When it comes to being prepared, a lot of us always have two competing voices in our heads: one that’s constantly warning us about impending danger, and another that’s constantly dismissing those dangers as the products of our own paranoia. This threat-assessment schizophrenia is a product of our environment, of course — the United States is an overwhelming safe place to live, and as a result, we’re fortunate enough not to live our own worst case scenarios on a day to day basis.
Over time, we grow to listen to the dismissive part of our brain as it tells us not to sweat packing that med-kit for a trip to the park, not to throw an extra pair of socks in your bag for a short hike, and not to worry about the aggressive guy at the bar that keeps giving you the side eye. It all worked out fine last time; it’s sure to work out fine again.
But then the KFC down the street frieken explodes, like this one in Eden, North Carolina this week.
So far there have been no reported injuries or deaths tied to this incident, but it serves as a great reminder that despite our safe environment, bad things can still happen. While it’s possible that this explosion occurred as a result of some nefarious act, it’s also possible that it was nothing more than a good old fashioned accident — in either case, if you and your family were nearby when it went up and someone you loved got hurt, you’d be glad you had that IFAK in your trunk.
Being prepared isn’t about being paranoid, it’s just about taking small steps in advance to make things easier if ever the worst were to occur. Keep what you might need nearby, trust your gut, and don’t let complacency win out.
And maybe avoid KFCs after dark for a while… just until they figure out what happened to this one.
Feature image captured from included YouTube video
