“The economy goes up and down but things always get better.”

“People say something will happen, but nothing ever does.”

“We are a long ways off from the calamities of the last days.”

 “We need to enjoy life and not get carried away preparing.”

 “There is always a reasonable explanation, people need to stop being paranoid.”

“There is plenty of help around, I don’t need to spend my time or resources preparing.”

Have you had thoughts like the ones listed above? Or possibly heard similar phrases from others? If so, then you have experienced a sample of the Normalcy Bias.

The Normalcy Bias is a state of mind where a person is in DENIAL when faced with pending danger.

Having Normalcy Bias allows an individual to minimize and even underestimate the possibility of a disaster even happening (sometimes even while it is happening), thus not acting in a way to protect ones safety and health. Being subject to the Normalcy Bias causes individuals and families to fail to prepare for likely impending calamities.

The Normalcy Bias is related to prophecy in the scriptures. Since we haven’t experienced a real famine, nuclear attack, major earthquake, and a massive volcano erupting; folks presume these calamities won’t happen in their lifetime. Most of the same individuals believe that there is a God, yet they don’t truly believe the ominous prophecies made by Him.

2^nd Peter 3:3-4: “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts. And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” 

EXAMPLES of NORMALCY BIAS:

1) One story was shared by author Roger K. Young where a plane had problems that required an emergency landing. After a jolted landing, no announcement was made or flight attendants seen. One man jumped up and headed to the emergency exit, opened it, pulled the zip for the blow up slide, went down and waited for everyone else. No one else came. He saw the tail of the plane was on fire. So he climbed back up into the plane and yelled for everyone to get out. They looked at him and made comments like “Who are you to tell us what to do?” “You aren’t in charge!” They all just stayed in their seats, waiting for the pilot or authority figure to tell them what to do. The exasperated man went to the exit and just then the plane blew up and he was blown out of the plane through the exit. He was the only survivor.

2) Folks in New Orleans had never witnessed a levee collapse. So when it became obvious during Hurricane Katrina that their levee system would fail, thousands of people in the direct line of the coming flood still remained in their houses. A significant amount of people perished in the flood.

3) Not that long ago, the housing crisis was mostly triggered by a normalcy bias. Because the cost of homes had not declined on a nation-wide scale for very long; most people felt safe about purchasing a home. Even though real estate prices in some areas had tripled, people still thought that the price of homes would only move up.

4) Currently a Normalcy Bias frame of mind is being playing out with our national debt. Regardless of the facts that national spending is out of control and that debt is at bankruptcy levels; the concern seems only mild from investors.  Folks have only known bonds to be very safe, and unlike stocks, they always keep their face value.

5) Probably the best example and the one most applicable to what seems to be repeating itself in America is the Nazi Holocaust.  Why would so many Jews underestimate and ignore the ever present signs of uncertainty and peril even after they were compelled to wear yellow stars of identification and had unfair laws passed that targeted them and their businesses? Why would many of these wealthy Jews not move out and leave the country? It was the Normalcy Bias that kept them there and lead to their eventual exterminated. They didn’t see the danger in front of them.

WHY the NORMALCY BIAS is so DANGEROUS For us NOW:

Although the Normalcy Bias is part of human nature and we all are guilty to some extent; recognizing that we have this is important. If we do not, we are destined to repeat the disastrous scenarios of our past. Here are some reasons as to why it’s alarming to be stuck in a Normalcy Bias.

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  It hinders our ability to cope with disaster.

• Makes it difficult to react to things we have not experienced before.
• It can lead us to misinterpret warnings, or even not recognize them as warnings.
• Promotes us to inaccurately reframe information in order to make it a more positive outcome thus making us not act appropriately. (Like not evacuating when we should and not believing there is a threat)
• Numbs us to impending danger.
• Makes us take a disaster lightly and leads us to not prepare accordingly.
• Encourages us to not adequately prepare for calamity, making us feel that it is unwanted stress.
• Causes us to take comfort in believing that if something DID happen – the government, church, family, etc. would come through and save the day.
• Deludes us into thinking that since we haven’t experienced something yet (famine, plague, martial law, disaster, etc.) we likely never will.
• Lulls us into distraction, even when events and signs (nationally and globally) are all around us.
• Makes us question if there really is any danger – or that we would “know” if there was.

RECOGNIZE Coming DANGERS:

• Note that most of what the media is reporting is spun, false, and typically incomplete.
• Secure places have been prepared and stocked by the political elite to sustain and protect themselves for any coming threats. No such place as been prepared for the rest of us.
• When a neighborhood is overwhelmed by casualties (be it a plague, injuries from a disaster, gangs/mobs, etc), the regular emergency system will be overwhelmed with their own and not available.
• There are not enough hospital beds to support communities after a major disaster or during a pandemic.
• Normal people will behave irrationally with the onset of lack of food, water, shelter and medical care. Be aware of ways you can recognize those who might harm you and ways you can protect you and your family.
• When the delivery of goods halts, for whatever reason, what you have at home is all you have. Watch the infrastructure of trucking and shipping systems. Have what you need in place.
• Likelihood of survival is reduced quite a bit if caught in a quarantine area after martial law is declared, or similar actions restricting travel are enforced by those in authority. Be watchful of these things. Be thinking of alternative routes and ways to travel if travel becomes restricted.

KNOWLEDGE is POWER

Use this information to EMPOWER you and your family for protection in disaster and emergency situations that are surely coming. If you do not take steps now, there may not be enough time later to prepare. Avoid you and your family becoming a victim of normalcy bias – Act Now.

TEN STEPS to Take NOW:

• Prepare 72 hour kits (If you haven’t already) for each member of your family. Something you can grab and take if you need to leave quickly. Be sure it has water, water filter, good shoes, change of clothes, flashlight w/ extra batteries, list of contacts and phone numbers, food for 3 days, jacket/coat, first aid kits, and other survival items needed. Consider the need for warmth or shelter and if you will be driving or hiking away. Having your kit in backpack form may be your best option. Keep them easy to access and let everyone in the family know where they are, what is in them and when to use them.
• Obtain 3 months of food and water storage. Start with water first, then move on to food. Write up a few common favorite family meals (Breakfast, lunch and dinner) and then get the ingredients for those meals on hand until you have three months’ worth of meals. Plan on how you would do a home quarantine if a pandemic situation presented itself. Be prepared, if needed, to isolate yourself for an extended amount of time. Have a way to purify water that might become contaminated.
• Build a comprehensive First Aid Kit for your family. Consider what would be needed if there was no option to go to the doctor or hospital during a pandemic, or after a calamity. Start with basics like bandages, wraps, pain killers, fever reducers, antiseptics, anti-bacterials, and medicines; then move on to things like tourniquet, brace, Israeli bandage, blood clotters, skin stapler, and so forth. For a first aid kit list, check out our blog post here.
• Make the Unknown Familiar by PRACTICING. Do family drills and scenarios to get your brain thinking of emergency situations and how you would best ACT. Practicing can also help you RECOGNIZE danger beforehand, so you don’t get trapped in the Normalcy Bias. Play the “What would we do if…” game as a family and go over the different situations that might happen. Thinking about that now will bring a sense of familiarity when it does happen. And actually practicing a drill can develop muscle memory for those traumatic situations. Practicing now can save lives then. You might even want to create a “trigger” – something that you value – a single most important thing that as a family that makes you all want to fight to survive any calamity. Use that “trigger” in your practice to get you going.
• Learn Situational Awareness. The complete OPPOSITE of the Normalcy Bias is Situational Awareness! It includes having a full perception of your surroundings and a comprehension of what might occur in the near future. Because other people may attempt to give you false information, situational awareness obligates you to be the guardian of your own life. Since we only have finite control over our fate, tragedy can still strike from a million directions. It is our own fault when we see dangerous times ahead and yet do nothing to get out of its way. You can hone your observation skills with you and your family by playing the A-Game (Awareness game). To play, you enter an establishment and take note of things like the number of workers behind the counter, the type/color of clothing, gender of person who sat next to you, how many exits, etc. When you get in the car to leave, ask your children questions like: “How many workers did you notice behind the counter?”, “Was the individual you sat next to a boy or girl?”, “What color was the person’s coat?” and so forth. This activity trains you and your kids to be mindful of your surroundings.
• Work on Preparing Every Needful Thing. This includes a means of power, fuel, communications, medical needs, tools, personal hygiene, cleaning items, shelter, and a means to protect yourself and your family – plus the myriad other items that make up a complete preparedness package. This should be carefully thought-out with the needs of your family, home, resources and types of calamities most at risk in your area. Make it a matter of prayer.
• Do not go into Debt to prepare. It can feel overwhelming, but do what you can. Make a list of what you need so the angels can see it. Pray about what you need and allow God to open doors for you. Be sure to budget your money, consider skipping a trip or newer car purchase. Sacrificing is so worth it for the peace of mind of being prepared. Blessings also come when you are putting effort into being obedient to the council to prepare and stay out of debt.
• Continue with a Minimum Years Supply of Food if you can. Long term foods like grains, legumes, rice, oats, etc. will be priceless when a famine hits. Learn how to store them best for long term and also how to use and prepare them. Be sure and include honey, salt, cooking oils, powdered milk, and so forth.
• Store some Cash if you can. If the banks suddenly closed, having even a little cash on hand for quick items needed can be super helpful. Store in small bills, like ones and fives. Cash may only be good for a little while after a collapse – but having some on hand would be wise. Also having some precious metals like gold and silver if you can is also smart. Ultimately, you cannot eat cash or precious metals; so food will most likely end up being the best commodity to invest in.
• Build your Faith. While realizing that danger is coming or an emergency is upon us and being fully aware of needing to be ready; it is also just as important if not more so to believe that God is in control and to be aligned with Him. Having Faith in Jesus Christ and trusting Him can and will be the foundation that pulls us through these traumatic situations that are surely coming upon us. Let us fill our lamps with the oil of service, love and obedience so that our hearts won’t fail us and we will know where to find peace when everything around us is in chaos.

Remember the three P’s:  PLAN, PREPARE, PRACTICE

The world is facing a test right now which requires acute situational awareness. The many signs of the last days are before us, and it’s imperative for each of us to know Jesus as the only One who can redeem us from the days to come.  “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” – Luke 21:28.

Sources:

Ready Nutrition – Dangers of the Normalcy Bias

Before it’s news – America has Fallen Victim to the Normalcy Bias

WND – Do you have a Normalcy Bias, Most Likely Yes

Prophezine – Normalcy Bias and Bible Prophecy