Your home, castle, dwelling; whatever you call it, it tends to be your place of refuge. Typically we feel safe at home and this leads us to let our guard down. This is where it begins and this is where it ends.
Think about what happens at your home. You have family, friends and neighbors who come over. They borrow things, have drinks and share food with you during gatherings. Let’s face it. When push comes to shove and the SHTF are things going to remain the same with them? Be honest with yourself because let’s face it you will feel a great amount of guilt but if they are not prepared on their own, there is little you can do to help them. So why would you share with them your plans and your preparedness level. We’ve all probably done this without thinking and it has already cost us something we don’t even know we’ll pay for later when the bill comes due.
So, being gray starts at home.
These are but a few simple rules to live by and many of these same themes you will see as we explore this life further. In particular, these are some of the many habits that you want to get into before a SHTF situation. It’s not about being paranoid, it’s about being prepared.
- When you are talking with your family, friends and neighbors, keep political conversation to a minimum and within the confines of what is “ordinary”. Leave out any of the political views or comments that may be considered outside of the norm. Those around you may blabber off all day long on their thoughts, but you need to be very conscious of the words you speak. Make sure when situations change you’re asking the same questions they are and blending into the conversation. Always receive more than you give.
- Dress as normal as possible. We’re going to explore this further later, but the idea is to dress the same way at home that you would dress out in the world. Dawning tactical clothing on a regular basis would raise a few eyebrows and tip off your neighbors don’t ya think? Look for an upcoming article about “dressing the part.”
- NEVER divulge your preparedness level. No one but you and your immediate family should EVER know about your extra food, water, supplies. They shouldn’t know about your defensive capabilities and no one should have a clue about what you have on your property and where it may be. Knowledge about what you have and how much you have should be one of the most sensitive subject matters you can think of.
- In the spirit of that, remember OPSEC at all times. You always need to know what’s going on but no one needs to know what you know or what you’re doing to mitigate what could be coming. Again, always receive more than you give. See a theme here?
- Whenever you make purchases, find ways to be discreet. Your neighbors shouldn’t see you carrying boxes of ammo or large quantities of food into your house. Try moving items in that could draw attention during times that would limit your exposure to prying eyes.
- Before you recycle those boxes that you’re getting from all over with god knows what? Remove those shipping labels so that the names of your vendors are not on public display. Nothing says the gray man is prepared like boxes sporting the labels from known companies that ship ammunition, weapon parts, food, etc. Even boxes containing pet food can give folks knowledge about what’s going on in your house.
- Don’t announce your location or travel plans on social media. Letting the world know where you are and when is an easy way to get robbed or looted while you’re away. If you must be on social media, use it as little as possible.
Getting yourself off the digital grid where possible is actually a good idea. This may mean giving up your smart phone and even abandoning social media. When you do have to go online be very careful about what information you are sharing. Leverage a VPN and a browser that doesn’t watch your every move. Get an encrypted email address from a trusted provider and change your passwords regularly. If you’re one of the few who has a large footprint online already, look for ways to reduce that footprint and secure your information. Just because things about you are already out there doesn’t mean you cannot change what the world sees and remove your personal exposure over time. START TODAY!
In the unfortunate event that you are faced with a SHTF situation, make sure you’re continuing all of these practices as well as adding a few additional ones. The idea here is to remain gray before and after a situation arises. Look at the recent events of COVID-19 on this world and all of the uncertainty that was going on. If you were staying well informed and ahead of some of the rush, great, but be very careful of the information you’re sharing when communicating with others. Staying gray is your first priority.
In a situation, make sure you’re standing alongside everyone else asking the very same questions as you were previously. What’s going on? Are you aware of any way to get food? Have you seen anywhere with gas? Expressing the same concerns as your neighbors and looking just as desperate and confused as they are is key. If you do, they won’t be the first to suspect that you are doing well behind those closed doors.
Remember, if you didn’t discuss your food, security and relative comfort prior to this situation, why would you start now? This will reduce your likelihood of being targeted in the event that those you cannot help get desperate.
These are just a few of the ways that you can start at home to embrace the gray man life. There’s so much more but these basics should help you to understand that it is about the information you are releasing to the world vs what you are taking in that will define how well you navigate a storm when it arises.