>>Will someone tell me what I really need on my list to feel safe? <<<br><br>I’m sorry, but no one can tell you that.<br><br>You’ve put your finger on the problem, though, with the phrase “feel safe”. I don’t think any of us, no matter how well equipped, really “feel safe” right now.<br><br>Like the pursuit of wealth, though, the pursuit of security can be like chasing a mirage in the desert- you never have “enough” money, or “enough” security, and the more you get, the more aware you are of what you don’t have.<br><br>In my back yard we feed the birds, and the overflow of sunflower seeds feeds squirrels and the occasional chipmunk. There was one in particular that lived under the woodpile somewhere that we used to joke about- he had gotten so much sunflower seed that he had to have a huge cache- we guessed more than 50 pounds, buried somewhere. We joked that he was the best prepared for Y2k of anyone we knew. He used to bask in the sunlight on the fence rail, and from time to time I shared the moment with him, basking in the sun on the deck, just enjoying the day, each of us at least not minding the company of another species doing the same.<br><br>One day I saw a cat get him, and there was nothing I could do. All of the sunflower seed he accumulated in his life didn’t help.<br><br>I knew a man once that was obsessed with survival in the ‘70s and ‘80s, had an impressive arsenal and knew how to use it, honed his skills and seemed to feel that he was prepared for the worst. He died of a heart attack. I’m sure a lot of people here have similar stories.<br><br>Most of us here are equipped to some degree or another, partly from rational judgement, maybe partly because we enjoy the process of learning and preparing… in the end, we’re all going to meet the same fate, and make that same final journey. It may be worth preparing for adversity- we tend to think it is- but it’s not worth obsessing about so that you sacrifice the quality of your whole life. If you do that, what are you fighting to preserve? That last day must inevitably come, and when it does, and you have the chance to look back knowing that it's over, will you care more how long you preserved your life, or how you spent it?<br><br>If the next asteriod hits in our lifetimes, we’re all going to have a Really Bad Day, regardless of how much “stuff” we’ve accumulated. In the meantime, I would be very surprised if you run out of ammo in a firefight before it ends some other way.<br><br><br>