Might be a good method to get non-preppers started

[WillyPete]

Just by asking questions. Generally I would use an opportunity such as a weather event that may be forecast to get some conversation started about how to handle the what-ifs for whatever may be on the horizon.
No conspiracy theories, no "the end of the world as we know it" or "the apocalypse is upon us" type of talk, just dealing with the close future possibilities. "If we lose electricity, how are you set up for heat?" Or "How are you set up for food for a few days if it goes for that long?" "Do you have a means to cook or boil water if you need to?"
Simple questions along those lines not to get them gung-ho about prepping but to get them started in a less stressful manner. As they make their preparations for whatever may become, I then make certain I am as available as possible to render assistance and advice and to be there for that moment when they realize that prepping is more than just beans and bullets, it's being as ready as you can for whatever may come. At that point, we have a prepper who is ready ad willing to take charge of their lives.

[308gun]

give a friend or someone you interact with a copy of the magazine , The Dot Connector ,printed in England , but covers lots of area , Sept-Oct. 2010 issue has survival in times of uncertainty , Russia in 1990's , under health & Wellness += Magnesium:the spark of life , learned lots on this myself and added it as a major item to have and take, also about downside and dangers of the Flu shots (first, do no harm)and the evils of gluten , and report about bad side of vegetarian living, also by Paul Craig Roberts ( one of my must read writers)America the Ugly , he also has good answers of what needs done,,,, and climate change , food shortages and Economic crisis by Andres Perezalonso ,,, this is not a survival magazine but makes you think and learn lots.........

[fern]

Hadn't heard of that magazine 308 but I am going to look into it. Thanks!

To me...this topic is a can of worms and not one that is easy to work through. Was at good friends tonight and the wife is asking me to ask my husband to please talk to her husband...wow. He is being hard headed and eyes wide closed. Just retired after 42 years in the mines and after he received his very first retirement check...a letter arrived stating their retirement fund will be defunct in January 2017. She wants to cash life insurance and their investments and buy precious metals and food. He is adamant that God will see them through and he can defend their home...or who would really bother them anyway. I am at a total loss for words. So I took them my husband's copy of Patriots...told her to read it and talk about it all the time...just in case it might spur him to read it or at least ask questions.

I have confessed previously that my husband told me for a year to be preparing and I was lost in space. We lost that year and that is a guilty regret I carry. The worst part is that it took me over a year of reading and rereading this forum, the VOCR postings, and a lot of my own research that reading initiated to get to where I am today just in the basic knowledge of preparing. I do not believe others have that kind of time now that our clock is truly ticking. On the positive side, Daughter has joined us and that is a major hurdle!

Any thoughts or working solutions to help this couple and any future folks are appreciated.

[bbj101]

What can I say, I'm stubborn..

[Toepopper]

For me this is a can of worms as well as a Pandora's Box wound tight inside an enigma. I had given up talking to anyone about the runaway govt and the NWO for fear of being ostracised as a nutzoid. My family thought I was gone but they are beginning to see things in a different light now. Then I moved here where 90% of the people are of the prep- survivalist attitude. Everyone grows their own food and is prepared for when it all finally collapses.
Your friend who just retired is in shock after reading that his retirement fund will be gone in a few years. He placed his faith in the company and those rats are going to rip him off and hang him out to dry. 42 years. That will be a hard pill to swallow and he will be bitter and resent anything you could possibly try to tell him until it all sinks in and he begins to think straight again and accept the fact that our country is gone and the corporate rats are jumping ship. I just hope he snaps out of his state of funk before it all goes south. Maybe your husband can throw some subtle hints his way to break the ice and possibly he will start thinking after his wife reads that book and tells him about it.

[WillyPete]

Yes, this can be a major can of enigma worms cloistered in Pandora's box straining at the cover to be let loose.
I get hesitant as well to begin a conversation about prepping of any sort hence, my very simple inquiries about the next single, sort of, event that can cause some inconvenience.
Most people cannot look past their watch, I-Phone, Blackberry, etc. to see what the future holds. They are firmly rooted in the right now and expect that they will be cared for should any catastrophe arise. I don't believe that will happen whatsoever.
Dealing with the GOD aspect of prepping is very difficult, especially with a very strong believer. My wife is in that group who believe that we don't have to do anything, GOD will provide for us regardless because we are his chosen.
I am a strong believer as well but, I remember how Joseph was directed to prepare for the 7 lean years of famine by GOD, and he did so. Joseph's actions directed by GOD kept EGYPT functioning for those 7 years and since EGYPT had put up so much stores, they were able to render aid to surrounding areas. I'm taking Joseph's action to prepare for for the coming famine, I may not be able to take care of surrounding areas but I can take care of us for a time.
I believe GOD does not always just drop a solution in our laps, we have to do some legwork and put in the effort to en joy his blessings.
I also remember an aphorism I've heard numerous occasions, "GOD helps those who help themselves". I cannot sit on my hiney and expect anything to come my way, I have to make the effort and put in the time to obtain what I need, want, require, etc.
I do stay completely away from any conversation of the NWO, coming collapse of the USA, the Bilderberger's and the like. A simple, gentle push in the right direction is what is needed, not a kick in the teeth. If the people I am aiding decide on their own to bring up these subjects I will address them, with a caveat along the lines of "this is something I have difficulty with" then express my thoughts about it. Sometimes these people will take the lead in an effort to "help" me understand and they gain understanding on their own. It's fun seeing the light bulb sometimes come on with a blindingly bright light. Just seeing it light up is an outstanding event.
Realistically, every situation will be different so, one approach that worked fantastically for one person will likely not work for another so, if the first one doesn't work, try something else.
Personally, I believe the gentle approach at first, prepping for an immediate, approaching event, is the better way to approach a person or group about becoming prepared. Presumably, getting them started for this one will lead them to prepping for a next one that may ultimately lead them to becoming prepped seriously which is where we are attempting to lead them.
The old saying, "you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar" seems to apply.

[Watchman]

I want to revisit this topic. It has (and is) a tough nut to crack. Using percentages, 99% of all citizens think NOTHING could happen to upset the apple cart. Oh, make no mistake about it, they are thinking that 'something is wrong' because they don't have the spending power or security they thought they had. That, however, will not get them off their duffs to do something in the way of security for them and their families. They will leave that to the guv-mint or someone else. When our son arrived here 5 months ago he thought his parents were whack jobs and without us doing a darn thing, his thinking has almost reversed itself. When he arrived we just kept on doing what we were doing and he has absorbed it like osmosis.

Underlying this is a Biblical principle, be an example and many will say to themselves 'maybe they aren't so cuckoo.'

Weather and power have been our biggest allies. When power and water went out for two days we were completely at ease and comfortable with our wood supply, "Joseph's Storehouse", and our back-up water supply. When we finish a gallon bottle of laundry detergent, no longer does it go into the recycle bin. It is filled up with water and marked "flush water". Works great!

[308gun]

People why who know me ,know that i am telling the truth ,and know who can help in trouble... as the saying goes kill the message and the one bringing it ,,, they don't like the message and wish it would go away..... But as watchman says God is trying to talk to America....have we almost reached the point that God is going stop talking ??????? NEVER give up ...you never know when the DOOR is fully closed ? got sample survival magazine from American free press , this is good to give to those who feel it's useless to try ...