If you’re a man like me, over the years you’ve faced some uncomfortable realities about our current society’s social and economic fragility. Also, if you’re a man like me, you’ve probably fallen deeply in love with a woman you’ve started a family with who’s happiness is even more important to you than explaining to her how a debt-based economy works. So how do you bridge that gap? How do you transition your family into a much more stable and sustainable position given the potential catastrophic events that could be coming our way?
First, word choice is very important. Never be manipulative with her. Don’t bend or change reality to fit your agenda. Furthermore, don’t be unnecessarily fearful when choosing your words. For example, don’t call it “prepping,” call it “homesteading.” Prepping focuses attention on the coming collapses and rhetorically implies you’re in an unstable reactionary position to what others are doing. Women hate that. Homesteading has two words women love: home, and steady.
Women love steadiness and home-building and get really freaked out thinking about preparing for collapses. When first leaving your unsecurable city apartment for off-grid rural living away from the “kill zone,” don’t use the phrase “kill zone.” Remind her how much she hates traffic and alarm clocks. Her new commute will simply be from bed to the kitchen, and all those over priced organic veggies will now come free from the garden! Your wife likes Bed Bath and Beyond, right? Well, this is what “beyond” meant! No need to bring up food shortages from broken supply chains; excite her with the idea of “networking dinners” with like-minded neighbors and quality time gardening with her husband and children! Once you get chickens, it’s an Easter egg hunt every morning, and there’s no real reason why her dreamy picket fence can’t be 10 feet high and electrified. We all know every woman loves roses, so why not plant massive, thorny rosebush gardens below every access point of the house?!
Every woman wants to just get up, go on vacation, and never come back. Instead of Paris however it will be the Ozarks or northern Idaho. Don’t forget to never call it a “bug out bag,” but instead “glamping luggage.” Those 25 year food buckets are simply an alternative for when she can’t decide on what to cook for dinner. When you start setting up your motion activated cameras around the property this could freak her out. She will wonder why you think they’re necessary. Tell her they’re to capture family moments when you are too caught up by the joy of your son’s first bike ride to take a picture–might as well get recorded. The good news is, the cameras will not just capture potential home invaders, they will also capture those cherished family moments, any time of day (or night).
It’s not a bunker it’s a wine cellar. It’s not a compound, it’s a haven for rescued German Shepherds, and remind her that nothing is cozier than watching a sunset in body armor.
“…remind her that nothing is cozier than watching a sunset in body armor.”
big bear, circa 2020
Every woman has her eye on that silverware set but doesn’t want to overspend. Encourage her to get at least 1,000 oz of silverware! Instead of stacking silver in a safe, which could make her feel uneasy about our current monetary silver, let her know that you’ll sign off on that 100-piece silver set she’s had her eye on. Women can sometimes get a little freaked out when the militia guys come over to train. So just remind her that she has a book club and you have a ‘magazine club.’ Then show her how beautiful a sunset looks through a long-range scope. Now lets all dust off the ham radio and call the in-laws to see what they are up to!
Keeping your marriage strong is very important. We all know that preparing for the future is the best thing for her and the kids. There’s no reason why it can’t be fun and enjoyable for her. Just remember that women love stability, quality time, health, cozy aesthetics, novelty, and a happy husband. They don’t like constantly being reminded how terrifying the future could be. Hope this helps!
