Like politics, emergency preparedness is "The art of the possible"

 

Otto von Bismarck, the first Chancellor of the German Empire during the nineteenth century, said many things that have become quotations.  Two of them are:

Politics is the art of the possible

Politics is the art of the next best

The Socratic Method says of the first quotation:  "By recognizing that politics is fundamentally the art of compromise, Bismarck encourages leaders to chart a course that maximizes the achievable progress rather than becoming entangled in unattainable dreams."  That applies to the second quotation as well, of course:  if one can't get the best possible result, try for the next best.  (A modern version might read, "Aim for the stars.  Even if you miss, you might reach the moon on your way up.")

In terms of preparing for emergencies and hard times, I've been getting more and more disturbed by the amount of time and energy some people are spending arguing with each other, denouncing each other's points of view, calling each other names and disputing future forecasts, rather than focusing on what we can actually do, today and every other day, to achieve practical, possible, feasible results.  The latter is essential.  The former is a waste of . . . well, everything, really.  It produces nothing except hard feelings and bad language.

There seems (to me) to be little point in arguing whether we should be joining militias, or stocking up on arms and ammunition, or preparing lists of people who need to be targeted when things go to hell in a hand-basket.  Preparedness means, first and foremost, readiness to deal with the most likely emergencies that may confront us.  That could mean a power outage, a broken water system, an epidemic, severe weather conditions, or any combination of those factors.  We should make sure we're as ready as we can be to ride out those emergencies, along with our families and loved ones.  Only after we've got those preparations in place should we worry about more extended emergencies;  a breakdown in the rule of law, escalating crime, political turmoil leading to national chaos, and so on.  As individuals and families, we can do little if anything to affect those crises.  They're too big for us.  On the other hand, if we all take care of the "little things" - the smaller, local crises mentioned above, that we are in a position to deal with - then we'll be better able, as individuals and as communities, to respond to larger challenges as and when they arise.

I'll give you an example from my own family.  We have certain health issues that would make it very difficult if we were to lose power for an extended period.  We need to be able to filter allergens out of our household air, and keep the temperature at a bearable level.  If we can't, there may be serious consequences.  To help deal with that, we've spent money on sources of backup electrical power, so that even if we have to do without utility electricity for a month or more, we can nevertheless ensure that at least part of our home will be in a livable condition for us.

We're slowly but steadily, as we can afford it, continuing to extend the period that we could live without the electrical grid.  We're never going to be completely independent of it, but we're trying to ensure that if an emergency arises and we lose power, we can deal with it in the short to medium term.  That's possible.  That's practical.  Living completely off the grid is simply not possible for us, so we don't lose sleep worrying about it.  Equally, threats to the national grid - transformers wearing out, terror attacks, whatever - are something we can do absolutely nothing about;  so we don't waste time getting scared by them.  Why be afraid of what you can't control?  Rather concentrate on what you can control.

As the late President Theodore Roosevelt advised us:

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are

I think that dovetails very neatly with Otto von Bismarck's advice.  I think it also puts into perspective the shouting and tumult we sometimes find when individuals or groups attack each other's views and proposals.  Let's not waste time on that.  Let's spend our time on things that will build each other up, rather than break each other down.  There are more than enough people out there ready, willing and able to do the latter.  Why make their job easier?  Why do it for them?

Peter