An Irrational Motivation For Preparing For An Apocalyptic Event

Even outside of the chaos of 2020, there was and is merit in preparing for difficult times.  Some people prepare for such occasions by stockpiling select items of great help when cut off from electricity or usual sources of food or water, sometimes amassing them slowly over long periods of time when there is relative safety and normalcy.  Sporadically using free resources to ensure that one could more easily navigate a surprise crisis could even end up keeping certain people alive if danger does befall them.  In spite of the benefits this could bring, there is such a thing as an outright irrational belief that could motivate a person to engage in this process of preparing for disaster.

It is not that gradually purchasing miscellaneous tools or objects that would be beneficial in a societal breakdown, prolonged electrical blackout, or natural disaster is irrational.  It could be very helpful and potentially lifesaving to acquire various items that would be useful in an apocalyptic or pseudo-apocalyptic setting, but a problem does arise if someone gathers surplus food, batteries, knives, gasoline, or some other item specifically with a purely speculative scenario in mind that they believe will happen.  At this point, a clever way to casually ensure that one has a better chance of thriving in unforseen but dangerous circumstances gives way to irrationalistic belief in an unproven and perhaps also unlikely future event.

This is what it would look like for someone to consistently do things that, at the very least, provide security in the case of possible disasters for a reason that is anything but rational.  For someone who understands reason and their own mind, this stupidity is completely avoidable.  Doing things like periodically storing excess gasoline or buying additional food for emergencies is a great way for them to at least spark a stronger sense of peace about how one could handle unexpected or brutal circumstances.  Of course, not everyone who either does or does not accumulate supplies to set aside for this purpose will feel a certain way about the matter, and some people could prepare for trials that might not ever arrive without being motivated by any sort of fear.  It is just that not every motivation is rational.

Whether or not a true "apocalypse" is on the horizon, there is nothing harmful or irrational about merely gathering various items that have usefulness in such a situation.  Of course, it is not irrational to not do this as well, given that it is not because one assumes that a catastrophic event will not occur, which only commits the inverse error of assuming a different unprovable thing about the future.  When an event that may or may not happen is treated any other way, the people who succumb to these types of assumptions do something that could be genuinely profitable without the corresponding philosophical awareness that would justify it.