Category Archives: My Prepper Precepts

I don’t know everything, and I cannot do everything. Our world is complex and integrated. To be prepared is to have a network of people who can fill in the gaps – not only physical but also spiritual. Having trusted friends multiplies your joys and divides you pain.

While publishing a list of prepper precepts for the world to see can be construed as arrogance, I am not so arrogant to think that I don’t need other people, or that I know or can do everything I need to have to survive.

I believe in TANSTAFL. There is no such thing as a free lunch, there is no way to know everything.  I don’t know everything and while I can do a lot.  Being a jack of most trades means I know few things well.

I shared a guest post about the Doctoral Process and how a Ph.D recipient knows everything about one thing just to show this idea.

Many experts that look at this sight shake their head because my methods aren’t perfect.  I recognize that, but unlike most experts I am acceptable in a bunch of fields not just one.

Knowing that I don’t know everything, and I cannot do everything keeps me humble.

Rules of Civility: The 110 Precepts that Guided Our First President in War and Peace

These precepts are my creed, and having prepper precepts guides me when I face tough choices.  A wise man once told me that when facing a moral problem, the right choice is usually the action you don’t want to take.

I am not a pollyanna person that is wishy washy or blindly follows rules, heck I have a little rebellious streak and love to know the WHY of rules, but I do respect and understand the need for law and know how vital it is for a society to have a moral code.

By knowing what I believe in you can know how I will act. This is very important in times of stress.  If you don’t want to read these precepts one by one, the completed list can be found here: Completed 27 Prepper Precepts.

(Edit: This prepper precept came from my time working in correction, and as I have just went back into that world as an instructor for new officers, I find this to be doubly important to avoid offender manipulation.)

I avoid ethical spirals, its better to admit you’re wrong up front and apologize rather than hide it and play the “big lie”. I’d rather take a small lump up front than a huge hit later for hiding my mistakes.

I learned this from the prison, where inmates constantly tried to get officers on the hook.

The other thing I learned was “never tell a convict to do something you cannot make them do.

Rules of Civility: The 110 Precepts that Guided Our First President in War and Peace

These precepts are my creed, and having prepper precepts guides me when I face tough choices.  A wise man once told me that when facing a moral problem, the right choice is usually the action you don’t want to take.

I am not a pollyanna person that is wishy washy or blindly follows rules, heck I have a little rebellious streak and love to know the WHY of rules, but I do respect and understand the need for law and know how vital it is for a society to have a moral code.

By knowing what I believe in you can know how I will act. This is very important in times of stress.  If you don’t want to read these precepts one by one, the completed list can be found here: Completed 27 Prepper Precepts.

I don’t deal in conspiracies.  Men do evil things on occasion.  Groups of evil men do bad things, but the shear amount of people that would have to be quiet to pull off a “shadow” government is impossible for a bureaucrat to manage.

These guys cannot figure out how to pay their taxes or keep their affairs out of the papers. I work in a bureaucracy, and I know exactly how ineffective they can be at keeping secrets.

Every time someone sends an email out about being on a “FEMA Red list” or “secret prison camps” it only hurts our community and makes us look like nutjobs.

Don’t Make Us Look Like Nut Jobs

Rules of Civility: The 110 Precepts that Guided Our First President in War and Peace

These precepts are my creed, and having prepper precepts guides me when I face tough choices.  A wise man once told me that when facing a moral problem, the right choice is usually the action you don’t want to take.

I am not a pollyanna person that is wishy washy or blindly follows rules, heck I have a little rebellious streak and love to know the WHY of rules, but I do respect and understand the need for law and know how vital it is for a society to have a moral code.

By knowing what I believe in you can know how I will act. This is very important in times of stress.  If you don’t want to read these precepts one by one, the completed list can be found here: Completed 27 Prepper Precepts.

Bad things happen. I cannot control what happens, but I can control how I deal with events.  You cannot choose what happens, but you can choose how you react.  I read a book recently about the cancer wing at a children’s hospital.  The book told how the kids choose to laugh and be positive in the face of a terrible ordeal.  The author realized that resilient people choose to stay positive and look upon things with some measure of humor – seeing the positive is hard, but it helps.

This is the key to resilience.  knowing how to deal with problems.  I admit I still have some work to do in this area.  I’m great at handling work issues and big problems, but sometimes the weight of the small home problems get to me more than they should.

When that happens I try to go back to what is important right now and block out what I can’t deal with and focus on what I can – one can at a time until all the problems are dealt with.

Control Your Emotions

Rules of Civility: The 110 Precepts that Guided Our First President in War and Peace

These precepts are my creed, and having prepper precepts guides me when I face tough choices. A wise man once told me that when facing a moral problem, the right choice is usually the action you don’t want to take.

I am not a pollyanna person that is wishy washy or blindly follows rules, heck I have a little rebellious streak and love to know the WHY of rules, but I do respect and understand the need for law and know how vital it is for a society to have a moral code.

By knowing what I believe in you can know how I will act. This is very important in times of stress. If you don’t want to read these precepts one by one, the completed list can be found here: Completed 27 Prepper Precepts.