Prepping Principles by David Fidler, Series Part 3

This is part 3 in a seven (7) parts.

Second Principle: Knowledge.

If we listen to the media and the world, we are constantly bombarded with notions of having the latest and greatest tools and toys. Tim Allen on the TV Show “Home Improvements” was constantly trying to build or have the biggest and best tools. We all laughed at the often-outrageous lawnmowers and other tools he would build and buy. However, tools without the right knowledge to best use them can and often are a waste of time and money.

Knowledge on the other hand costs little to nothing. It does cost time and effort. Buying and reading books is one way, the traditional way, of gaining knowledge. Also, keep in mind that there is a difference between gaining knowledge and gaining ‘credentials. Getting degrees and certificates does not always grant knowledge and gaining knowledge often does not grant credentials or degrees.

I put gaining knowledge second because that is what leads you in your preparations. Without good knowledge and understanding you are merely flopping in the winds of preparing, bouncing between one prepper advisor to the next. Not a good way to prepare wisely and often extremely expensive.

Knowledge is also important in that you might be able to get the requisite supplies, materials and equipment but not know what to do with them. I am often amused to discuss food storage with people who have blindly followed the Prophets guidance and have a year’s supply of wheat. When asked what they will do with it, they give you blank stares. Some who may actually have the wheat grinder will tell me that they can make bread with it, but when I ask them if they’ve ever made whole wheat bread end up with negative answers. These folks just do not know that whole wheat flour is different than white flour in how you work with it and its properties. Knowledge is important.

Gaining the right knowledge is important too. If you are focused too much on one source then you may not get all the information you really need, or maybe that information really isn’t applicable to you. In studying and gaining knowledge it is wise to view many sources and compare each one to the others. Figure out what applies to you and which does not, which will work for you and which may not. You can only do this if you conduct a wide search and study.

The great thing and the bad thing about today is the availability of information. We have on the internet access to so much. You can learn to do just about anything by researching it online. Yeah, you could probably find information and learn to become a medical doctor purely by internet study, although I do not recommend doing that and practicing without the correct degree and certifications. The simple truth is pretty much everything is online, and you can learn it. You can pull up videos that will teach and show you how to do most everything. The resources at your fingertips (pun totally intended) is vast. The bad side is that bad information is also just as readily available and often

Our next post will be the Third Principle.