The Little Red Hen Syndrome

red hen We all know the story … the pretty little red-headed-chick named Henrietta invites her neighbors over the house to discuss a possible neighborhood co-op of emergency survival food, water and protection in case of a disaster their area.

“Not I.” said Horace Horse. “I haven’t got the money to take care of myself let alone take care of others.”

“Nor I!” said Gail Goat.

“Well don’t look at me, I am waaaay too busy with my own projects to take on another!” said Catherine Cat.

“Ah, come on Henrietta, nothins’ gonna happen here.” said Doug Dog chortling out loud. “And besides, I’m not gonna have anyone calling me a wackco for stockpiling food and water”.

So, they part ways and Henrietta begins her mission of gathering survival food, water and protection for herself.

Then one day ‘it’ happens, and there standing on Henrietta’s doorstep was Horace, Gail, Catherine and Doug begging for food and water. “Nope.” said the little red-head to her neighbors “you had your chance.”

Or did she?

Have you considered this scenario? Having unexpected visitors after a disaster or catastrophic event show-up at your home? dogs at door

I personally have put emergency survival preps aside for my extended family should they make the trek to my doorstep – preppers or not. But beyond that … I have to be honest, it’s questionable.

So, where do you draw the line?

Is it fair that Henrietta put the time, energy and money into her emergency survival preps only to have those who had the same opportunity as she now wanting to share in those preps?

Unfortunately, if a catastrophic event were to happen in our lifetime, one where numerous un-prepared people are displaced, we may all be faced with the following questions: “Do you take them in and share your preps?” “Do you give them some food and send them on their way?” Or, “Do you turn them away and protect yourself?”

Morally we all know the “right” answer. But with that right answer comes a dwindling of supplies, possible personality conflicts and a potential for people to get hurt due to inexperience or lack of knowledge.

Unfortunately, so many won’t know the answer to these questions until the poo-actually-hits-the-fan.

So can you have resolution for these questions? Can your mind be made-up beforehand? Can you take emotion out of the equation?

Living a life, particularly in a grid down scenario will be hard enough. Add in these questions and … well it can get even harder.

As I mentioned above, there are basically three (3) choices we have in a poo-hits-the-fan scenario. If someone comes knocking at your door, you can 1) invite them in to share your preps 2) give them food and send them on their way or 3) shoot them and then eat them … JUST KIDDING! (I wanted to see if you were paying attention!), or 3) defend your property.

Knowing up front, the answer to each of these questions and the risks that comes with each is a critical part of your mental survival preparedness.

If you think by taking the middle of the road approach and giving food and supplies and then sending them on their way is the best possible solution, consider that this could also be the deadliest of all decisions. Let’s take for instance a frail woman with a small child in tow shows up on your doorstep tired, hungry and pleading for food. You give them some food with a little extra and send them on their way, only later to find a large group of refugees out in front of your home. The lady with a child told them in passing that you were kind enough to give them food and perhaps would help them too. Or worse, your home is overrun by overzealous refugees that actually sent the woman and child in the first place to “scope” out your home for supplies and food.

Unfortunately “trust” may be a thing of the past in a poo-hits-the-fan scenario.

So how do you make what could literally be life or death decisions when it comes to un-invited visitors in a poo-hits-the-fan scenario?

pen paper As stated, the primary options are: invite in, send away or deny, but try to think of alternative options as well. Write all these options down. If stuck, ask others what they would do and include these as well.

For each of your options, list any and all possible outcomes … good or bad and the probability of them coming to fruition.

Next, listen to your “gut-feeling”. By each of your options/outcomes write down what your initial reaction is to it. Like the “shoot and eat them” option for example. A good notation might be …“NO!” Unless of course …”the secret” is going to be in the sauce! Just sayin’. *grin*

Now that you have your options, outcomes and gut-feelings notated, review the list. Some more than others will begin to come to the forefront. Now is the time to begin the mental process of actually making decisions and preparing yourself for the outcome. Also, consider implementing a ‘plan B’ for any unfavorable outcomes that could arise (remember redundancy … have a back-ups for your back-ups.) http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Decisions

… (story continues) and so the little red-head invites her neighbors in. Who will help me grind these wheat berries for bread Henrietta asks; gingerly reminding her guests of their earlier decisions. “I will!” said Horace. “Me too” said Gail. “Whatever needs to be done, count me in.” said Catherine. “I’ll just relax here on the couch.” said Doug.

Hmmm. Oh yeah, you might want to have a plan in place beforehand on rules and responsibilities for everyone to earn their keep if you are going to welcome in un-invited guests. dog couch