleted 11B thread - make an honest assesment of your reactions. If you have never thought things thru in a rational sense its time to start. There will be more and more of these type of reports and events/non-events as time goes on. I believe this world is hurtling towards an inevitable climax of events that has been in the works for ages. Can we head it off? Not forever. Many peoples have experienced both calamites and mere bumps in the road and we are not immune to the tides that rise and fall around us. Some things are localized and some are widespread - we can't pick and choose our calamity. And bear in mind that our enemies use psychological warfare against us just like we do against them. If they can cultivate a bunch of chicken littles and scared sheep that run to and fro at their slightest prod, they succeed in their mission to disrupt our society and lives. Tension and fatigue caused by the constant inducement of stress and fear can tax a community to the breaking point. I like what Tolkein wrote between Frodo and Gandalf in the Mines of Moria: Frodo: "I wish none of this had happened." Gandalf: "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." So I choose to prep and plan for my family to thrive, survive as needed, and to rebuild if necessary. Just like my forefathers and their's before them. Discuss how you receive intel, screen it for your use and how you react/adjust to what you learn. Given any number of scenarios we could come up with, do you see your survival as definite, likely, somewhat possible or unlikely, so I'll eat drink and be merry? Will you be able to stay in your primary residence unless forced out or do you plan on bugging out as Plan A? I guess I am interested in how people see themselves reacting and moving thru a SHTF event on a statewide or national level. Ok you have my curosity peaked. What was the 11B thread you are talking about ?? |
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How do you react to posts like the late deleted 11B thread - make an honest assesment of your reactions. If you have never thought things thru in a rational sense its time to start. There will be more and more of these type of reports and events/non-events as time goes on. I believe this world is hurtling towards an inevitable climax of events that has been in the works for ages. Can we head it off? Not forever. Many peoples have experienced both calamites and mere bumps in the road and we are not immune to the tides that rise and fall around us. Some things are localized and some are widespread - we can't pick and choose our calamity. And bear in mind that our enemies use psychological warfare against us just like we do against them. If they can cultivate a bunch of chicken littles and scared sheep that run to and fro at their slightest prod, they succeed in their mission to disrupt our society and lives. Tension and fatigue caused by the constant inducement of stress and fear can tax a community to the breaking point. I like what Tolkein wrote between Frodo and Gandalf in the Mines of Moria: Frodo: "I wish none of this had happened." Gandalf: "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." So I choose to prep and plan for my family to thrive, survive as needed, and to rebuild if necessary. Just like my forefathers and their's before them. Discuss how you receive intel, screen it for your use and how you react/adjust to what you learn. Given any number of scenarios we could come up with, do you see your survival as definite, likely, somewhat possible or unlikely, so I'll eat drink and be merry? Will you be able to stay in your primary residence unless forced out or do you plan on bugging out as Plan A? I guess I am interested in how people see themselves reacting and moving thru a SHTF event on a statewide or national level. Ok you have my curosity peaked. What was the 11B thread you are talking about ?? Go here and you will learn more about it. 2 entire threads were deleted. |