Preparing: For what? How much? Why?

Probably because of the rapture-looniness cherry on top of the environmental/econo-political sundae, many people have been talking about disaster preparedness.  Some of these discussions range from fairly far-fetched survivalism to what I see as sensible calls for increased self-sufficiency.

Readings

I've been batting around this idea a lot this weekend, because of two things I've read recently.  One, was a comment thread on Pharyngula, on the subject of (increasingly embattled) abortion rights in the US.  One commenter referenced The Woman's Book of Choices as item number one in her emergency stock, in case things get *that* bad, choice-wise, that abortion and reproductive health services simply stop existing in her area.  She also mentioned she was going to keep an extra "Plan B" pill on hand, just in case.  As I said later to Himself, this *should* sound far-fetched, I *should* consider this paranoid.  But my first thought was "That's a good idea, I should do that."  I live in a fairly metropolitan, fairly blue area, but the right to choose is so imperiled, I'm almost worried about the status of choice where I live.  What if I'm caught in an impossible situation and I have to terminate my pregnancy?  Abortions are expensive, and health insurance is not nearly as accessible as we'd like to think it is.  What if a friend, or a neighbor is in similar straits?  I'm not going to go as far as the authors of this book did, and learn how to literally perform an abortion, but it may behoove me to get some knowledge about the procedures, various abortifacients, etc.  If nothing else, I'll be better informed.

This line of thought wasn't developed to disregard actual medicine, science, practitioners, since western medicine isnt' anything to sneeze at (ha!) and there are many wonderful doctors, nurses, clinics, and so on out there.  But access isn't nearly as equal as it should be, especially for such hot-button issues of women's autonomy.  Given the choice, I want a legitimate clinic/office for any manner of procedure, for myself or another person.  But.....just in case...I keep thinking "just in case", what if it gets "that bad".  What if I move some place where pharmacists refuse to do their job, where clinics and their staff are harassed or worse?  So that was the start of my self-sufficiency fixation.

The next leg of this meme was a little more lighthearted.  At a bookstore, I was browsing the crafts/domestic section (oh, how bourgeois! love it!) and I came across Wendy Brown's Surviving the Apocalypse in the Suburbs: The Thrivalist's Guide to Life Without Oil.  Brown recounts a conversant's challenge to an imagination game: pretend the world is ending in 21 days.  What would you do to prepare?  What should you do?

She makes some good points, such as lessening one's dependence (and more importantly, one's children's dependence) on oil-dependent activities, goods, and so forth.  Her thrust seemed to be one of re-imagining homesteading in the context of existing suburban communities, rather than rejecting society outright in a stereotypical commune.  Stop spending as much, try to grow some food on your property, rely more on creativity and craft to amuse yourselves rather than constantly going out and spending, explore alternative energy options - all sound so far.  These are things I aspire to, and many I already do to some extent.  Be frugal, be creative, and re-direct domesticity as a source of power, not restriction.  Ok, cool.

But she did go off-rail for me in two points.  One is homeschooling, and the other is anti-vaccination.  That second one, which I'll address first, made me close the book and put it away.  I refuse to buy it on that point alone, as I cannot morally support someone who rejects one of the greatest medical achievements.  I'll give Brown props for many other things in her book, but this I protest.  At the very least, the anti-vax movement is too precious by far*, and at the very worst It Kills People.  You endanger your own child for diseases we've all but done away with, and you endanger whoever comes in contact with your child.

The first point, the home-schooling, is a complex one.  I actually like the idea, provided the parents:

• Observe curriculum standards for their area
• Maintain active contact with their local board of ed - and have that board be proactive in checking in on home schools
• Socialize the kids early, often, and creatively.
• *Not* use the method as brainwashing for lunatic philosophies/religions.  This would be hard to enforce, I know, but I'm in hypothetical land.

I don't recall Brown advocating any of these, so she managed to somewhat pass my litmus test.  But, even with my admiration of the idea, I still have some reservations.  I know that public school in my country is nearly as (or *is* as) embattled as reproductive freedom.  There are myriad problems with public education, and  where (and who) you are makes all the difference in the schools and ed services your kids get.  However, that should not be the reason to bail out.  Even though I've found myself admitting I want to homeschool my (hypothetical) kids if I have no better choice, my better angels tell me to eat my words, and enroll these imaginary kiddos in the nearest public school.  People leaving the system provides no incentive to the powers that be to improve the system.  Staying and agitating would be far more effective.

In the interests of fairness, I think Brown was projecting for a temporary or long term major melt-down of infrastructure which may physically prevent education as we know it.  In that case, then knowing how to homeschool would be a good idea.  But if there's an option, I think we should take it, and supplement on our own time.

Well, what now?

As much as the US is going through right now, and as gloomy as I get projecting into the future, I doubt we're going to have some Mad-Max style breakdown.  Things are going to change, and I would not be surprised to see some sort of watershed moment, but I think we'll be able to manage after.  Even though I'm now thinking in semi-preparedness terms, and tossing these ideas around with my circle of friends, I'm not looking for anything dramatic.  I challenged one of them for small, simple ways to put this into practice.  One of the best ways would be not eating out.  Trading off all our kitchens each weekend, doing potluck or cooking together.

We already save bundles on not going to theaters much (netflix!!!!) and none of us are particularly acquisitive in terms of gadgets, clothes, or toys (our nerdiness is all within our means).  Nearly all of us have some sort of artistic/creative bent, so we can amuse ourselves and make mini-artists colonies/salons.  So that's quite a bit taken care of right there.  Any remaining expenses can be pared down gradually - noone has any Coach Bags or iPad habits to quit cold turkey!  But the dining - ah, that's our achilles' heel!  We're all students/grads and currently only one has been able to move out of her home.  This makes life a little awkward if we want an evening in.  But the dining out, even once a week, even "cheaply", does tell on the wallet and the waist.  Really, this isn't sustainable, so we've got to switch to something better.

I suppose the next way to make "preparedness" practical is to reduce the general amount of "stuff".  In my case, this means as much recycling as possible, and actually keeping a lid on the usual suspects: things that tend to accumulate too much.  Books (there is such a thing as too many!), craft supplies (oh don't we all have studio overflow?), and tchotchkes (inexplicable *things* that keep turning up...salt and pepper shakers, souvenir keychains, old photo frames I really don't like).  The time is right for a blitz of listing books on ebay or half.com, and maybe a garage sale.

As for the craft stuff, I got the idea to take things I *know* I'm never going to use and making kits.  One book I was perusing earlier had a section on DIY bookbindings - the author stated that she often had trouble actually writing on her nearly bound signatures.  I know how she feels - the blank page is beautiful and intimidating!  So how about this: I make a few blank journals, gather scraps, bits, and found objects of varying palettes and textures, stick 'em all in a baggie and sell!  As much as I'd love to hand-make the journals myself, there's not enough time to do them full justice, but there is a mountain of *things* that's not getting any smaller.  I need the room more than I need the chance at a higher price for a pre-made art journal.  If I move a few kits at a lower price, I get the priceless gift of space.

Postscript

This entry is literally all over the place, but it has a point.  I'm feeling that way myself - wandering with a general idea!  Getting practical is wonderful therapy for me, keeping my mind off the summer doldrums and perennial worries.  Taking care of the "mundane" and the domestic enriches my more cerebral pursuits, too, as I simply can't do a thing with my mind unless I move my body in some fashion.  (Glad I came to that realization early on!).  So, maybe this will be a theme for my summer, find the simple things I can do to make my live more creative, frugal, and independent.




* - I'm all for being conscious and educated in matters of health care, and for *not* going overboard on medications, tests, treatments, and for exploring reasonable alternatives as much as possible.  But I will not reject proven science!  This movement is not only silly, it was based in large part on a fraud, a publicly outed fraud.  And people gamble with their children's safety to follow him.....