Prepper Mentality: Good Samaritan? YES.

I pondered writing this article because I absolutely do not want this to come across as a “hey look at me” moment.  Yet I think if we can examine what happened today it will shed light on what I believe is another slice of the proper prepper mentality: the good Samaritan role…something I do not excel at but am constantly trying to improve upon.

The Caveat 

Allow me to toss in a clarification paragraph before relating my story, in that there are two sides to this assertion: that being the PRE and POST SHTF role of the prepper good Samaritan.  Pre SHTF when times are good is one thing, post SHTF when everything could be in short supply would demand a tighter hold on things and extreme justification of action (especially if one’s own family is at risk).  Heck I’ve even written articles which borderline endorse taking necessary items after SHTF if the circumstances are right and absolutely all other options are off the table.  It’s all dictated by METT-TC, for now I won’t overthink this and get right into it.

The Situation

I was to meet my wife at the supermarket this evening, she was going to grab some supplies to cook one of her fantastic dinners.  These are one of those dinners where you can smell the aroma of the food and it’s like oh my….delicious is right around the corner!  I got to the supermarket first but as I was pulling into the lot I saw a family of 4 standing on the corner holding a sign which had something about money needed for food on it.  This struck me as strange, while I don’t live in what I would consider an upscale area sights like this are very uncommon.  That combined with the fact that the whole family was sitting there which included two small boys.  Not exactly the “crackhead begging for cash” situation, it weighed heavily on my mind as I parked and entered the store.

My wife linked up with me in the store about 10 minutes later, the first thing she mentioned was the family standing on the corner.  At that point I knew I had to do something so I excused myself and went outside to assess the situation.  I knew that if this was legit there was absolutely no way I could in good conscience drive away and leave an entire family in need.

I approached the family on foot, they appeared to be foreign and my initial instinct was middle eastern although the woman did not dress in this manner.  I introduced myself and tried to start a conversation there on the busy street corner.  The man said that they were from Romania and on their way to California and in need of food, he pointed to their old beater minivan (with Cali tags) and indicated it was theirs.  I took a look at the wife and two boys who were now sitting in the grass and knew that I had to take this at face value and do something about it.

The Outcome

Language barrier aside I had them follow me into the supermarket, pulled a cart out and gave it to them.  I spoke and motioned with my hands while indicating that they should go shopping and that I would pay for everything.  They nodded and went about their way and I went to find my wife to make sure she didn’t forget the COFFEE.

I linked up with the family at the other side of the supermarket and knew that their story was legit.  What was in the cart?  Lots of bread, sandwich meat, various cheeses, a balloon for one of their boys.  This was a family clearly on the road and one who did not want to take advantage of me and for that I was thankful.  We checked out and I think the total was around $70, I selected the debit option and pulled out another $40 and gave it to the husband because I figure he might need gas.  They thanked me over and over again, I told them no problem and wished them good luck…and that was that.

Key Takeaways

Once again please don’t take this as me tooting my own horn, believe me when I write that I’m no perfect person and I honestly know that many of you would have done the same thing. I felt compelled to do this for those people, not because I was seeking anything in return but because it just seemed like the right thing to do.  I’m not sure what will happen if SHTF but as preppers we are likely to be in a situation where we are able to help those in need much like how I helped that family.  Now this doesn’t mean that I line the entire neighborhood up and disperse MY family’s supply of storage food just because I’m a nice guy, absolutely NOT.  Yet I think we have to keep some form of positive intent in our minds, that willingness to be someone’s helping hand if needed and if only briefly.  My efforts surely did help the family but only for a few days at best, yet I feel like I was able to fulfill my part…one that was placed in front of me and I recognized (as opposed to the potentially hundreds of people who drove by that family before I got there).

The Bottom Line

For me being a prepper means being both ends of the spectrum: I can be kind, helpful and more than willing to give someone the shirt off of my back.  Yet if tested I will flip the blinders down and become the epitome of ruthless and calculating, especially if my own family is involved.  I’m not perfect but I can tell you that when presented with the right set of circumstances I think it only serves us right to remember that being a good Samaritan is something we need to hold ourselves to…if only because it seems like the right thing to do.

 

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    • Charles on August 8, 2015 at 8:35 PM
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    People helping people, You did a family a good turn and at some point someone in that family will see someone in need and that person/family will get help. I am so thankful to the people that have helped me.
    Be Blessed !

      • PJ on August 8, 2015 at 9:45 PM
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      Thanks Charles! I too hope they pass along the good blessings.

    • rhc on August 8, 2015 at 9:30 PM
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    Job well done. Have done a couple of similar things over the years/will not-would not just give $ but I have also opened up my wallet cause it just seemed right. Will however worry about the kids involved; to me it is all about the well being of the kids. You were brought up to do the right thing.

      • PJ on August 8, 2015 at 9:45 PM
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      RHC

      For me it was all about the kids, those little faces definitely looked hungry. Gotta do the right thing when able.

    • mr r on August 9, 2015 at 5:03 AM
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    you did the right thing, and bless you. that good deed will come back to you ten fold.
    believe in karma, its a real thing, good or bad

    • TPSnodgrass on August 10, 2015 at 12:37 PM
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    IF, we have “extra” that we have been blessed with, we do “share” as the Holy Spirit inspires us to. The key I believe is to live correctly so that we HEAR the promptings from the Holy Spirit.

    • Illini Warrior on August 10, 2015 at 10:58 PM
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    Buy them some food items and hand it over to them …. conscience is clear ….

    You basically took responsibility for their behavior in your local food market … not knowing a damn thing about them – no freaking way

    First red flag for me is people that use their kids for activity like that …. very common for the gypsies to use family in their scams ….

      • PJ on August 11, 2015 at 5:46 AM
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      Different ways to solve a problem, not sure how I took responsibility for their actions by walking them into the store. Had they done anything criminal in there none of it would have come back to me being that it’s a public place. There are lots of people out there (actually almost everyone out there) who I know nothing about. Have to assume positive intent in some cases and in this one it seemed to work out. Maybe they did drive off laughing at me because I was a sucker…well worth it for $100.

      • Steve Bonning on September 6, 2015 at 8:02 PM
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      Title should be “Good Samaritan? MAYBE” In a true survival setting, being a Good Samaritan is the quickest way to becoming a non-survivor. Doing charitable acts is great and a reflexive human response in the everyday world. In a post-SHTF world, a completely new mindset is required to stay out of trouble. That’s why is called survival.

        • PJ on September 6, 2015 at 8:16 PM
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        Please tell me about all of your experience in a post SHTF world. maybe a link to your blog?

      • Steve Bonning on September 6, 2015 at 8:05 PM
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      “if tested I will flip the blinders down and become the epitome of ruthless and calculating, especially if my own family is involved”

      -that “testing” may have a fatal or irreversible outcome. Then what? You’re no longer a survivor you’re just another good Joe who got preyed upon.

        • PJ on September 6, 2015 at 8:15 PM
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        Absolutely! I have no idea what I’m talking about. I retract everything I’ve ever written.

    • NRP on August 14, 2015 at 11:34 AM
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    Karma, if you have not experienced it you have no idea what it is.

    The greatest death in our soul is the death of not caring.

    That 100 bucks in al reality means nothing to most of us. But for that family it MAY have been their salvation. Could it have been a “scam” as Illini Warrior said? Sure it could have been. In the same breath that little act of kindness may have changed the entire further of their world, :Butterfly Effect”.

    Is this not what being a prepper really is?
    If being so hardened to not giving to those in need a helping hand (scam or not) is being a prepper, than I want NOTHING to do with it.
    That tidbit of wellness you shared is EXACTLY what it means to be a prepper, not the training, not the “stuff” we hoard, not the guns/ammo/water/shelter/, none of those things means a damb thing if we lose sight of who we are. If that’s who YOU are, than go find a rock to live under and cuddle with your “stuff” you have no right to be called a prepper.
    NRP

    • Retired teacher on September 16, 2015 at 10:47 PM
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    When eating out, if I see a person(s) in uniform (military, police, etc) I try to anomalously buy their meals. That’s just my way of paying it forward. I watch their expression when their server tells them that someone paid their tab. They look around, grinning (but I don’t look at them!). I hope it made their day!

      • PJ on September 16, 2015 at 11:11 PM
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      I do the same. Well done…thanks so much.

    • Roger on October 21, 2015 at 6:19 PM
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    Most of the ‘homeless’ people that I see are the same ones every time; this makes me suspicious. Some will only want cash! Very rarely do I see children with them. But, I must confess that I will give food (not cash) to any ‘homeless’ person that has a dog with them, I’m just a sucker that way! I probably shouldn’t admit this, but being an old white guy, I will ignore any children by themselves because I’ve heard more than one story of that going south in a hurry; as in jail time for the man, guilty or innocent! Besides, children can always get help from the government, not so adults, especially males! Many big cities don’t have ‘homeless’ anymore, they have been reclassified as ‘campers’ and as such as only allowed to ‘camp’ in certain places for a short, predetermined time! I have sympathy for these people but I have quite limited resources (as do most of us) and the government doesn’t seem to want us to help them; why, I don’t understand. Perhaps, like ‘gun control’, it’s really about ‘people control’! Good Luck and happy prepping! (GLAHP)

    • lt on October 25, 2015 at 1:52 PM
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    I think you did the right thing and as you saw in the basket, bread and lunchmeat, tells you that they were really hungry! We have witnessed vans dropping off at least 5 guys and or women at various corners and the driver picks them up at the end of the day. We have spoken to several who admitted that they get anywhere between $200-$400 per day and they are clearly not interested in working (we offered them a job). One day, at a red light, I broke down and decided to give a homeless guy $20 and my subcontractors in the car laughed at me and sure enough, he literally turned around next to my car and made a drug deal. At Christmas time, a friend witnessed a mother on a busy median with two little girls, barely dressed in the cold of winter with no shoes, but having passed them up, she turned her car around to give them money only to see them walk across the street and followed them behind a building where they got into their brand new Cadillac. The girls had the car door open and were getting their shoes on. It was very disturbing. So, pray about it and let the Holy Spirit guide you and when in doubt, give money to St. Vincent DePaul. They feed so many needy families every year!!

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