Are We Prepared Enough?

Bryan Wish of BW Missions recently posed a discussion-starter asking a group what questions they are pondering. He requested that each contributor share both a question and their answer to it. I wanted to share my response here:

Q: Are we (or am I) prepared enough for what’s over the horizon? This question can apply to our current crisis as much as it applies to any future concerns.

A: We can gauge preparedness on a scale from exhaustive standards with a step-by-step plan for every imaginable contingency, all the way down to refusal to act. I suspect most of us wrestle with the pull of both tendencies to varying degrees between laziness and ambition, to find ourselves landing somewhere in the middle between extremes.

In our current situation, we could compare the extremes of a "doomsday prepper" with an underground bunker containing years of supplies to a person posting pictures of himself on social media licking doorknobs in defiance of wise health practices. We must evaluate if it is worth the expense, effort, and strained relationships to build a fortress against a future that may never come. We must consider if it is worth burdening others or risking social shame for our own lack of preparedness. Apply this analogy to any other area of business or life, and we see that extremes tend to harm us and cause collateral damage to the people around us. Wisdom, then, suggests that each of us needs to exercise some due diligence preparing for future success, but to what extent?

One person only has 24 hours in a day and limited resources. The current crisis also reminds us that we have very little control in life. An old military quote applies here, “No plan survives first contact with the enemy.” This is why community exists: we are stronger and more effective when we band together. We can navigate uncertainty as we consult each other for advice and act on sound counsel.  We can pool resources to achieve goals that cannot be accomplished alone. Collaboration, by definition, entails working together. It requires something of each person. I do not suggest ignoring our own needs, but to position ourselves well enough to offer value to others. Both now and in the future, we can apply teamwork to reach the goal. Putting this into practice in the current crisis could look as simple as sharing a roll of toilet paper with someone who has none.

With a little teamwork and some faith, we’ll make it through to the other side together, and all of us will be stronger as a result of the struggle.