I think zooracer was trying to reassure himself that he's doing all he can to think thru the situation. It can be frightening. As well prepared and as diversified and as frugal as we are, there are days when the thoughts of what all could go wrong send me back to the drawing board to be sure we've covered all our bases.
Now's probably a good time to re-read that story "Sleep When The Wind Blows". You can probably google and find it on the internet. Yeah, well, maybe two years ago was the right time to read it, but we're where we are at NOW, so go read it now.
Check your plans and consider why you made them. Shore up any weak points. I think this is one reason why keeping some kind of investing journal comes in handy. Five years out you might scratch your head and wonder 'and what was I thinking when I bought XXXX company's stock or this mutual fund or this commodity???'. A quick look back through your investing journal or blog will help you understand it in the scheme of your entire portfolio and life plans. And in light of any looming or 'media-driven' crisis.
Fear can get ugly and feeding it may be fruitful for the writers and people pushing it, but, use it to help you reaffirm your preparations and deploy your assets in a way that will be most useful for your family.
All of the things mentioned sound about right to me. Ya'll forgot a few on my list:
Faith in God to supply NEEDS? Check.
Good Neighbors? Check.
Lotsa Beans? Check.
Physical Gold/Silver? Check.
Defensive Position, Armory & the Food (bullets) that feeds them? Check.
Skillset 4 Survival? (barter, hunt, garden, bake, firstaid, satisfaction & contentment, sew, make-do) Check.
Globally Diversified Portfolio? Check.
I do sleep well at night. BUT, zooracer, I'm with you, I do re-check the latches on the gates and whether it's a good idea to keep something or give it the old heave-ho, whenever the doomsdayers get to trash-talking!!
Make a plan, and work your plan.