Preparing is not hoarding.
I live in hurricane country and have witnessed both preppers and hoarders. Preparing is calm and rational planning and is usually done over a period of time before a crisis arrives. It requires taking regular inventory and logistical planning. It is an attitude and a state of readiness. It is a practice of those obedient to Scripture.
Hoarding is an impulsive overreaction once an event arrives because they did not foresee or take heed of the problem. IOW, they are running scared grabbing whatever they can because they were caught unprepared. There is no thought or planning involved in hoarding. It is fear-based.
Remember the truck beds loaded to the max with toilet paper? That's hoarding. Buying a little extra every time you go to the store is preparing. I did not have to go shopping for toilet paper because I had enough in my home for a good while already. I was able to give away some of my stores to family members and neighbors. As I could find it, I did buy toilet paper weeks into the shortage as we used what I had. I did that because I wanted to avoid future price hikes and not let my supply get too low. I only purchased one package at a time as we used it or gave it away to close friends and family to replace what was on my shelves.
Don't let people who did not stay informed and prepare for the future guilt you into thinking you did something wrong by being prudent. It's truly a shame Aesop's Fables are not as widely taught to children as they use to be. The story of the Ant and the Grasshopper has some very valuable lessons for today's young adults.
Dear Reader, Do not broadcast how prepared you are. During bad situations, there is such a thing as survivor's hate. It is jealousy/hatred from the "grasshoppers" towards the "ants." It's real and during dire crises, it is very, very ugly. If you read historical accounts about those who prepared during other trying times in history, you will see that the prepared had to change how they were doing things for their own security.
