Preppers across the country fear that one day, everything in society that we have become accustomed to will be lost. There will come a day when we won't be able to simply drive to the supermarket and select food from a shelf; when we won't be able to go to the bank and withdraw money, or even use basic technology that right now is part of our everyday lives. But even if these preppers are wrong, and even if doomsday never arrives, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t prepare. AskAPrepper.com compiled a list of reasons why prepping is important even if we never see the end of the world.
1. Self-defense
Prepping for doomsday teaches one to be on guard at all times, and to always expect the unexpected. Having advanced self-defense skills can be extremely useful in both a post-apocalyptic world and in modern society.
2. Leadership
In a world without a functioning society, strong leadership skills are absolutely essential. Even if doomsday never comes, having strong leadership skills can help improve your everyday life in more ways than one.
3. Inflation
Even if the end of the world never arrives, the prepper easily adjusts to the loss of purchasing power and the effects of a weaker dollar. Stocking up on products like toilet paper is a great way to protect your wealth over time.
4. First-aid
A first-aid kit is something that can come in handy regardless of whether you’re living in a post-apocalyptic world or modern society. It’s always good to have one on you in case you are forced to deal with an unexpected injury.
5. Droughts
Should there be a drought, the prepper will never be without water. Stocking up on refreshing H20 can mean the difference between life and death both pre-doomsday and post-doomsday.
6. Discipline
Even as they stock the shelves with food and fortify the underground bunker, the prepper is still never certain of when – or if – doomsday will ever come. But even if it doesn’t, the prepper still walks away with discipline, having learned the importance of working towards something that may never happen.
7. Long-term planning skills
It’s obvious that long-term planning skills are important in an extended survival situation, but planning skills can also come in handy in the workplace. For all you know, having long-term planning skills may even lead to a nice job promotion.
8. Organizational skills
Whether you spend most of your time in a corporate office or in a fortified bunker, working to improve your organizational skills is well worth it. Employers routinely look for strong organizational skills in the people that they interview.
9. Fitness
Every prepper knows that if you want to survive in a post-apocalyptic world, you need to stay healthy and strong. Even if doomsday never comes, though, being fit will improve your overall quality of life in more ways than one.
10. Dwelling construction and repair
In a survival situation, there may be times when you need to repair your shelter or fix a broken tool. These are skills that are important in both a doomsday scenario and in everyday life. Whether SHTF or not, knowing how to repair your own home could save you a lot of money. (Related: 8 common prepper mistakes to avoid.)
11. Automobile maintenance
Similar to home repair, having the ability to fix an automobile is very important. For preppers, it’s important to keep your bug-out vehicle running smoothly. For people living in modern society, knowing how to fix your own vehicle can save money.
12. Gardening
Gardening is certainly an important skill for preppers, but it’s not only for preppers. Growing your own food is a great way to cut back on the number of trips you make to the grocery store, and if you’re into canning, you can use the food that you grow to feed your family all year long.
13. Self-sufficiency
Localized emergencies happen all the time. The nice thing about being self-sufficient is that even if doomsday never arrives, you’ll still be able to take care of yourself in the event that one of these emergencies occurs.
14. Income loss
A good prepper knows how important it is to keep the pantry full. Everyone suffers from job loss, but if the pantry is full of food, then you can go on for quite some time without turning to others for financial assistance.
15. Family traditions
If you take a moment to think about it, many traditions come from families that do things required to survive, such as baking, farming and gardening. Even if the end of the world never comes, preppers will still walk away with a set of family traditions.
16. Outdoor survival skills
While preppers who routinely practice outdoor survival skills may never get to use them in a real survival situation, all of that practice still isn’t for nothing. Indeed, having strong outdoor survival skills can lead to the camping experience of a lifetime.
17. Tools
A good prepper is one that collects tools, and stockpiles more than one of each kind. But even if they are never used following a doomsday event, having extra tools laying around allows you to generously help out a neighbor in need.
18. Floods and fires
Surviving a flood or a fire requires the ability to bug-out at a moment’s notice, and who is more capable of doing this than the survivalist? People who are not into prepping are much more likely to be interested in preparing for a flood or a fire than they are in preparing for the end of the world.
19. Earthquakes and tornadoes
Even if doomsday never arrives, a person who has the skills necessary to survive an earthquake or a tornado may be asked to use their search and rescue skills to locate people after such events.
20. Heat generation
Preppers know that living off the grid will require them to build fires as a source of heat to make it through those colder nights. But knowing how to craft a fire is not a skill that is only useful in survival situations. Whether its lighting a flame in your home's fireplace or starting a bonfire in your back yard, having the ability to create a warm, cozy fire is a great skill to have.
21. Improvisation
Whether you’re living through a survival situation or living through day-to-day life, it doesn’t hurt to know how to improvise. Knowing how to fix something that is broken or repurpose it into something useful is a great skill to have.
22. Worry-free
Even if doomsday never comes, going through life worry free knowing that you’re prepared for anything is a wonderful thing.
23. Interpersonal skills
Regardless of whether it’s in a doomsday scenario or in regular life, dealing with difficult people can be extremely stressful and frustrating. However, the prepper excels when it comes to interpersonal skills, because he or she knows that having the ability to properly communicate with others gets you far in life.
24. Motivation
All of the prepping, learning and doing is not in vain if the end of the world never arrives. At the very least, prepping motivates people to continue learning new skills and working to contribute to their community.
25. A break from technology
When you're busy building an underground bunker or stocking up on ammunition, chances are your hands aren't glued to your phone for hours each day. Practicing your survival skills can help you reconnect with nature, and give your brain a much needed rest from all of the texting and social media usage.
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