Author of The Blackout Book and the online course Bloom Where You’re Planted
There’s something incredibly important for your survival that a lot of folks aren’t doing. I’ve written before about overriding your body’s natural urge to freeze in panic when something terrible happens, but there’s an additional step you must take. You need to know the horrible truth about the SHTF. The ugly, brutal truth.
Because as much as we stockpile, go to the shooting range and shoot stationary objects, can vegetables from our gardens, and raise chickens in our backyards, it only prepares us partially.
From my many interviews with guys like Selco and Jose, I know for a fact that an all-out collapse is a dirty, terrifying, and brutal matter of life and death every single day.
As much as we wish it was, the SHTF is not about you being in a bubble, peacefully working in your vegetable garden while the world goes to hell around you outside the bubble. The darkness can reach you wherever you are.
We’re seeing this in cities around the country right now. Read this first-hand story of a National Guard member in Seattle and this eye-witness account of the riots in Kenosha. Look at the violent plans of wealthy young people arrested for rioting in New York City. Think about this hotly contested election. We’re beginning to see armed conflict right here in the United States of America.
Think about these things and recognize that many parts of our nation are right on the brink of all-out disaster.
Ask yourself whether you’re really, truly prepared for that.
Why is it so important to know about the bad stuff?
Many of us try to insulate ourselves from the dark things going on in the world. I know that I stay away from social media beyond what is required for work because I’m sick of the arguing and the hatred. There are certain articles in the news I hesitate to read because I know they will haunt me. This is human nature – we avoid things that scare us, sicken us, and make us unhappy.
But there are some exceptions to this rule that you should make.
It’s incredibly important to know about the horrible things that could occur when the SHTF well before it happens. I asked Selco about this in a conversation we were having when he wrote his first paperback, The Dark Secrets of SHTF Survival I asked him why people needed to know about the horrors he faced. He replied,
So you won’t be shocked and so you can shorten adapting period while you are shocked.
Generally speaking, there are lot of sick and bad and dangerous people. We just do not see them because the layer of civilization and the system covers it. And of course, if I had known, I would prep more but in the way that I would invest more in skills. Much more than in equipment.
Everything is much more mobile and fluid then people expect, but if you understand this, you will be able to move with it faster and sooner.
And that makes sense. I write a lot about the importance of adaptation. I constantly remind people that the three steps of survival are to Accept, Plan, and Act. But trust me when I tell you, if something truly horrifying happens right before your eyes, it’s going to be a heck of a lot harder to “accept” that if you never even dreamed that such an awful thing could happen in real life. But if you’ve contemplated it, if you’re aware of the possibility, it will still be horrible but you’ll be able to keep moving. You won’t be frozen in shock.
You need to train yourself not to freeze.
Many people freeze in a disaster situation. It’s human nature, but the ability to break this paralysis is paramount to your survival. You can train yourself not to freeze by exposing yourself to the things you may experience while in a safe environment.
“Freezing” is called “tonic immobility” in behavioral science and it is a biological impulse. A study exploring the “freeze response” to stressors, describes the reaction:
Part of Barlow’s (2002) description of an adaptive alarm model suggests that a freeze response may occur in some threatening situations. Specifically, freezing — or tonic immobility — may overwhelm other competing action tendencies. For example, when fleeing or aggressive responses are likely to be ineffective, a freeze response may take place.
Similar to the flight/fight response, a freeze response is believed to have adaptive value. In the context of predatory attack, some animals will freeze or “play dead.” This response, often referred to as tonic immobility (Gallup, 1977), includes motor and vocal inhibition with an abrupt initiation and cessation… Freezing in the context of an attack seems counterintuitive. However, tonic immobility may be the best option when the animal perceives little immediate chance of escaping or winning a fight (Arduino & Gould, 1984; Korte, Koolhaas, Wingfield, & McEwen, 2005). For example, tonic immobility may be useful when additional attacks are provoked by movement or when immobility may increase the chance of escaping, such as when a predator believes its prey to be dead and releases it.
Some of our data suggested that reports of freeze were more highly associated with certain cognitive symptoms of anxiety (e.g., confusion, unreality, detached, concentration, inner shakiness). This leads to some very interesting speculation regarding whether freeze responses are also manifested cognitively (i.e., the cognitive system, together with the behavioral system, being shut down). There has been some speculation that a form of cognitive paralysis occurs due to immense cognitive demands that occur in the context of life-threatening situations or stressors (Leach, 2005).
So, in the context of this particular study, the freeze response could be related to an overload of stimuli because of the demands of creating your plan. By having thought through various situations and getting into the habit of quickly developing plans, you can override your body’s natural desire to “freeze” and you can take definitive, potentially life-saving, action.
By exposing yourself to the darkness, you don’t inoculate yourself against the horror – that’s impossible to do through simply reading a book. But you do take away a little bit of the shock that can cause you to be paralyzed.
What made Selco realize that the SHTF was actually there?
We’ve all read and learned a great deal from Selco and he shares his stories with such calmness that sometimes you don’t fully grasp the horror of what he lived through. I asked him what the event was that opened his eyes to the fact that he was stuck in Hell on Earth, and his answer was chilling.
When I saw people killing for fun. Killing without reason. Killing with no concerns about punishment or the law. Throwing others from 10 story buildings out of curiosity, to see if they’d live – while taking bets on it. Of course they were sure they were gonna die, but they said” I bet you’ll survive and if you do we’ll let you go.” It was a “joke” to them.
That’s when he knew that everything had changed and that there were new rules to living. It was simply not the same world he’d woken up it a few days before.
A while back, I asked Selco to send me a copy of everything he’d ever written so that I could pull together a reality check for the rest of us. Over the years, he’s written nearly a quarter of a million words of memories, articles, and advice. Together, we selected the things that provided a glimpse into the day-to-day events of the SHTF. You can learn more about the result of that here in his books, The Dark Secrets of SHTF Survival and SHTF Survival Stories.
Back on topic.
Do you have a potential predator living next door?
Do you know people in real life who you think would turn into predators if they knew that there was no risk of punishment? If they knew that they wouldn’t go to prison because the prisons were gone? If they knew there was no 911 or law enforcement to help their victims?
I do. I’ve known people in the past that I’m quite certain would be the kind of animals who kill men and cage their women and daughters for their own sick amusement if they thought they could get away with it. I’ve had people write to me about their plans to take other people’s preps or to “take care of someone” who had done them wrong in the past when it all hits the fan.
They’re out there. They are our neighbors. Our coworkers. The random guy who is in town on business. The person with such strong political beliefs that he sees people who think differently as the enemy.
They may not even realize that they’re waiting for this chance but when the opportunity presents itself and there’s no real risk to them, you can be sure they’ll jump at it with glee.
And you want to be ready for them.
A lot of us were unpleasantly surprised by what we learned about those near us during the lockdown. And we still had a functioning system at that time. Now, the system is crumbling rapidly, and the last deterrents are disappearing in some areas.
There are different levels for which we prepare.
Are people going to be running around brutally slaughtering their neighbors the next time we have a snowstorm or a hurricane? Of course not. Because we still have the veneer of civilization – and it isn’t going to shatter over a weather event when help is just a few days away.
There are many different types of events for which we prepare. We as preppers want to be ready for everything from
- being stranded in our car due to a winter run-in with a deer
- to a multi-day power outage at home
- to a job loss that causes great personal financial distress
- to a full-on SHTF event in which all hell breaks loose.
We aren’t like the folks on that show Doomsday Preppers who are presented as only preparing for a giant meteor or a deadly pandemic that will wipe out 98% of the earth’s population. We are the people who want to be ready for everything.
Up to and including SHTF.
Sometimes I think we’re on the brink of darkness.
We’re at a dark point in American history right now. I’m not gazing into a crystal ball and predicting that we are about to face a civil war like the one that Selco endured. But I’m also not saying that we are free of any risk of such a thing.
Tensions (as I write frequently) are at a real high right now. Our socio-political scene is a true nightmare studded with extremists who sincerely see the “others” as the enemy. They surround the homes of spokespeople and threaten their families. They rally, united in hatred against one another. They battle it out for and against the admission of immigrants and things are increasingly heated.
Every time there is a questionable verdict, we’re on the brink.
Every time there is an appointment to offices in Washington, DC, we’re on the brink.
Every time there is an election, we’re on the brink.
Civil debates are a thing of the past. People are enraged when others disagree with them and they react with hatred, not discussion.
Our nation seems to be headed to a very dark place. And if this is the case, you’re going to want – no, you’re going to need – to be prepared for the ugliness and brutality that comes with that.
Knowing just how bad things can get will prepare you to take the steps that you must to survive. Knowing how twisted and evil people can be will help you to take the necessary steps to protect your family. Knowing what to expect when you defend yourself with necessary force can help you to carry through if it is something that you must do.
Check out Selco’s books, The Dark Secrets of SHTF Survival and SHTF Survival Stories.
And keep reading, because this is the stuff you need to know if you want to survive the increasing violence.
Come on Daisy. Do you mean to tell me that people aren’t basically good like they taught in school? That they’re not all roses, buttercups and sugar?
I can see right now that you’re going to have to be sent to a re-education camp so you can learn to love and trust your fellow man.
I am not sure what to say about this, since this is the daily reality in the city where I live, no SHTF required, and I suspect it’s the reality in every major city in the Americas. My city’s fractured into no-go zones and racial, religious and ethnic tribes which frequently and casually attack members of other tribes in shared public spaces. The thugs in blue are the apex predators whom all the other predators fear, so the facade of civilization is mostly maintained. I am surprised to hear that tribalists in Sarajevo weren’t murdering other tribalists for fun before the Third Balkan War and the Siege of Sarajevo.
I want to hear more from Maggie who also lives SHTF!
I want to hear why people living in places like that don’t move out before it gets worse.
Moving isn’t always as easy as just saying, “Forget this place, I’m outta here.” We’re living in a time where it’s hard to find jobs, where other family members may not want to relocate, where homes may not sell.
It’s a lot more complicated than just picking up and going for most people. And if you don’t already have another place established, you’re going to become a refugee. There’s a lot to that question – perhaps a whole article 🙂
It’s nice to see this article because I’ve said for a long time that those who expect to live a quiet life of farming are in for a rude awakening if the S ever HTF.
And like you, Daisy, I‘ve experienced foul, nasty replies from those who didn’t like the fact that someone’s opinion differed from their own – and that includes website owners/administrators, not just commenters.
It gives me an idea of the extent to which I’d be on my own in a WROL world. Believe me: you won’t be able to count on anyone you don’t know intimately in that world, and maybe not even them.
@Mr. Gray,
Contrary to popular belief, us farmers out here in the sticks are just as well informed as to what is going on down in the burbs and urban areas.
We even know about the BLM organizer down in town as mildly (very mildly) shocking that the town would have one. But they are more prolific then we previous thought. Duly noted.
When SHTF, we adjust accordingly. Current threats include coy, fox, the occasional black bear. Just add one more to the list and carry on.
Any body that has ever worn a uniform in a war zone knows what to expect ,it not petty and hesitations can get you killed, and we had training! And it still happened
I understand the fear,most who aren’
t braindead stupid are worried it will be worse then anything they’ve ever faced,BUT ,I’ve seen the future,and its far worse then any hollywood movie ever created by themThere are several events coming NO ONE has planned for and can’t,NOT even the military will be ready for whats coming,They’ll ALL be killed in the WAR they started,it will be a bloodbath,When the last straw is broken,the population of america will be approching Zero,IT could be stopped but theres no men left to stop it,the women wanted to rule america so they destroyed their men,I can’t tell you what a fools mistake it was,THERE have been so many mistakes made by the men its sickening,and they will pay dear for it,LET me give you all some advice,GLUE YOUR SELF TO THE LORD,HES your only chance to save you and your family,other then that, you have No chance,NO matter how prepared you think you are,iT ain’t enough…..
Seen the future, eh, Arizona?
Hhhhhhm. I wonder what Arizona means by all that?
The KJV Bible tells of the past, present, and future. Most of us with eyes to see and ears to hear understand what is happening. ARIZONA is right, we need to stick to Jesus. He is our salvation!
@Jay:
Have you heard of the term… ‘sociopath’? If not, I really do think you’re in for a rude awakening.
And with all the terrible news coming in from the media everyday, how could you possibly seriously believe those people out there are all roses and buttercups (unless it’s meant to be a piece of sarcasm on your part)? Such as those nutcase jihadis who behead people and show the videos on Youtube?
Finally, it’s easy to be nice and civil when everything you need can be purchased at the nearest mall. But what if SHTF and all that is gone? Do you know what people can do when they’re starving? Have you ever experienced it yourself?
I frankly wonder who’s the one who needs to be sent to a re-education camp here.
You obviously need practice identifying sarcasm…and your knee jerk reaction to your own confusion was a little over the top with name calling.
Try to keep a level head. That’s the real lesson of this article after all!
@SomeoneInAsia,
I am pretty sure Jay was being sarcastic and having a bit of fun.
We REALLY need a sarcasm font!
Recently, a friend told me a story about a firefight he was in Vietnam. His buddy was being shot at by a woman from behind a tree. The rest of the patrol were screaming “Shoot her!” but being oldschool he wouldn’t shoot a women. She shot him dead.
Another story, a kid threw a grenade at a mobile patrol and ran into a mosque assuming the soldiers would be prohibited from entering it. They did.
Both stories illustrate your old beliefs can get you killed.
I imagine even in a SHTF scenario what you learned one day could mess you up the next day if you don’t adapt fast enough.
For example, during WWII in the Pacific the casualty ratio was a 1:3 attrition rate for the U.S. Military, meaning for every American down there were three Japanese soldiers down. By Okinawa it was 3:1 as the enemy was learning or adapting to our tactics faster than we were to theirs.
The same can be said for how we enter a war in general. We’re using the last war’s methods in the new one. We’re still using Second Generational Warfare massive firepower mentality against a Fourth, adapting into a Fifth Generation opponent who is using Morality as the higher ground against us.
Example, if we shoot the recent wave of Immigrants crashing on our borders we risk looking like the bad guys even though if we don’t we lose our nation. And they know that as an invading army.
So, are we going to be like the soldier being shot at by the women in the story above?
We’re not in Kansas anymore.
Thanks to William S. Lind’s website “Traditional Right”. And to Selco for his writings.
“So, are we going to be like the soldier being shot at by the women in the story above? ”
Yes. Political scoundrels only care about the optics and how they pertain to their own re-election.
But be of good cheer! Once the scoundrels become irrelevant…and they will…the REAL OWNERS of America will take the field. It will be a mash up of Vietnam, Red Dawn, Apocalypto and The Hills Have Eyes.
Our invaders will discover the true meaning of Hell on Earth. None of them will be able to take as much as one breath in safety. So, to quote Aragorn from Return of the King, “Stand and fight! MEN OF THE WEST!”
Clarification:
Am I advocating a shooting war?
Definately not.
In the last example requiring a passport and a visa would be one suggestion.
Indecision by freezing or falling back to what you knew before the SHTF is not recommended. Indecision by the snowflake education taught by common-core ed-u-ma-caz-sun is not good either.
My examples in the above post were allegorical. (Is that taught in schools today?).
Lastly, I do not believe in a “Heaven on Earth” as that means or turns out to be a hell on earth, SHTF.
“The hunter is the alert man. But this itself—life as complete alertness—is the attitude in which the animal exists in the jungle. ” – Jose Ortega Y Gasset.
After reading your post, I was about to say that I hate to admit it, but I agree with the premise completely..but wait. I don’t hate to admit it, for it is true. It is also true that we always have an opportunity to ignore the reality of the real world, but we cannot ignore the consequences of that choice. I have often thought that preppers, hunters, and careful observers of nature, including human nature, are best prepared to handle whatever comes our way. Perhaps that is also true, more so now, than ever.
Prep On!
Thanks! That’s what I wanted to hear. He who as an ear listen to what the Spirit says to the church….!
One of the things I find hardest about prepping with kids is making survival sound fun, when it really, really isn’t. We’re learning to separate the darkness of the actual possibility of SHTF from the fun family activities we do to learn prepping skills, but that’s a difficult line to toe.
Because yeah, real-life SHTF would be really, genuinely brutal, no doubt about it. It’s dark.
Something ive found to engage the kids and make it fun, is to read books that make survival interesting but in a family friendly way- the little house books, the survivor series, books about kids being responsible and finding ways to survive and thrive with or without adults around. Kids will naturally play as a way of learning and mine go off and make forts and dig hidey homes and pack survival kits to go out and play in the woods.they work with real tools and animals. We play opsec games but they think they are just scavenger hunts or people watching etc.
All Americans need to retain their firearms. Gun control is the spark to ignite the coming firestorm. The media has to take much of the blame for demonizing rifles which are seldom used to commit murders. Good luck to the patriots and nationalists.
Two-cent comment.
(Sic) Seeing the name McEwen mentioned above in one of Daisy’s quotes on toxic freezing made think of Donald EWEN Cameron who is not the Bruce S. McEwen I assume is the person researching Toxic Freezing and various topics such as Epigenetics.
Epigenics deals with memories imprinted on DNA by stress. Go figure.
Interlude: In the 1920s Near Death Experiences stories were popular in the newspapers. One ‘recollection’ was of a person going thru the proverbial tunnel to find a huge library where trends hung from the ceiling. The trends were hyperspace strings of people’s lifes from birth to death which you could check out and relive.
While I’m sure from reading Selco’s articles his recent book is worth it’s weight in gold, perhaps … maybe in the future it would be possible to download some of Selco’s DNA memory from 1991 to 1995?
While obliviously I’m kidding tongue-in-cheek, I don’t imagine I could handle the first few weeks or days even.
Again, an addendum.
Quickly glancing over McEwen’s articles I also came across the mention of BZ which reminded me of Joe Sacco’s cartoon-graphic story “Safe Area Gorazde” where BZ agent was used in Bosnia.
Other books worth having in addition to Selco’s are,
“Snapping: American Epidemic of Sudden Personality Change” by Flo Conway & Jim Siegelman. It’s a basic introduction to two methods used back in the last century to break down a person by either over stimulation or under stimulation in a very short period of time.
“On Killing: The Psychological Cost” by Dave Grossman. Of course.
Any writings by Col. John Boyd on the OODA Loop.
In addition, for entertainment value at the least,
The movie “Black Hawk Down” on what NOT to do in combat.
The movie “The Battle of Algiers” on what to do in a conflict. It covers the end of French colonial Algiers.
The movie “Adios Africa”, an ad hoc documentary on what happens when ‘Rule of Law’ dissappears.
Also, what the Simbas did to their hostages during the breakdown of the Belgian Congo 1961-1965 roughly. The Republic of Katenga was a sad story.
… and the list goes on and on.
First, my apology for posting too much.
If I remember reading correctly one Selco’s articles was about ‘ Believe in something’ whelter it is yourself, your family, your country or your religion. These are my words, the general concept is how I read his article.
So, being anchored to a belief, if and when you start to ‘freeze’ you’ll have the fortitude to refuse to give in.
Your opponent will despise this and try to break down your belief(s) to get to you.
In a sense you’ll have the ‘moral highground’ which as pointed out by William S. Lind, trumps the operational, strategical and tactical levels of warfare.
Fear will lead to freezing and indecision. Not being so afraid since you’re grounded to your belief (you’ll still be or at least I would be scare sh*tless) will allow one to start making making small decisions, do I go left or right. If I go right, now what? Again, looping, from here do I go left or right? And so on.
‘Muscle memory’ from previous practices will kick in once you’re moving. Previous ‘visualization’, say from reading and studying Selco’s books and writings will help.
Will all this give you a guarentee you’re survive? No.
But at least you’ll feel like you can see the light at the end of the tunnel and not be paralyzed with fear in the darkness. Hopefully.
(Yea, words are cheap but when the sh*t does hit the fan … what do you do to prepare mentally beforehand ?).
First step, sit down and ask yourself what do you believe in? Don’t answer the question. Your mind/body/spirit will provide an answer eventually.
Someone told me about their experience during WWII and some of the groups of people who did not make it through. The first were the Fifth Column, the ones who kept lists on their neighblors and opened the gates to the enemy. They were shot because as was explained if “your own people couldn’t trust you, why should we?”.
Then the Intelligestia Class folded as they couldn’t get their mind around what was happening.
The ones, some, who survived were the people who had something to believe in. That’s not to say they didn’t have deep wounds they did not want to talk about later. Usually, when asked what happened their reply was “If you were really there, you wouldn’t talk about it.”. Or, no answer at all and you didn’t ask again since you understood it hurt them to remember. Occasionally, out of the blue they would relate a story. Perhaps they worked it out in their mind and were ready to let it go.
“Snapping: America …” the title of a book I mentioned in a previous post, tells how a person can be broken by being exposed to over and/or under stimulation, for example either by no sleep or being in a deprivation water tank. The same as being in a stressfull situation and freezing. But if they make it thru, that doesn’t mean they’re not affected for the rest of their life. It’s as if a switch is turned off in their mind and their systems wind down. It could take years, decades, to build up to a path where they were before. Cults use this technique to recruit members. Isolate them from their family or burn any bridges, break/snap them as in as little as twenty-four hours and then when they bottom, reprogram them to their agenda. Some of you may recall Boot Camp.
The point is Daisy’s article touches upon individuals freezing, when groups of peoples can be made to ‘freeze’.
Another point, there was talk above of “sociopaths”. Thomas Szasz writes about the myth of mental illness. As an excercise consider that concept. What if pyschology was the creation of oldschool bosheviks creating ‘diseases’ out of thin air each year to be compiled yearly in a massive tomb of a manual. Talk about job security.
Yes, there are “bad” and “good” people. A scarier thought would be during SHTF would good people gradually turn bad?
In the beginning of a SHTF situation, low I.Q. unbalanced people having no anchor to reality will do things. Then landless displaced people will be gathered into groups to be used by (?) others, similiar to feudal times. Create a crusade and march them thru Mexico.
Bruce S. McEwen articles, again, mentioned above, talk about cholestrol and the physiology effect on freezing.
Perhaps, an article on OP, “The Mindfulness of Cholestrol Cooking” with transgenerational recipes for defrosting microwavable “Cholestrol Déjà Vu”.
O.k., not even amusing.
To paraphrase some old Russian (Dostoevsky, he wrote in Russian and this is English): If there is no God, then everything is permitted.
The godless Marxists have the record as being the bloodiest oppressors the world has known, from Lenin, Stalin, Hitler (yes, Hitler was a Marxist) to the highest body count Mao and his followers, the highest percentage of the population Pol Pot, and so forth.
Nietzsche correctly recognized that mankind needs an Übermensch (“above mankind” not “superman” as it’s usually mistranslated) in order for society to survive. “God” is the usual Übermensch that people choose, but even there the choice of which “god” is chosen to follow makes a difference. Some gods are cruel murderers who may be able to hold their tribes together, but those tribes just spread death and destruction.
With so many atheists running around, who have no intellectual reasons to hold themselves back from cruel actions, why not do cruel actions? Those people can become convinced psychotics because of their intellectual convictions.
If SHTF happens worldwide then none of us will survive. Oh, you might get to live an extra year or two or three, if you have prepper supplies. But there are 400-500 nuclear power plants in the world. In a world catastrophe, they will not be maintained or have any staff left. And they will all go Fukushima. Picture that multiplied by 400-500. The radiation load will eventually cover the world and kill all humans. True that.
A good friend of ours used to live in the shadow of the cooling towers of a nuclear power plant.
Most of her neighbors worked at the plant. They have a solid investment in making sure the plant does not have a melt down.
And, they can put them into maintenance long enough for the rods to cool to the point a melt down is not possible.
This 2-hour video is as graphic as it gets, nothing left to the imagination happened in Mexico not long ago in their narco wars, I sat through the whole thing once and was very hard to watch but a very good example of what I think Selco was trying to convey in his writings. Keep in mind the people in this video live amongst us and are not far from us.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhCYToFJcCw
I made it 27 minutes into it and had to stop. I may go back to try to watch more but it is brutal.
while it’s an interesting post, and I generally like “The Organic Prepper” site, I must say the comments made by some in this section made me think I am in a Jehova’s witness Armageddon session or something..If you ppl think we’re all doomed anyway, why follow a prepper site? No offence, but PLEASE spare the rest of us your religious views..
You are telling some people to deny the goals of their Heavenly Father.
God’s Word tells us to go and tell. You don’t have to listen, but then, that’s why HE gave us all our own will – to believe or not.
Blessings,
OD
Very nice topic. Its one i personally talk about alot with anyone that will listen. I read all kinds of prepper stuff and this is the first time i ever felt the need to comment. I know people just waiting for the opportunity to run rampant in the streets and plan on just killing and taking what they want/need. 2 of wich plan on starting a group to do so. My own brother being one of them. And if you think. I have 2 sons 2 daughters and a wife. Ive tried to teach them all how to use guns and be prepared. But most of all i tell them keeping your head down and being invisible is your best chance for servival. I have a game i play with my boys started when they were young. I wait till were someplace usually somewhere new and out of the blue ill say theres someone with a gun, theres been an explosion, theres an active shooter ect. You have 60 seconds what do we do. Or ill say close your eyes discibe everything around you and tell me were the exits are. By doin this im trying to teach them situational awareness and help them understand anything can happen anywere anytime. As far as people go any one can snap at anytime so normally good or bad doesnt matter watch everyone trust nobody double down on that rule when shtf. I personally believe its goin to happen sooner than later so lets take care of eachother. Keeping a sense of security, himanity and community is our only hope.
I despise all the ads. I don’t want to read peoples so-called blogs. When you have to go through 15 different ads. Clean up the page please. I won’t be back if it doesn’t get cleaned up. I’ll post on my Facebook -Twitter Instagram not to be bothered with the organic peppers.com we’re not here to make you rich we’re here to learn you’re supposed be teaching.
Hello, Basha. It’s unfortunate that you are so bothered by the ads. I sure wish I was getting rich from them. 🙂 However, the ad money goes straight to operating costs – you probably didn’t realize that a site of this size costs several thousand dollars a month just to keep the lights on and the writers paid. I have ads on the website so I can offer information to people for free. Otherwise, I’d have to charge for access, and I certainly don’t want to do that.
Very best wishes,
Daisy
Basha, what makes you think Daisy owes you anything? Do you do your job for free? Maybe you should start an ad-free website and pay for it out of your own pocket. If you do, consider punctuation so you look less like an illiterate moron.
Basha, why do you think you are entitled to Daisy’s work for free? Are you employed? Do you work for free? What do YOU do for others?
Daisy has been providing FREE content to her readers for YEARS.
You have a lot of nerve acting entitled to Daisy’s content. Seriously. Grow up.
I’m sure Daisy could switch to a paid-content model, but I doubt folks like you would be willing to pay for this information, because you seem to think you have the right to other people’s labor.
TO add to what Daisy, Agnes, and Miss Dane have said, it costs money to run the site.
If you really, really, dont like the ads, try an ad-blocker. They work.
This article is downright amazing. So very accurate… It needs to be read and repeated over and over again. Thank you for writing this. I hope more people wake up to reality, and yet I’m saddened for them when they do.
Posts with skills it’s crickets on the comments.
Posts on fear, hate and violence and kaboom Bruce Buffer sounded the start of the keyboard civil war commentary where no ones safe.
Had me a little dog he barked all the time but you really couldn’t do much with him nor could he do much. I’ve got a big dog that only barks when he can’t handle something or isn’t sure and would like a little help but he’s out handling things all the time and watching.
Well I see the whitehouse didn’t fall to the great siege today
Did it even start?
I have been looking for any news on it . . . so far, nada.
Their site though has gone total “Non-violent improv Jazz!”
Dont get me wrong, I like me some jazz.
They are up to Tactical Briefing #6. Appears to have been posted yesterday.
Ohhh weee briefing number 6 huh. Probably is somebody who was in the TOC/LOC for his couple of years running it lmao.
I saw the first couple and laughed. Not much meat to the brief.
Crickets on the website 9/18/20
I wonder how much money they scammed in support from all them helpless victims LOL
The S has already hit the F in parts of our country (ie: fires out West, Sally on the Gulf coast, Biden leaving his basement ) But if Trump isn’t POTUS in 2021, the the S REALLY WILL hit the F (can you say 2nd Civil War).
This is a great updated re-run Daisy! This needs to be a constant check up. Selco’s Dark Secrets is a very relevant and sobering read.
We think we can see reality coming our way but it’s sort of an undulating sidewinder — kind of tough to nail down any specific application. In a large sense I feel confused and that is not a good sign. The best I can make out is that both sides are being played against the middle.
The reason I prep is still the (well-founded) theory that something out there is going to get me. But that something is still nebulous and undefined. The reality is that the foundations are being destroyed. And that has a profound effect on human behavior. How many people out there do not have an internal moral compass when it comes to the welfare of their fellows>? As we have seen, too many!
Nothing is more dangerous to my mind than bad information/intel. I would say we need to be cautious of rumor and innuendo. Trust has been breaking down between people since 9-11 with CV-19 and the riots have accelerated that. Stand firm and prep on.
@Debbers,
I agree about the information/intel.
Too many people make leaps in judgement or take something as fact when there is no proof offered, just because it fits their bias.
To add: Just read an article discussing how a Standford Communications professor rejects objectivity in journalism. He said,
“journalists as activists because journalism at its best — and indeed history at its best — is all about morality.”
Of course the question comes up of who’s morality?
I have seen elsewhere those advocating for not journalists, but journalist activists. To put their own sense of activism into their reporting. I would call that bias.
Yup. I hung up my journalism credential when Woodward and Bernstein hit the scene. It’s all about the Critical (you can insert “race” here) Theory. This is where subjectivity wins over objectivity because your feelings are just okay with all the other “feelers” out there. At least with objectivity there is a shot at the truth. Those guys opened the doors to agendas. At least one of them is still at it!
I like a quote from TS Eliot: “There are only hints and guesses. Hints followed by guesses and the rest is prayer, observation, discipline, [rational] thought and action.”
A realistic ‘rule of thumb’ is that in most survival situations, “Shelter ought to be priority #1”.
Long ago, in the Scouts, I learned that ever since we human began wearing hides, every-time we go out, we carry on us the ultimate shelter against elements—that is our clothing. Thus, it should be obvious that our everyday clothing must be chosen according to the worst scenario. And that the clothing must be camouflaged—this means that clothing MUST BLEND WITH YOUR ENVIRONS. Should you find yourself ‘overdressed’ it will be a simple exercise to shed.
Next, learn to carry useful things on you all the time: In your head knowledge, on it a good hat.
In your arm, a waterproof multi watch, a paracord survival bracelet
In your pockets: a lighter, lip balm, your cellular & money
A useful, strong belt w/a signal mirror hot glued to the underside, a multitool
In your wallet: a few band aids, a magnetized compass needle, a produce plastic bag, a magnifying card, a pen refill, a 1½ V. battery, a 10” x 10” piece of heavy-duty aluminum paper (folded), a birthday candle, a blank check,
On your keychain: a carabiner, nail clippers w/file, a kubotan, a pill box filled w/ needles, fishing line, small hooks/sinkers, meds
Around your neck: a neck knife, a bandana or shemag,
I learned last year how thin the veneer is with some people and how fast things can change and this was just with a minor situation. I live in a nice neighborhood and have lived next-door to a certain neighbor for two decades when we decided to redo our yard. They were older & livid at the disruption. This neighbor came unglued – someone we had been pretty friendly with. They constantly called the city complaining, tried to get us fined for any infraction (usually if any dirt got on the sidewalk), lied incessantly to anyone who would listen, moved on to the police making up stories trying to get my sons arrested on false accusations. They vandalized our home multiple times. It was shocking but I learned that you don’t know people from normal polite exchanges. So don’t plan on neighbors and friends you think you know well behaving well when the SHTF. People can and will turn on you quickly. Gratefully these neighbors are now gone.
Jordan Peterson has pointed out multiple times that many of the concentration camp guards in Germany before the war were just normal guys with normal jobs. They weren’t people anyone would ever dream capable of such atrocities. They were regular people who became monsters – or the opportunity presented itself.
While we consider that while we have an enemy who is trying to stir us up into a civil war, how we fight the war is just as important at fighting the war itself.
J. R. Nyquist has a blog posting dealing with just this question, https://jrnyquist.blog/2020/08/27/george-washington-and-nancy-pelosi-a-comparison/ .
Can Selco give any examples of those who fought nobly and left a good result after the fighting ended, and on the other side those who fought dirty whose results after the fighting ended were also dirty?
Folks, the real takeaway here is that things can go from bad to catastrophic in a second. If you aren’t prepared, and most aren’t, that fraction of a second you lose while “frozen” can end your life and possibly the lives of your family.
Practice being alert now, when you enter any establishment “keep your head on a swivel” and think about how you can react and what threats could present themselves. Years of walking up to an ATM and withdrawing money can blind you to the possibility of danger when circumstances change. When S happens it happens quickly, be aware.
Any now for some good news! The protests and riots in Portland have stopped! Unfortunately, the air is unbreathable.
1fifty left a comment back in November 25, 2018 about the wipe out potential of nuclear reactors, I wonder if people with such concerns know about the guy in Japan who lived to a ripe old age after having been at ground zero during WWII, twice? (His story is online.) It just shows nothing in life is ever certain, and is a kind of positive thought.
Anyway, 1fifty’s old comment made me wonder how the articles are put together, it seems they are like stacking bricks, or something. New bits placed upon old ones? If so, that’s a pretty smart way of doing things. I imagine that’s why the articles never have dates at the top. A lot of times I’m reading an older article which I think is new and find it very relevant to today only to find at the end, hey, this is a very old article. That’s a stamp of usefulness to the articles, er, something like that.
Yup, the Insanicacs are out there, they always have been. We’re surrounded. Watch out for them, if you can. The things Insaniacs do, ‘just for fun’ like the article mentions, is the only difference I can see between life in general, and walking through a tall grassy field with lots of snakes and scorpions. And, maybe a lion or two?
In spite of all that, try to Be The Light. Right?
Otherwise, you might become, an Insaniac, too.
Completely new to all of this, it’s a bit overwhelming but I would like to start prepping what I can,any recommendations for any books to start with, especially for basic firearms teaching?
@Newbie2020.
Books on basic firearms teaching, not so much.
I would recommend taking a firearms class from a NRA certified instructor.
As for other books, Daisy has a pretty good list here and also other TOP denizens have added additional books in the comments section: https://www.theorganicprepper.com/the-essential-preppers-library/
Thank you, I appreciate all the valuable information on this site! I’m looking into some local classes too
Newbie2020
It can be overwhelming but like anything else control it and just do the best you can. You eat a steak one bite at a time so treat this the same.
Read on Bill Jordon, David Grossman, Col Cooper, Skeeter Skeleton and Elmer Keith.
These aren’t basic in well load the gun, cock the hammer, point it like this etc but more lessons on other aspects.
Nothing substitutes training though.
A pellet gun is an inexpensive and quiet way to learn how to aim and see how it connects with your target. We practice on the dern squirrels.
@ Matt in Oklahoma
Thank you! I will have to do just a bit at a time with everything, I wish I would have started a long time ago.
America was a great place, relatively peaceful, until it was invaded by illegal aliens in the early 1600’s. lol.. That’s when the real SHTF happened.
The Balkan conflict like WW2 was a war, and at some point the fighting ends and the survivors all go home.
SHTF will be non ending and everyone who survives will have to adapt to the “new normal” whatever that is.
Individual people arent the only ones to ” freeze”
Japan Kobe 1995
The transportation network was completely paralyzed, and the inadequacy of national disaster preparedness was also exposed. The government was heavily criticized for its slow and ineffectual response, as well as its initial refusal to accept help from foreign countries.
It is vital to realize that there’s no living in complete isolation. It’s almost impossible. We should therefore train to deal with people just as we do in “normal times”, to get ready for job interviews, work presentations, client meetings, how to behave in public, etc.
Only that for SHTF we should train for different things because situations with people will be MUCH different. I totally recommend Selco’s books, and also Fernando “Ferfal” and a few others who know firsthand how bad things gets with people once the brown stuff hits the fan. As Gerald Celente and others say it, “when people lose everything they’ve got nothing left to lose then they loose it completely”.
This reminds me of what occurred in NYC weeks following the fall of the WTC in 2001. There was an upsurge of violence among the residents of the city. Since most of the central mobile cell towers went down with the WTC, there were no wireless service in the city. Most of NYPD was at Ground Zero which meant that there were no regular neighborhood or local patrols. People turned on each other. It was common for those to accuse their friends and co-workers for the events of 9/11. People that were hitherto the most most peaceful, refined and seemingly meek turned violent on a dime.
While the media was telling fairy tales of a city and country united in the wake of tragedy, the truth of the matter was that New Yorkers were assaulting and killing each other knowing that the police and 911 weren’t available.
I’ve been quite shocked to see how my friends have reacted to CoVid. People who I considered to be intelligent, questioning and critical turned into panicked, terrified, totalitarian conformists. Unfortunately most people are fearful cowards. Bravery in people is as rare as the Mets winning the World Series. Those that aren’t fearful cowards are reactionaries who are ready to murder, rape and torture when there aren’t consequences for them to act upon their impulses. In the final analysis one can’t really trust spouses, lovers, siblings, parents or friends.
Having been raised on 70s disaster films, I’ve learnt that rationality is the first casualty of disasters. When rationality falters it’s inevitably followed by intelligence. There are at least Twilight Zone episodes from the 60s that illustrate this lucidly.
Prepper’s should exercise extreme discretion with whom they divulge to. Preppers tend to bandy their preparations to friends and neighbors to show off. They’re not wise to the possibility that their best friends and neighbors are taking notes. When shit hits the fan these people will come after those that revealed too much. Let’s not even mention what will happen when the food supply is exhausted. People have been ugly enough during “normal” times. Just imagine when everything breaks down and there’s no food.
I’m far from the super-tactical type or even much of an advocate for tactical looks when it comes to prepping and survivalism but… yes, if SHTF and things go Mad Max, I guess it’s all about acting tactical. I’ve had an instructor who once told me “assumptions, expectations and hesitancy can kill you; assessment, observation and action can save you”.
What that means to me is stripping off all non-tactical judgments about people’s looks, manners, behaviors, and acting in total self-defense mode. Being as objective as possible. Until someone or something proved not to be a threat, it should be treated as one. Animals do that to avoid becoming lunch it’s the law of nature. As we become more and more animals it makes sense.
That doesn’t mean shoot on site or try to kill everyone, as some trigger-happy propose. Besides that being what psychopaths do, that IMHO is a sure path to being killed at some point, or run out of ammo or whatever.
Of course there are times that direct combat may be the only alternative, but it could be anything from “keep observing” to “running away”. Regardless of my defense capacity, I’ve always found better to stay alive than to be right.
If you imagine the worst possible Apocalyptic society you can dream up, then go 1,000 times worse and you might be close to what a real SHTF, no Rule of Law, type world will look like.
now will there be good decent people out there who are just trying to get by, yes indeed there will.
But they will not be the problem. These others will be and you better be ready for them.
If you prep (both physically and mentally) for that, then you might be in good shape.
Otherwise you have a lot of work to do.
There is a saying: Locks don’t stop criminals. Locks just keep “honest” people, honest.
Similarly; Laws, don’t deter Criminals. They just keep ” good” citizens, in being ” good”.
Once you remove the Law. the police, etc, many of those “good” people will slide over the edge into, rape, murder, theft and other such things.
Way to many people have rage or anger issues or other emotional control issues and without civil society and it’s constrains, they will “act out” on their emotions and desires.
We are starting to see some of this in the Mobs of looters and rioters in various cities, Yet that is only the tip of the iceberg.
There is a lot more bad stuff that goes on in your local area than the local news talks about. So don’t be lulled into complacency.
You need to be using situational awareness right now, to know who is “on the edge” and who the bad elements in your neighborhoods are, right now. Make a list if you have to.
Know who to watch out for or stay away from, when things go bad.
It at least gives you a place to start.
After nursing my husband through a final illness that involved a lot of blood and mad dashes over winding 2-lane roads from our rural home to the ER 20 miles away, I thought I was cool, collected, and ready for anything. Ha.
One night I read some of Selco’s early English material on his SHTF experiences and had a massive and incapacitating panic attack.
Fact is, the comments by Daisy and others on this thread are totally on point. We can’t imagine such a vile experience until it happens, but we need to hear the story first as part of our preps.
Back in the late 70’s ,I had a middle school classmate who was from Vietnam. She said when South Vietnam fell, her Mom packed a tote bag with money, gold jewelry, important documents, food and they left the city they lived in. They managed to get on a boat, with some other people, to get out of the country. At some point, the boat was taken by pirates, who robbed all of those on board and took her Mom. I didn’t ask her anymore, but I got the feeling that her Mom sacrificed herself to save her daughter.
If you have to flee, have some ‘tools’ on you and don’t depend on others to get you to safety