In times of peace, prepare for war. – Niccolò Machiavelli
Are you prepared? What would you do if you had to evacuate for a few days with little notice? What are you ready for, and what are you willing to do without?
What does that mean?
This quote has been around since long before Machiavelli. However, it is very close to passages in The Art of War and in The Prince, and fits with his basic attitude. This quote is also commonly attributed to Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus but actually goes back at least as far as Horace (Satires II, 2, iii).
As stated by Machiavelli, it is (as usual) much longer : “War should be the only study of a prince. He should consider peace only as a breathing-time, which gives him leisure to contrive, and furnishes as ability to execute, military plans.”
This quote is often derided by those who have difficulty thinking past the present. When is the proper time to prepare for a hurricane? When it gets there is too late. You must prepare for the event before it occurs. Once it is started, you can only use what you have at hand, nothing more.
These days, we get warnings for large weather patterns, like hurricanes. But not so for sudden events, like an earthquake, or an a surprise attack from an enemy. To be prepared for either of these, you have to do so in times of calm, times of peace. Times when the terrible event is farthest from your mind.
Why is being prepared important?
Recently (relative to the writing of this post), the Eastern coast of the USA was hit by a large storm. With several day’s notice, they had plenty of time to gather what they could find, and be as prepared as one can be for a force of nature.
But what if the store ran out of batteries? What if you found out the bulb in your flashlight was broken? Now what? You’re not prepared, are you? In war, for the sake of a city state, or a modern country, being prepared to defend itself is a crucial to it’s survival.
Being prepared involves both knowing what to do (and practicing it) as well as having the necessary materials available. Knowing how to cook over an open fire is great. Practicing it is better. Having wood, matches, cooking pots, and food would be the minimum necessary to be prepared, right?
Where can I apply this in my life?
Just think of all the times you’ve been caught unaware. A surprise at work, where something you thought was done was rejected for some rework, and you put everything away. Or something new was added or changed, and you don’t have a clue (or the tools, or …) what to do.
What about real life? For those with kids, how prepared were you for your first child? Did you think to practice changing diapers on a large doll? How well did that prepare you to change the diaper on an actual squirming baby?
At least for me, the first one was one lesson in preparation after another. The second was a little better, because I had practiced, and that is part of being prepared, right? How were your experiences similar, and how were they different?
When else were you caught unprepared? Perhaps while driving? Do you know how to brake properly (and skidding is not proper braking technique)? What about the proper way to swerve and retain control of the vehicle? If you aren’t prepared, if you don’t practice, how well will things go when it’s done for real, with lives on the line?
Grab some paper and write down some examples of when you were caught unprepared. Rank them with how likely they are to happen, from a low of one, which might be Earth being struck by a giant asteroid, and 10 being driving in your car, something you may do every day.
Now look at your list, and put a cost (in both time and money) next to each of these things, both for preparing, and the loss you would incur if it happened. What we’re looking for are the things that happen fairly regularly, but don’t cost much to prepare for. What falls into that category?
Look at each of the things for which it is most cost effective to prepared. What can you do to get ready? Do you have a “go” bag, with personal items and a couple days food, just in case there is an emergency evacuation for your area? It’s not too expensive, and doesn’t take much time to be ready.
When you’ve addressed the cheap and easy things, consider how much time, money, or effort you are willing to invest in being prepared, and for what you are willing to prepare. If you live in an area with earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, or snow storms, you probably have a basic idea of how to be prepared for your local phenomena. You can use that as an example or a blueprint for other things for which you might want to prepare.
But remember, after the stinky stuff hits the fan is too late to prepare. It’s on, and you’ll have to make do with what you have at hand. If life gave us better warnings, we wouldn’t need to be so prepared. But stuff happens, be ready for it, or suffer the consequences.
What are you willing to do to be prepared, and what are you willing to suffer if you are caught off guard?
From: Twitter, @TonyGaskins
confirmed at : http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/n/niccolomac138208.html
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