Like many of my generation, I grew up on movies by Marion Robert Morrison (John Wayne, The Duke). Besides being an excellent actor, he was the real deal. You just got to admire anyone whose yacht is a converted WW2 PT boat and has enough macho to bed Marlene Dietrich. He was famous for his pithy and sometimes controversial comments. The one above is one of my favorites. I’m sure many of them were script written for his movies, but only The Duke could say it with the effect it deserves. So what does this have to do with emergency prepping?

A lot. I took the wife to Las Vegas over the long weekend. She is German and had never been there and we had a great time. When John Wayne finally died of cancer, his children set up The John Wayne Cancer Foundation, and many commercial items with his image and logo are sold with the proceeds going to it. A worthy cause. I bough a T-shirt with the famous ‘stupid” quote on it, and thought about this quote on the drive back to Phoenix (while the Frau slept.)

Anyone with two brain cells working in tandem knows that the world is basically going to hell in a hand cart. I’m certainly not a conspiracy theorist, but you don’t have to be to see what’s happening. I’m also not trying to come off as Mr. Know It All. I don’t have all the answers. I’m not even sure I know all the questions. But I don’t think I’m stupid. As a 19 year old buck sergeant in the 101st ABN. Div. in Vietnam I was smart enough to know I was over promoted and under trained and the best thing I could do was keep my eyes and ears open, my mouth shut, and learn from the experienced people(regardless of rank) on how to stay alive and keep my folks alive. I survived. I didn’t get anyone killed by being stupid.

I have to admit that I have done some damned stupid things in my life. ( buying a mechanical bull from Gilley’s and setting it up in Hawaii was one of them. Lost my butt financially on that deal. Never do that again!)  But survivors learn from their mistakes and don’t make the same ones twice. They also study and learn from other people’s mistakes. Unfortunately, you and I live in societies that have forgotten that rule. There are many things that the enlightened cannot change. The Sheeple keep electing the same politicians who keep doing the same stupid things over and over again. Einstein’s definition of insanity. And with the inevitable eventual results. I could list many of them here, but if you are reading this article to begin with, you already know what I’m talking about. But what can you change by not being stupid?

Survival. You live in a flood plain and have no evacuation plan figured out for the inevitable flood? Stupid. You buy a house in a brush fire prone zone where many houses have already burnt to the ground? Stupid. You actually believe that in a serious economic crisis the government will be there to help you? Considering FEEMA’s record? Stupid. You buy tons of survival supplies, never practice with them, never learn any survival techniques, and you think you are prepared? Stupid. You have a bug out bag and have never seriously considered where you can bug out to or how to get there? Never did a practice run? Stupid. You buy a firearm to protect you and your family and never practice with it and you think you are prepared to defend yourself? Stupid. Unfortunately, many people who think they are “prepared” use the same thinking process listed above. Once again, I’m not trying to offend anyone or come across as self-righteous.

But life is tough, and I think it is going to get a hell of a lot tougher. The stupid aren’t going to make it. Those who understand that the most powerful weapon or tool they have in regards to survival is the gray organ between their ears and actually use it will have a better chance of making it.

Life is tough. Don’t make it tougher by being stupid.