I don't need collapse

There's a lot of "be prepared" posts on this blog. I must admit to being a bit of a doomer. Should things go south in a major way, there'll be little surprise here.

That being said, I don't need collapse. The world as we know it doesn't have to end for me to feel validated. Imagine things keep puttering along, with no major SHTF scenarios. Great! That would be fine by me.

Governments have been reformed without full scale blood in the streets riots. The Robber Barons were cut down to size in the past, and they can be again. People can organize and regain political power. It's certainly possible.

There are proper procedures to keep pandemics in check. No, they aren't prefect, but if done right, good enough.

Countries can settle differences without invasion or total war. Even India and Pakistan have managed to avoid lobbing nuclear missiles at each other -so far.

Economies can be reorganized on a more sustainable basis. Pollution can be prevented. Alternatives to petroleum energy can and do work. There are few problems out there that can't be made better. We don't have to invent anything new; just apply what we already know in a proper fashion.

Collapse isn't a game for me. It's not a hobby. A lot of bad things could happen to a lot of people -most of them innocent victims. Who would want that? It's like when a country has a violent revolution. The old bums are thrown out and new bums are put in their place. After all the turmoil and destruction, the new government is often no better or even worse than the old.

I've the tools, knowledge, and supplies to be self reliant for a fairly long time. It's unlikely I'd starve. However, it's much nicer to shop at the grocery store or trendy farmers' markets than to live off bugs and tree bark. My preps and knowledge put me in a better place than most people, but I've no illusions that collapse wouldn't be ugly. I'd much rather do without it, thank you very much.

"But won't you feel silly if nothing happens?" people say.

No.

What I do benefits me now. My ability to live on a small income allows me to do a lot of fun things with my time. Having food in the house in just plain convenient. No running out to the store at the last minute because there's nothing in the house to eat. Producing a good part of my own energy frees me from big utility bills. My guns are used for hunting and target shooting, which is enjoyable, and sometimes there's some game for the stew pot. They aren't just for personal protection, although they work fine for that too.

I'm not hunkered down underground in some bunker. Instead, the old Sixbears Clan is chilling next to a nice little lake. Isolation and quiet is enjoyable to me, not a hardship.

If this crazy civilization keeps it together with band-aids and bubble gum . . . well, I'll still be just fine. If collapse does happen, at least I've done what I can for me and mine.

-Sixbears