Paladin132

My criminal justice doctor says that he has a healthy dose of Healthy Paranoia, and I am wondering is mine healthy or unhealthy? Its something that crosses my mind on rare occasions when I am thinking about different scenarios that I play through my head. This is something I got into the habbit of doing while on a personal security detachment duty in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. I think well if that happens I can move there, etc.

Then sometimes I catch myself and think am I too paranoid? I have a selection of PDW which are all tools for various jobs. All of this comes to my mind as something I also like to shoot, but makes me wonder, am I too paranoid? The people I know are of the opinion that I am, but any time that anything has happened they all look to me to take the lead so it isn't too awful bad.

I go where I want to go (I have no reason to go places that are really rough or anything, so I don't go there) and I am alert while there. If something feels wrong, I don't think about it, I get up and leave most of the time. This has happened on very rare occasions, and I don't really second guess it. Gut instinct is the sub councious telling the councious that I have missed something that may be a bad situation and I can't nail it down. Waiting can have unhealthy consquences.

So is a person that has a few firearms, each for different use, a small stockpile of food and supplies, and adequate medical supplies (ymmv) paranoid, or just doing what is smart, and which the government has asked us to do and be prepared? Where do you folks draw the line? Do you ever stop and think, no I don't need bottled water, or nah I don't think I'll carry today because the water won't go off today and I won't be caught at the stop and rob at the wrong time.

Just wanted to discuss it with a few other folks. This is a good forum to do it in a way, because I feel a little odd bringing it up to most people. I'm not a survivalist nut, I have a tech addiction and can't live without my cable news and discovery channel, but well it just was something I was thinking about... All views are very welcome.

IsaacNewton

Paranoid- I don't believe so.
Prepared- Yes and that is a good thing.

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During the Middle Ages, probably one of the biggest mistakes was not putting on your armor because you were "just going down to the corner."

Hopyard

As a young scout I was taught to be prepared.

That was healthy.

Duck and cover in school because the Russians might come was paranoia. (To say nothing of stupid and useless.)

For the young folks here, back in the early 1950s we were so convinced the Russians would bomb us, and that somehow we might actually survive a nuclear attack, that they taught little school kids to duck under their school desks. That was paranoia.

Thumper

I know it's just semantics but... in my day that was called common sense!

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ALWAYS carry! - NEVER tell!

dcb188

It is just common sense. Maybe thirty or forty years ago, yeah, it would be overreacting. But what you are doing now is what most of us are doing, reacting TO A VERY REAL THREAT that was not there years ago.
I always carry. If I go out to get a quart of milk, I carry. I never ever say to myself well I can leave it home, it is a sunny day, I am on Cape Cod, and tourist season is about to begin and all is rosy. No. I carry in church on Sundays. I carry every single time I leave the house. Wallet, comb, car keys, sunglasses, gun.
Numerically, not percentage of population, numerically, there are more savages out there today than at any time in United States history. There is no doubt about that and this cannot be disputed. Numbers-wise. Therefore, this has caused us to be not only vigilant but hypervigilant. But the thing is, it is based on reality, whereas paranoia is not. This ain't no dream, the numbers of criminals out there. Being prepared for them is sensible nowadays.
Fifty years ago, it would not have been necessary. Today it is. Preparedness just might save your life.

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Surrounded and outnumbered, Marine Col Lewis Puller: "Good! We finally got 'em where we want 'em!" (Korea, 1950)
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Right is Wrong and Wrong is Right.
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Socrates : "Knowledge is knowing that we know nothing".

grady

I almost started a thread a day or two ago asking the same thing about myself.
Interesting. Does them calling you "paranoid" help ease their conscious about not being prepared? Do they think denial will help keep bad things away?

Some parts of St. Louis lost power for 6 weeks in the 2006-2007 winter due to an ice storm. 6 weeks of often freezing temperatures. And this is a modern city. Then we have the example of Katrina, and we all know what happened there.

Not any more. Now my questions to myself are "how much water, food, firewood, ammo, boards to board up my windows, etc. do I need?"

Same here, but if I talk about storing even basic amounts of food, or procurring extra guns/high-cap mags in case the election goes bad, or plywood to board up my windows in case of riots, people think I've gone off the deep end. Oh well, my goal is to take care of my family. Everything else is secondary.

I don't think it's paranoid. I think it's survival of the prepared.

Now that's a sobering thought that I cannot dispute.

dcb188

It is a sobering thought and that is why Mr Ruger goes where I go.
And the point about "not carrying today" is an important one. I know a lot of folks, and there are a lot on these forums, who do not carry everywhere and every day.
How do they know which day might be THE day? At least in the event of a problem, I will never have to say to myself I wish I had a gun with me right now. And as I said, the instances of these occurrences with criminals are more and more and more common, until it can be said that nowhere is completely safe.
There is no such thing as complete safety, as it is, carrying or not. The least we can do is try to even it out a bit by carrying everywhere.

__________________
Surrounded and outnumbered, Marine Col Lewis Puller: "Good! We finally got 'em where we want 'em!" (Korea, 1950)
__________________________________
Right is Wrong and Wrong is Right.
__________________________________
Socrates : "Knowledge is knowing that we know nothing".

Duisburg

you describe situational awareness and being prepared, you are fine but for an honest answer I'd have to get to know you first.

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1- i am not a felon
2- i have passed extensive background checks by the sheriffs department and the FBI.
3- i have been fingerprinted, trained, and tested.
4- i have demonstrated good character.
5- i obey the law.

Sergeant Mac

1. Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. ("It" being guns, food, water, fuel.....or anything else you THINK you might need).

2. Be kind, be polite......but have a plan to kill everyone you meet. (Just don't tell them about it.....that'd be rude.)

3. Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're NOT out to get you.

KenpoTex

Well said

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If you carry in Condition 3, you have two empty chambers. One in the weapon...the other between your ears.

MOΛΩN ΛABÉ

Matt K.