Useless People and Relatives

[Lowdown3]

Good thread MB, five stars!

[Cimarron]

My greatest hope is that I can accumulate enough knowledge, gear, experience, and stuff in general that I am on the "useful" list, and not the "useless" side.

:D

[1Admin]

My greatest hope is that I can accumulate enough knowledge, gear, experience, and stuff in general that I am on the "useful" list, and not the "useless" side.

:D

I wouldn't value someone because of the "stuff" they had. But I would "value" someone based on their CHARACTER, trustworthiness (shown over time), skill level and competence and their desire to work and be of mutual value to everyone.

The guy with a lot of crap that just writes and a check and is quickly prepared but drags two branches and then sits on his arse for an hour while everyone else is working WILL be resented by everyone in really short order. He isn't pulling his share and it doesn't matter if he's "not interested in that." Sometimes you need to be "interested in" what the rest of the group is interested in.

It's character, commitment and ability to work with others (yes that means compromise and not simply putting yourself always first) that's more important than if they have a bunch of stuff.

Course the flip side of that is that the more you know- like real knowledge not "I have a dozen hard drives with copied posts and videos on them"- the more important you COULD be to a group of survivors. You have to be upfront and not BS about it. The "I was a Ranger" story falls apart when you can't hit your target at 50 yards nor spot any targets on a simple observation lane and people know your full of it.

Always better to be humble and let what you do speak for you versus bragging.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

My greatest hope is that I can accumulate enough knowledge, gear, experience, and stuff in general that I am on the "useful" list, and not the "useless" side.:D

I do not see you on the useless side of anything bud. Some folks think that 100 bottles of ketchup and a few years in the Military makes them desirable and able. Hogwash. The want, desire and attitude can be made to anything. To many ranger rick commandos floating around already, we will make it and we will support one another.

[BeckyinTX]

I have 6 brothers & sisters, all of whom have spouses & children. I cannot, nor would I even attempt to try to, take care of them all. None of them know of our preps & we have every intention of keeping it that way. They are all the type of folks who live paycheck to paycheck, no matter the size of the paycheck. They have no thought of tomorrow, never have & likely never will. When they get any extra money, they immediately blow it on big screen TV's, $600 purses, & the like. They have no useful skills outside of their professions & the only knowledge in their heads is the latest celeb gossip. They are self-centered & none too interested in manual labor. If I had to live with or deal with any of them in a survival situation, I'm sure we would fight to the death. Sad but true.

[Cimarron]

I wouldn't value someone because of the "stuff" they had. But I would "value" someone based on their CHARACTER, trustworthiness (shown over time), skill level and competence and their desire to work and be of mutual value to everyone.

The guy with a lot of crap that just writes and a check and is quickly prepared but drags two branches and then sits on his arse for an hour while everyone else is working WILL be resented by everyone in really short order. He isn't pulling his share and it doesn't matter if he's "not interested in that." Sometimes you need to be "interested in" what the rest of the group is interested in.

It's character, commitment and ability to work with others (yes that means compromise and not simply putting yourself always first) that's more important than if they have a bunch of stuff.

Course the flip side of that is that the more you know- like real knowledge not "I have a dozen hard drives with copied posts and videos on them"- the more important you COULD be to a group of survivors. You have to be upfront and not BS about it. The "I was a Ranger" story falls apart when you can't hit your target at 50 yards nor spot any targets on a simple observation lane and people know your full of it.

Always better to be humble and let what you do speak for you versus bragging.

Trustworthiness, skill, competence, desire to work?.........................
Yup, I'm loaded with all those qualities........just ask me :p

I know what you are getting at 1Admin and I agree. Those are great qualities to have and might get and keep you in a working team without all the stuff.

Although I really meant "stuff" as a broad term to cover things that might be of value in the PAW.

[Benn Gleck]

I have one family member (extended family) and one very close friend that are prepping. The friend is just starting out. If they showed up at my BOL I'd have to take them in. I just hope they'd bring enough food and ammo to feed and protect their families.

The rest of my friends and family are too busy talking about Charlie Sheen and LiLo (Lindsey Lohan) or watching sports and races not noticing the world is on fire. They're like the Romans being entertained at the Colisium while their society crumbled.

[monkeybird]

They're like the Romans being entertained at the Colisium while their society crumbled.

Well said. I agree that it seems the world is going to hell in a handbasket, and the only thing of interest among the sheep is the ravings of madman Charlie Sheen. (who's probably a manic-depressive and needs serious medical intervention). I watch some of the new shows on TV and am amazed at what is called news. No one wants to wake up - including the media. I wonder just how useful these folks will be in the PAW.

I worry about the people who talk the talk, but when the time comes won't walk the walk. My husband recently hired a man who knocked on our door wanting work. He was to remove some dying trees from our property. It was just before Christmas and my husband felt sorry for the 3 children of this out of work man, and paid him Christmas Eve morning before the work was complete. Need I say more. He did return 4 days later with his children, did a really - really poor job, then left. I still have 2 big stumps in my year!

This is the kind of person I can't stand. We had quite a bit of work that needed to be done, and had he done a decent job, we would have paid him to do them. This man was simply lazy. He wanted the money - but didn't want to do a good job to get it.

The person you let into your group may talk a good game, and begin like gang busters, but what worries me is that the work he said he'd do, will not be done right. Someone told me that there was a wrong way and a right way to dig a ditch. I worry the lazy person will do it the wrong way and others will suffer.

[dilli]

ah the lil red hen, my sister.. we are currently going through this yet again here on the homestead. This time it was a over 20 yr friend in need of a place to stay or live in a tent. This person is a local mtn woman, one who has grown up in the lifestyle we now live and used to live as we do and cannot handle or contribute to the cause here.. We allowed her to stay at a very reasonable price in exchange for her helping out around the place. # months in to it, she has not lifted one tiny finger and has an excuse for absolutely everything as to why she cannot do it. Even as I type, she has three people here moving her and her 29 yr old son out while she sits n yaps the trap. We are sitting in the house.

Opening doors is great but it is something that is very difficult to deal with and justify, even for old friends or family ..Anyone that comes through here as an intern or otherwise is given a trail period, at which if it is decided they cannot fit in they are shipped down the road. Mind you this often means tossing some rice and beans and even at time money for them to skidaddle down the road. Of course in a SHTF situation this policy would be reviewed on an individual and case by case basis .. i should add we are very rural so the likelihood of our having meandering weirdos is not likely and most family we have both written out of our life long ago ..