CAMDEN, Tenn.—John Willis spent about 10 years living in the backwoods waiting for society to collapse. It didn’t.
Article by Charlotte Cuthbertson from our premium news partners at The Epoch Times.
“I think a lot of people forget to live because you’re waiting for society to collapse,” Willis said during a Self-Reliance Festival in Tennessee recently. “I spent a lot of years in a cave, doing absolutely nothing.”
He said he emerged still owing the IRS $3.2 million and ready to try a new approach to life. Now (after paying back the IRS), he’s part of a larger community of people in Tennessee and beyond who are moving toward a lifestyle that can mostly operate outside of government vagaries.
Modern-day prepping builds on a lot more than the panicked reaction of isolating yourself or frantically squirreling away beans, bullets, and bandaids. It’s an intentional shift toward living a more traditional, self-sufficient, and responsible lifestyle.
“Preparedness is not a big pile of stuff in the basement. That’s a good piece of preparedness. But that’s like, everything else has failed so now I’m going to rely on my stockpile,” said Jack Spirko, one of the more well-known preppers. Spirko hosts The Survival Podcast, with the tagline: “Helping you live a better life, if times get tough or even if they don’t.”
The combination of the government-imposed lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant panic-buying, the Black Lives Matter riots in 2020, and the 2020 election spurred a lot of Americans into making their household more resilient financially, as well as with food, water, and other essentials.
Since then, a litany of added pressures are affecting people’s daily lives, including supply chain issues, food crop losses, food production plant destruction, fertilizer shortages, increased gas prices, and inflation. Natural disasters, job losses, and health issues are ongoing potential curveballs to prepare for.
But, it needs to be a rational, step-by-step process, the experts say.
“I think probably the biggest mistake most preppers are making … is y’all are full of too much anxiety. Way too much anxiety—you’re worried about everything,” TJ Morris said in Tennessee.
“You should let that anxiety spur you to action, and then become emotionally detached from the execution portion of it. Just do it.”
Morris, who goes by Bear Independent online, has a 28-episode Prepper Classroom series on YouTube that logically explains the fundamentals of prepping and provides a how-to guide. His food prepping video details amounts, based on calorie intake, including that each adult needs 750 pounds of dried grains per year.
Morris said he worked with FEMA for 10 months after Hurricane Katrina from the Florida Keys up to east Texas.
“There’s a lot of people right now who think the government’s going to come save you. And there’s a lot of people who think the government is going to come and enslave you. I’m here to tell you, they’re not coming. They’re just not coming. It’s not happening.”
He’s spent the last several years building his own resilient homestead as well as a strong community of people who are willing to help each other.
Spirko’s first piece of advice is for people to strengthen the financial side of their lives.
“That’s the thing that’s going to hit you first,” he said. Diversify your money sources, start a side business using social media as an advertising platform, and look for bartering options in your community.
“And then as far as food preparation, get yourself a sheet of paper … and keep a food diary. Everything in there that you can store, start stacking that,” Spirko said. Aside from increasing pantry size, home gardens have become one of the most popular ways people have responded to food pressures. He said his biggest mistake was trying to do everything at once.
Joel Skousen, author of several books about strategic relocation and securing your home, has published a basic booklet called “10 Packs for Survival,” in which he lists the essential items within the 10 categories of food, water, power, medical, transport, travel, communications, equipment, defense, and tools.
Nicole Sauce, who is known for her podcast, Living Free in Tennessee, has helped bring like-minded people together in person and on messaging apps such as Telegram in their local areas. She’s a big advocate of building community and commerce networks.
“Relationships are very commerce related,” she said. “So when we talk about underground networking, we’re also talking about … doing commerce with each other. And you know what happens when this gets bigger and bigger and bigger? Do we care if the economy crashes at that point?”
Recently, Sauce posted a message in her local Facebook group asking if anyone was interested in going in together to buy and butcher a cow. Within a few days, enough people had joined in and they filled their freezers with cuts of local beef.
She works together with her immediate neighbors on “projects like grazing sheep, freezing bunnies, fixing each other’s things that go wrong.”
Sauce also advises against pushing people away who don’t share the preparedness mindset.
“If your response is to withdraw from your friends and your family who don’t get it—guys, there will always be people in your life who don’t get it—and if you withdraw from them, they’re going to not get it for longer,” she said.
“If you are an empowering presence in their life, and if you just model a prepared, logical, stable, ‘building the life I want’ … every so often, a light bulb goes on.”
She shared a story about her non-prepper sister in California who called her as wildfires threatened to encroach on her home. Sauce said she suggested storing as much water as possible in containers, the bath, and the hot tub and once the emergency was over, they could discuss a less last-minute, panicked approach.
Adding an extra 5-gallon can of gas to your inventory each week, or even each month, can help alleviate a situation. A resident in Louisiana last year had her car packed ready to drive to Texas after a hurricane, but the tank was empty and the gas stations for miles around were either out or had hours-long waits. She was forced to stay in her home with no electricity and no running water.
It’s better to make decisions about what you’re preparing for and how to prepare based on your family, location, and budget before an emergency hits, the experts say. Do you need to prepare for electricity outages? Food shortages? A hurricane? Economic collapse? Job loss? Political or civil unrest?
Building community and decreasing dependency on the large, corporate systems can help to alleviate problems.
Suggestions on how to build a community include going to a local farmer’s market, meeting your neighbors, joining a club, a social media group, or a community garden.
Image via Shutterstock.
How to Prepare for Food Emergencies if You Don’t Have a Homestead or Bunker
In an unpredictable world, where supply chain disruptions, natural disasters, or economic instability can strike without warning, having a reliable food supply is more than just smart—it’s essential for survival. Whether you’re a “prepper” or not, we all know the golden rule: self-sufficiency is key. But what if you’re living in an apartment, working long hours, or simply don’t have the land to turn into a thriving homestead? Don’t worry; there’s a practical, effective way to build your food security without needing acres of soil or a fortified bunker.
The Ideal Prep: Building Your Own Food Empire
The ultimate dream for any serious prepper is controlling your own food production. Imagine waking up to a sprawling garden bursting with fresh vegetables, fruits, and herbs—tomatoes ripening on the vine, potatoes ready to harvest, and greens that provide nutrition year-round. Add in livestock like chickens for eggs and meat, and you’ve got a self-sustaining system that keeps your family fed no matter what chaos unfolds outside.
This approach isn’t just about calories; it’s about resilience. A well-maintained garden can yield hundreds of pounds of produce annually, while a small flock of chickens might produce dozens of eggs weekly. It’s empowering, cost-effective in the long run, and teaches invaluable skills like crop rotation, animal husbandry, and preservation techniques. If you have the space, time, and resources, starting small and scaling up is the best path to true independence.
The Reality Check: Not Everyone Can Homestead
But let’s face it—not all of us are in a position to go full homesteader. Urban dwellers might be limited to a balcony or community plot that’s far from sufficient for long-term needs. Busy professionals juggling jobs, families, and daily life often lack the hours required for daily tending. And for those in apartments, condos, or regions with harsh climates, raising livestock or maintaining a large garden simply isn’t feasible. Factors like zoning laws, soil quality, water access, or even physical limitations can make this ideal out of reach.
That’s where the frustration sets in. You want to be prepared, but without a homestead or bunker, how do you ensure your pantry doesn’t run dry during a prolonged crisis? The good news is, you don’t have to sacrifice your preparedness goals. There’s a smart, accessible alternative that bridges the gap: investing in high-quality, long-term storage food.
The Smart Alternative: Long-Term Storage Food from Heaven’s Harvest
Long-term storage food is designed for exactly these scenarios—providing nutrient-dense, shelf-stable meals that last for decades without refrigeration or special conditions. It’s the perfect solution for preppers who can’t rely on fresh production but still demand reliability and variety in their emergency stockpile.
At Heaven’s Harvest, they specialize in premium survival food kits that make preparedness effortless. Their products are crafted with the prepper mindset in mind: non-GMO, made in the USA, and packed with real ingredients that taste like home-cooked meals, not bland rations. Whether you’re stocking up for a short-term blackout or a long-haul SHTF event, our kits offer:
- Extended Shelf Life: Up to 25 years of storage, so you can buy once and forget about rotation worries.
- Nutritional Balance: High-protein entrees, fruits, vegetables, and dairy alternatives to keep your energy up and health intact.
- Ease of Preparation: Just add water, and you’ve got hearty meals like beef stroganoff, chili mac, or cheesy lasagna ready in minutes—no garden weeding required.
- Customizable Options: From individual buckets to family-sized kits, scale your supply to fit your needs and budget.
- Peace of Mind: Sealed in durable, waterproof containers that protect against pests, moisture, and light.
Unlike generic store-bought cans that spoil quickly or lack variety, Heaven’s Harvest focuses on quality and sustainability. Our food is freeze-dried or dehydrated to lock in flavor and nutrients, ensuring you’re not just surviving but thriving. And for those concerned about allergens or dietary preferences, we offer gluten-free and vegetarian options to keep everyone covered.
Why Wait? Secure Your Food Supply Today
Preparing for food emergencies doesn’t require a homestead or bunker—it requires action. By choosing long-term storage food from Heaven’s Harvest, you’re taking control in a way that fits your lifestyle. Start small with a 72-hour kit to test the waters, or go all-in with a year’s supply for ultimate security.
Visit Heaven’s Harvest today and use code “PATRIOT” for an exclusive discount on your order. Don’t let limitations hold you back; build your resilient future, one meal at a time. Your family will thank you when it matters most.
