Preparedness in Spain: from hatchet to the afterlife

Preparedness in Spain: the art of being ready for everything (and nothing)

Spanish preparedness culture is not the American kind with bunkers and canned food stockpiles. Here, low-cost self-defence blends with metaphysical speculation. An increasingly vocal current argues that all-round preparation covers everything from a hatchet under your pillow to reading books about life after death. And in between lies an unresolved debate: is gunpowder or capsaicin the better bet?

The Iberian survivor's arsenal

Pepper ball guns loaded with alcohol and capsaicin, or even bleach or acidulated water, are presented as a legal alternative for deterring dogs and bears. Some even champion the hatchet as a bedfellow, especially after incidents in Pamplona where the far right was held back, but the perception of insecurity forced people to sleep armed. The controversy is served: some prefer gunpowder and lead, arguing that any lethal tool levels the playing field between a grandfather and a muscular incivil; others settle for a homemade armour for the end of the world. The accuracy of certain hatchet throws is described as "mind-blowing", though many clips are suspected to be fake.

Spiritual preparation as the finishing touch

Beyond the material, the debate rises to preparing for death. The idea that destiny is uncertain and that it is wise to be ready for a possible conscious transition without deities or dogmas is gaining trinc. The works of Michael Newton, Brian Weiss, Raymond Moody and Joaquín Cámara are cited as references for understanding near-death experiences (NDEs) and life between lives. Even the Brazilian film "Nosso Lar" is recommended. Not everyone buys it, though: Newton's model, which depicts an afterlife as a perpetual psychiatric group therapy session, is dismissed as a mere reflection of its author's obsessions.

In short, Spanish preparedness swings between the rudimentary and the transcendental. With a hatchet in one hand and a regression book in the other, the Spanish survivor faces a riddle: are we preparing for the worst, or just preparing to feel like we're doing something?