Are our preps actually going to help us?

I want to preface by saying this is by no means a confrontational post or a disrespectful post. If it comes across that way, I apologize.

I am also very new to the topic of prepping.

My idea is, wouldn't it be more beneficial to learn skills and obtain knowledge, rather than prep a bunch of (imo uneccesary) preps and rely on those items (that have a limited life).

I would agree that food and water is a good thing to prep, but that's about it. Things like multiple ways to cut down trees, 20 different knives, multitools, bunch of radios, generators, etc, etc. I don't think all that neccessary. Having a few of those tools are good though. Not to mention, a lot of those items will end up breaking. If you rely on those items and they break or you lose them, then what? Do you have the skills and/or knowledge to carry on without that item?

Personally though, I'd much rather have fewer items and make do, because that means less to account for and less to maintain and less to carry.

What do you guys think?