...flexibility and responsiveness (to pervasive, secular trends) are largely conspicuous by their absence. (in formerly trusted organizations like government and corporations)
This, of course, makes it all the more urgent for us, as individuals and like-mined "tribes" or self-selected small communities, to prepare ourselves for these disruptive factors. That's not just in terms of stockpiling food and basic essentials, either: it's educating ourselves to provide as many as possible of the services we need from within our own ranks, rather than relying on our local, state and national authorities to provide them.
I read this over at Bayou Renaissance Man. Text with white background was added by me. I also added the underline.
"Preps" buy us time but should not mistaken as the overarching objective. A limb with a tourniquet on it is not a healthy, functioning limb even though the tourniquet may be a necessary step to returning that limb to a state of health.
Start living life as if there were no institutional safety-nets
Treat your friends well and your family even better
Take care of your body. Feed it right. Keep moving.
When you injure somebody (and it will happen), apologize. Ask for forgiveness. Make amends. If they are not available (i.e. far away or dead), then pour out your grief on a surrogate for that person.
Savor the good. Celebrate joy no matter how small or humble.
I'm amazed by the number of people who simply do NOT see it yet. Blithely slipping through life as if nothing will ever change or impact them. The idea of a bridge somewhere on their commute collapsing does not exist. What happens to those people when these impacts hit close to home? Do they become incapacitated?
ReplyDeleteChances are, they'll try to become your "best friend." If that doesn't work, chances are, they'll become your worst enemy... Be ready for that as well...
DeleteWell this is the problem the preppers face.They don’t think about the realities. A lot of them think they’ll survive in style by moving out to the country and planting a garden and sitting on a ton of hoarded supplies.
ReplyDeleteAsk the Russians how the Soviets dealt with farmers and land owners. Or the Germans of Nazi Germany. What do you do when the single mom shows up on your doorstep with a starving baby? What do you do when the normies are all going hungry and smell your meal cooking?
These guys live in a dream world and think collapse will look like something out of Mad Max or The Walking Dead. It will look like Haiti, or Venezuela, the shattered Ukraine. Preppers with guns and supplies will become targets.
I think the best survival strategy is to form groups large enough to impose order on and protect themselves…and getting the lights back on as soon as possible.
HERE HERE, Glen!
DeleteI *plan* to survive all that shit, protected by remoteness, defensive preps, and shear luck and anonymity.
DeleteI *expect* to die at the hands of invaders... likely under colour of authority. I will not be worth it.
Realism's a stone cold bitch. Bring it. Send bachelors.
A melange, consisting of A Canticle for Leibowitz, Farnham's Freehold, Lucifer's Hammer, Lord of the Flies and God only knows what other remnants of a misspent?! youth are rolling through my partially caffeinated mind. Relationships are my increasing focus, my preps MIGHT get me a"by" on the first round. Pervasive normalcy bias is a hugely frustrating feature of even most of my 'like minded' acquaintances.
ReplyDeleteLife is interesting and God is on His throne,
A Little East of Paris ...
Life becomes more personal. As in personal responsibility. Taking care of yourself and those you trust, and love becomes critical. Personal responsibility, Personal Honor and Trust becomes critical as the "social safety net" of someone else will handle it fails.
ReplyDeleteEcclesiastes 4: 11Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone? 12And though one may be overpowered, two can resist. Moreover, a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Control your Area of Operations or someone else will. Filthies correct.
...and coming sooner that we think.- Maybe today.--ken
ReplyDeletePart of me feels like the corporations and government that BRM refers to are in the final stage of atherosclerosis, so rigid and clogged that they will not be able to respond to any sort of major interruption but will merely fail.
ReplyDeleteIf you have not read him, Rod Dreher speaks a fair amount on this in Live Not By Lies and The Benedict Option.
Your friend Rick who gave you the Meatloaf Cook Book passed on Palm Sunday. He was a great fan. We will miss him. NB
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads-up.
DeleteHe had a wide range of interests. He sent me musical instruments and metal-work art that he had made himself.
The last box he sent me included a note that it was getting very hard for him to get up-and-down the stairs.
I will include him in my prayers.
If I had to pick a day to go to the other side, Palm Sunday would be near the top of the list, Triumphant Entrances and all that.