By the author of The Ultimate Survival Gear Handbook and Street Survivalism: A Practical Training Guide To Life In The City
The economy has gone from the ICU to the morgue. It was inevitable. There has been no shelling, no EMP, no invading army, no nuclear attack. Everything is more or less the same, but everything has changed so drastically. You feel like you are living in a parallel universe.
Decadence is all around, and it came faster than people could imagine. Businesses, fabrics, commerce, and entertainment – everything is working. Stuff is being produced, sold, and serviced. Just not as before.
The streets are dim, dirty – lacking conservation and maintenance. It’s a lot more unsafe to walk around, especially after dark. Graffiti is everywhere, and so is plundering and littering. Business and commerce are decadent, with lots of closed and “for rent” places and dilapidated properties.
In short, life’s become considerably harder.
Hordes of unemployed, homeless, and drug addicts wander the street and avenues, living in parks and under bridges. Loitering and crime run rampant. So do manifestations and strikes: everybody is discontent. Last month the train operators refused to work, and sanitation workers just crossed arms.
Buildings and houses in many residential neighborhoods now have windows with bars and perimeters with high fences and barbed wire. There are abandoned cars here and there, and it’s not as safe for kids to play in the streets as before. Parks are poorly conserved, with tall grass and stray animals.
I’m not trying to be somber, but this is not fiction.
It’s a short description of life during the 1980s, even in some developed countries. Granted, things have not yet reached that point, but they are headed that way. We’re still in the early stages of a dreadful period.
Perhaps it’s no coincidence that back then, the world also lived in fear of a nuclear war, which fortunately never came (and hopefully never will). It’s possible that something bigger happens before the economy collapses. But is it likely? Who knows.
Tales of reality.
What really happens to the daily routines of common people like you and me in countries that have been through prolonged downturns and economic crises? Knowing about this can give useful insights into what awaits and some clues to prepare.
Everyone seems to think we’ve mastered the secret of eternal abundance. In some countries, people are indoctrinated to believe that this kind of thing only happens in faraway places. They’ve either bought the idea of exceptionalism (it won’t happen here) or fatalism (only an apocalypse can happen).
Now this slow drag into a decadent lifestyle is happening everywhere and affecting everyone. It’s not what many have imagined, but it’s a nightmare, and people are wondering how they’re going to cope.
How prepared are you to deal with a different enemy?
What if, instead of being invaded or bombarded by some foreign country, governments turn full-Orwellian on its citizens? Now we have to put up with crap like social credit scores, CBDCs, climate lockdowns, and other freedom-robbing policies that will, in practice, take away wherever speck of personal freedom we had and give tyrants total power and control.
Comply or be locked into the financial, digital, and social Gulag: fired or suspended, ostracized, and abandoned by your friends and even relatives. What if coworkers, ex-friends, neighbors, your boss, start cooperating with the enemy? Any idea how that would limit your life or how much of a danger that would represent to you?
How prepared are you to live with decaying health?
What if instead of starving to death due to the collapse of supply chains, you just have a much harder time taking care of your own health – by way of bad or insufficient nutrition, unaffordable healthcare, shortages of specific medicines, bad hospitals, and lack of doctors and staff, and so on?
(Make sure to check out our free QUICKSTART Guide to building a 3-layer food storage plan so malnutrition doesn’ hit your family as hard as it does the unprepared.)
How prepared are you to live crazy and convoluted routines?
What if instead of desperate hordes or gangs of marauders knocking on your door for food, you actually have to live with other six or seven families in the same house because that’s the only way everyone can afford shelter?
A sick relative is now living with you because intensive care has become unaffordable – and now you have other people requiring constant assistance? If someone close has died and you’re the only one around that can take care of their kids and raise them?
Are things like these in your plans and preparations?
You had to sell all those fancy LED TV sets. Now, everyone has to share a single one without cable service or Netflix (you can’t afford either any more). If it breaks, it will have to be repaired because new ones now cost an arm and a leg and still are hard to find.
The same happens with most other home appliances: everyone has to share the toaster, the microwave, the blender. There might still be more than one or two around in the house, but whatever happens, it’ll have to be orderly shared. Otherwise, everyone will fight all the time and go insane. Everyone will have to be watchful of the energy bill, too.
How prepared are you to live with constant shortages and rationing?
What if, instead of an EMP, the power gets shut down a few hours every day due to issues in the generating system and grid and the infrastructure? Showers, meal preparation, housekeeping, and all the feast will have to follow a schedule according to the weekly power interruptions.
You thank God it follows a programmed system because that allows you to adapt and create workarounds. Life could be even harder: without that, stuff would rot and spoil, more people would die, and everything would be so much more unpredictable – as it’s always been in underdeveloped places.
How prepared are you to live with crime, corruption, and moral decay?
What if, instead of complete anarchy and lawlessness, you now have to contend with a bankrupt and weak state, with (even more) corrupt institutions that simply have no way to maintain and improve the infrastructure and other systems efficiently anymore?
Prisons are overcrowded, and still, there are a lot of criminals being released because the system is incapable of handling them due to the economic and institutional failure.
So instead of an invading army, you now have to deal with rising urban crime and violence. The streets and buildings are not shelled or empty but full of drug traffickers and consumers, dirt and graffiti, homeless tents, invaders, and all kinds of criminals.
How prepared are you to live without your guns?
What if instead of fighting the commies or having to defend your property and resources from gangs of mad looters that never came, you had to sell your guns to buy food and pay some bills?
You must defend yourself, but now there’s only that old unregistered 9mm with a couple of full clips around the home. Also, the law says you can’t carry firearms on you anymore. Shooting someone even in self-defense would bring uncertain consequences: who can afford a lawyer anymore? But the criminals don’t care for the law, so you know they’re armed and willing.
That forces you into adapting, which means laying a lot lower and not drawing any attention. Sure there isn’t much stuff of real value at home anymore. But to the destitute and the badly intentioned, even a little can be a lot. Thus all those locks and reinforced windows.
How prepared are you to live surrounded by suffering, pain, and misery?
This is the most important point I’m trying to make here. What if you have a big stock of food, medicine, some sharp survival skills, and everything else – but finding reason, motivation, faith, and energy to keep moving forward is increasingly difficult.
Because your soul is getting crushed, and your heart is bleeding from witnessing all the suffering, pain, and loss going on around you. And even if you’ve found that strength somehow, you’re now having to double efforts so as to keep others around you moving forward too, when so many are considering quitting.
This is perhaps one of the most defining aspects of survival.
I’ve already addressed ways to get in contact with hardship and suffering by training in the streets and volunteering in hospitals and institutions that help people and animals.
But it’s one thing to do that when the situation is somewhat normal. It’s hard to know how we’ll react until we have to deal with all that being ourselves in the thick of a crisis. From what I’ve seen, some people rise to the challenge, while others fail miserably and just can’t bear the avalanche of emotions and bad news. It’s always like that.
Conclusion
Though I have advocated for one concept of SHTF and preparation that is within my realm of experience, the point here is not to beat the drum of the economic disaster but stimulate thinking outside the box.
I’ve been making a conscious effort in that direction since 2020 and keep at it as some events that are unfolding confirm or go against my ideas and concepts. It’s also a form of finding holes and constantly adjusting my strategies. It’s important to establish priorities and stay on course with plans and preparations, as those are based on personal conditions and circumstances. But I also believe it’s crucial not to get too stuck on some specific ideas and scenarios, at least when it comes to projections and mental exercises.
Preppers, in general, are conscious and practical. That’s good, but survival may depend less on objective and pragmatic aspects (resources and skills) and more on the capacity to adapt than we think. To cope with quick changes, invest more and more in being open-minded, flexible, and overall adaptable.
What are your thoughts?
How do you feel about the concepts in this article? Do you think we’re going downhill to the level described here? Do you have plans to deal with such decay? Share your thoughts in the comments.
About Fabian
Fabian Ommar is a 50-year-old middle-class worker living in São Paulo, Brazil. Far from being the super-tactical or highly trained military survivor type, he is the average joe who since his youth has been involved with self-reliance and outdoor activities and the practical side of balancing life between a big city and rural/wilderness settings. Since the 2008 world economic crisis, he has been training and helping others in his area to become better prepared for the “constant, slow-burning SHTF” of living in a 3rd world country.
Fabian’s ebook, Street Survivalism: A Practical Training Guide To Life In The City , is a practical training method for common city dwellers based on the lifestyle of the homeless (real-life survivors) to be more psychologically, mentally, and physically prepared to deal with the harsh reality of the streets during normal or difficult times. He’s also the author of The Ultimate Survival Gear Handbook.
You can follow Fabian on Instagram @stoicsurvivor
Personal, I feel like this is the most likely scenario. Sure, pandemic, war, natural disasters are still on the table. But a slow grinding downward is already happening and likely will continue. It might be aided by enemies foreign and domestic, of course.
The wife and I have gone through the list of family members and the likelyhood that any of them might end up sheltered in our home. We are particulary concerned about the children whose parents have chosen the vax. Although inflation if starting to heat up, we still keep a catch of cash enough to pay bills for at least a few months. You never know when a bank will suddenly seize up. And we keep an eye out for ways to diversify our income. As things fall apart there is almost always a sector that, at least, falls apart more slowly (maybe even improve – I’ve been looking to invest in a shoe repair shop for years).
The slow grind is, in many ways, the worst scenario. A sudden event can be dealt with and overcome. But if things slowly get worse and worse it will mean a lot of people burn up what resources they have thinking that if they can just hang on a little longer things will go back to “normal”
K
Well written and provocative, realistic and detailed scenarios. I agree that no matter the level of your preps, the unknown situation will likely test your soul. And, ultimately, the well-being of your soul as well as those entrusted to your care is the Prime Directive. Only the Most High God can bless you to faithfulness and enduring the times that are upon us. Read Psalm 27:5,6 for encouragement.
Amen, Our hope is in our Savior, Jesus Christ. We who have a RELATIONSHIP with the Lord will be snatched away at the time of Sudden destruction. Comfort one another with these thoughts and know that our time here on earth is quickly coming to an end. Keep looking up and stay vigilant you will receive a crown for watching for His soon return. God bless all of you and stay in prayer, sheltered under His wing.
Maranatha!
I look forward to this as well! But even Jesus said … and all these things will just be the beginning of sorrows.
How long will we have to go down this slow path? I don’t know, but I hope for the best, while planning for the worst – this slow painful destruction described so well by Fabian.
This is the scenario I dread the most! If it gets to where we can no longer afford our mortgage, where do we even go with all the crap we have stored up. I totally worry this is the path they will take us down. As sick as it sounds, I would prefer the EMP or some massive disruption. This sounds terrible.
Have you thought about selling the unnecessary stuff? That’s something I hope to do in the next few months.
Maybe you should look into moving to a less expensive home, maybe in a less expensive area.
Can you economize in other areas, like selling an expensive car and getting an older, but dependable one? Raising more of your own food in a garden? Maybe you can get a part time job or set up an internet business.
There may be options you haven’t considered.
I try to turn my tendency to worrying into planning, instead. Gives me more peace of mind in these troubling days.
Good luck to you!
BOTH would be terrible as you wrote, but an EMP means you would have NOTHING electric at all and for a long time. It would NOT be just some temporary thing but long term. ALL of your food in your cold frig/freezers would rot, very little would be salvaged, then what? People in ALL electric houses would really be suffering. At least with Gas people would still be able to cook as long as the gas was available but if no gas they would also be in trouble. Then you better have LOTS of other non-perishable foods stored up as well as water, medical supplies/prescription drugs and all of your basic needs….NOW is certainly the time to prepare…Blessings…
Natural gas pipelines require electricity because electric pumps and compressors are typically used to maintain pressure and push the gas out to consumers. No electricity, no natural gas supply.
That’s why you need a generator that runs on gas and propane with a pull cord and electric starter. It’s EMP proof. You can start buying propane every time you go shop and build it up. Yes it will run out eventually but it would be great to save your food and run other things off of it.
I prefer our portable solar generator, in its own Faraday case. It doesn’t have the fuel limitations and noise of a gas-powered gen. As long as there is sun, we’ll have some power. It won’t be enough for everything, but we’ll trim back to the essentials, and supplement with other ways to keep warm, cool, or store perishables.
“I would prefer the EMP or some massive disruption”
from zerohedge several years ago: “right now the only thing worse than for it all to collapse would be for it all not to collapse.”
God does not give us the spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
I encourage you Andrea, to call on your faith, if you have it, in your Creator. But scripture says faith without works is dead. So keep on preparing and planning for these worst-case scenarios as best you can. Both faith and works will quell your worry.
Basically you are saying; “How do we cope with a slowly burning SHTF collapse”. In some place in some cities and countries this is already a reality.
The basics are Adapt and Overcome the problem.
If there are no guns, especially not in the hands of looters and criminals, then you must be prepared to use what ever weapons you can; Knives. bow and arrows, crossbow, martial arts type fighting sticks, etc.
Getting old and unhealthy is often a matter of choice or of bad choices. Exercise and eating heathy will do wonders in getting you health back.
As far a a failed state of government, that is a choice. One you and your fellow citizens choose to allow. The same with crime to a large extent.
So to fix it, Either move away or gather your fellow citizens and start taking your lives back. Fix the problem, Despair is associated with inaction. So act.
Also if you expect to survive SHTF, get rid of the Bleeding Heart mentality.
People are either part of the solution or part of the problem, deal with them accordingly.
“Getting old and unhealthy is often a matter of choice or of bad choices.” I’m glad we aren’t neighbors and I’ll bet you feel the same way.
Getting OLD is NOT a choice…We ALL get OLD. I am 74 with a 44-year-old mind. My physical body is not like it was, and mother nature came and basically took what she wanted; however, my mind is in tack thankfully…Being UNHEALTHY is a matter of choice, yes it absolutely is and many times I notice that when I see the long lines at the fast-food places (sooooo much junk and very little if any nutritional value) at those places. Faster, yes, more convenient yes, but healthy or cheap anymore NO, no and no!!! The younger people do NOT think about getting older. Then seem to just live for today and don’t think about tomorrow. The ones that are obese have problems with either family being that way, or they are addicted to food or soda, and sweets…Many people simply smoke or drink themselves to an early grave…My ex died at 64 b/c he smoked a lot…I’ve outlived him now by 11 yrs. but I did not develop that habit thankfully, so there are causes. We are what we eat…And we seal our own fate I do believe…ONLY the right attitude and change will fix anything…We know what we should do, but we don’t do it!
“Getting old and unhealthy is often a matter of choice or of bad choices.”
It’s obvious that you aren’t old and don’t know what you’re talking about. Unless you’ve been there, your opinion is worthless.
well I’m fairly old now and it’s obvious that choice plays a big role in how well you age. there’s always some disgusting new problem popping up sure, but not being fat and paying attention to nutrition really helps in dealing with the problems.
I agree, sometimes health issues ARE NOT A CHOICE!. I am in kidney failure due to a broken back, sepsis and multiple organ failure. Nothing I did personally caused it. I follow my diet and stay as healthy as possible. I also have diabetes. I watch my diet and take insulin. Watching my diet will be the only way to survive without insulin.
Yes. You’re right.
“One you and your fellow citizens choose to allow”
nations, cultures, and societies are built by many people working together (for whatever reason). but “preppers” and modern “patriots” very much tend to be self-centered loners working alone and even reject the notion of “fellow citizens”. as the world around them breaks up into isolated individuals – criminals, junkies, looters, etc – their natural response is to retreat further into themselves and endure whatever is given to them. the idea of becoming part of something larger than themselves and taking chare of their nation and rebuilding it simply does not occur to them.
Runt7,
As more than just a few preppers, and modern patriots have commented here on TOP, they are anything but “self-centered loners working alone.” You could not be more wrong with your assertions of that we reject the idea of our fellow citizens, or we will retreat further into ourselves.
Many of us are true believers in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and more than a few of us have sworn to up hold and defend those rights. While I may think you are a disgusting human being with your racist, anti-semite comments that Daisy has had to delete on more than a few occasions, I would defend your 1stA right to spew your hate.
We would rebuild our nation, based on the Constitution (might clear up a few of those things like the 2ndA, maybe add some stuff about term limits, dark money, etc.) but we would start at the local level, with our friends and neighbors.
I get that you are fearful of those preppers and modern patriots as many of them have rejected you as a well known racist, anti-semite, incel, WEF useful idiot shill. Who would want someone like that in their group? Not I!
After all, your idea of nation building is shooting all the alpha males and females from a distance who would reject your shooting of all POC, Jews, forcing yourself on women and small children, and doing the bidding of the WEF for a pat on the head and getting a pass to the front of the line of the FEMA camps. You would shoot those who had the best interests in mind for the community as a whole, that did not agree with your previously mentioned twisted ideas.
What simply does not occur to you, despite all the evidence presented here on TOP, is that us preppers and modern patriots all know there is a society and or culture that will come out of the ashes. We have noted what has not worked, and what needs to be fixed. How do we get there, well, that might be a bit interesting as we will have to work to figure it out as one does in a Republic, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (i.e. shooting POC, Jews or forcing oneself on women and or small children would go against everything that is the Constitution). But we will get there.
Just not with you.
“You could not be more wrong with your assertions of that we reject the idea of our fellow citizens”
I invite everyone to read typical survivalist/prepper/”patriot” literature for the last few decades. in most the trend is very clear …
“us preppers and modern patriots all know there is a society and or culture that will come out of the ashes”
… that, for most, any society they envision, when they do, is nothing more than themselves writ large, with all else expunged (as you yourself have exemplified here from time to time) …
“shooting all the alpha males and females from a distance”
… by precisely this method, among others. it’s all there, for everyone to see for themselves.
you’re a great guy, 1stjarhead – you’d give the shirt off your back for anyone who is on your team. and that’s just it – if they’re on YOUR team.
Runt7,
“I invite everyone to read typical survivalist/prepper/”patriot” literature for the last few decades. in most the trend is very clear …”
And had you been paying attention to the last decade or so, and especially since the pandemic kicked off, the new emerging trend is for networking, community of like minded people, friends and family. That old stereotype, you can still find them here and there, but they are a tiny (just as they were back decades ago) minority when compared to the modern prepping community. Just look around at articles Selco has written here on TOP. Look at all the comments section of preppers who are advocating for networking, finding like minded people within their communities. There are more than a few commentators whom I while I have never met in person, just off their comments about the need for networking, community, I think I could have lunch with them, and be confident to know that when push came to shove, I would have their back, and they would have mine. We might disagree on some small points, but for the most part, we are committed to our mutual survival.
Knowing your racist, anti-Semite, incel and WEF useless idiot shill, no one wants you on their team.
“… that, for most, any society they envision, when they do, is nothing more than themselves writ large, with all else expunged (as you yourself have exemplified here from time to time) …”
What have I said that is different from our current Constitution and Bill of Rights (again, clarify that 2ndA thing, term limits, dark money, maybe a few other things the Founders never imagined when they first wrote it)?
“… by precisely this method, among others. it’s all there, for everyone to see for themselves.”
So, you would of shot the Founders too?
“you’re a great guy, 1stjarhead – you’d give the shirt off your back for anyone who is on your team. and that’s just it – if they’re on YOUR team.”
This is the part you never seem to understand: I took an oath to up hold and defend the Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic, to defend the Bill of Rights to all those it applies too. A good 90-95% of Americans I would consider to be on my “team.” That remaining 10% or so, those would be those undesirables, like know racists, anti-Semites (that would be you Runt7), rapists (Runt7 again), pedophiles (Runt7), human traffickers, those who thought WWII Germany Occupied France Vichy government was a good idea (based off your previous comments, that is you Runt7), real white supremacists, KKK members, gang bangers, etc. So, yes Runt7, I was at a major America airport recently. I would say, of 500 people who passed me, maybe 5 or 10 would not be on my team . . . as they would be the list above.
Granted, things go really, really, SHTF like . . . and someone comes at me with a weapon . . . yeah, the 2ndA self defense applies. And then some.
Why the change in his handle?
Last two years I figured his handle was a coy way of advertising his true feelings overtly.
It used to be ant7. (ant + missing seven letters = ant +isemite=antisemite) Now capitalization of the “a” and the new space tween the n and t?
It doesn’t confound me, but it is interesting. Changing a well known and established handle -only a little- is noteworthy. As highly as he values his own opinion, I have to presume that this is a meaningful change?
~Jim,
Yes, I have noted the handle change too.
Per his fans, the PNWM unit, he used to go by gman, then ant7 (his fans made a similar assessment), and now the new change.
1st Marine Jarhead
I post on line about once a year. Your comments are always so spot on and genuine. I agree 100% See you next year.
Hello Good Neighbor,
Yes, I do recall your previous comment last year.
I actually look forward to your comments.
Thank you.
Not in the geographic region I live in….it’s exactly the opposite. Sounds to me like you are stereotyping based on certain, hand picked information.
To Kelvin Skye,
Yeah, it is a old stereotye.
There is a new, preppers community that is emerging for the better.
Runt7 is not included in that community.
Here’s another thought Mic: We can cook from scratch, eat healthy, exercise, avoid the jab, etc. and still get sick. Add malnutrition and the energy to defend oneself will be practically nil.
Stress is the driving force in many illnesses. STRESS. This is the point of the slow-mo SHTF scenario. Internal resources are essential. Can we forgive and move on? Can we show grace in trying circumstances? Spiritual resources are essential.
Malnutrition and stress = Ugly.
Another point on article, Fabian! Thank you.
Most of us here have our eyes wide open and see the continual decay of about everything.
It’s about being proactive, not only thinking outside the box but seeing outside of the box of normalcy continually.
It’s about being prepared mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physical.
It’s about adapting as things continually change, not falling apart but rather being able to stay focused and going forth no matter what that may look like.
It’s not a simple matter but what is necessary to go forth beyond just survival and thrive in whatever we’re faced with.
Ahhhhh, good point but in reality, what else can we do? What other choices do we have. When the bad gets worse and the poop hits the fan what are our alternatives going to be, other than to do as you wrote? We must keep our FAITH and use our COMMON SENSE, our WISDOM and listen to our GUT…The ones alone are the ones that will suffer the most I do believe…
The two Big H’s — Hunger & Hygiene — are the real killers in any theater of war. Getting a grip on these is as essential as ammunition and meds, if not more so. Good article.
My husband went back to college in the late 1970s to finish his degree using his G.I. Bill funds. After he graduated, the country went into an economical funk and we were caught in it. Over the next 25 years, he was laid off from 8 companies. Not fired. They were plant reductions or closures. We were able to hang onto our home because it was a new trailer my father helped us buy during the college years. Periodically, we did look around to buy a house, but I’m glad we didn’t, because we couldn’t have held onto it. Trailer payments were affordable.
I didn’t understand then why times were so hard for us, but now I see. Instead of making us arrogant (because those things “only happen to people who’ve caused it themselves or deserve it”) we learned to adapt. We learned to park on a slope, coast and pop the clutch when our ’71 VW bug had no battery and we had no money to buy one. After we were refused an appointment for food stamps because we couldn’t show proof of income (we had none; we were cleaning houses and the homeowners won’t expose themselves to the IRS), I learned to feed our family of 4 on $12 a week. My husband would walk 2 miles to town and then 2 back home, to get car parts instead of asking neighbors for a ride. I broke my foot cleaning a house (for which I was never paid) and had to go to the county hospital, and then after waiting for 7 hours sitting next to a drunk with a bottle cut on his face, had my ankle x-rayed and told that nothing was broken and sent home. ( Later, when we had insurance again, I got the proper x-ray and it confirmed that my foot had been broken for a year.) We have stepped in to help family when children were vulnerable. We’ve been shunned by those who lived on the better side of the tracks.
Now, I’m stronger because of all that.
I like you and your family, for what it’s worth. I guess I should say I respect you guys. Bad times create strong men…
Thank you, Simpson. I appreciate that.
Fear of the Lord creates strong men. Bad times may speed up the incubation period, whether for good or ill. Monsters are also hatched from bad times. All humble, God-fearing saints are mighty warriors, like Gideon from the Bible. Those who fear the world more than they fear the Lord, need a thorough self-examination. Fear of the world either paralyzes or starts a foolish frenzy.
Carla, your story is inspiring as is your attitude. Being grateful for the strength a hard life forced upon you is such a healthy way to look at things rather than “poor me.” Challenges exist in our lives to be overcome and it’s that attitude and perseverance (do many in the younger generations even know the meaning of that word anymore?) that will see you and those who share your attitude through these tough times ahead.
Thank you, Ginger. I wasn’t resilient as a young person, but I grew up listening to stories about my parents’ experiences and it had a positive effect on me when our own times got tough. My father quit school at 13 to help care for his mother who was dying of tuberculosis, then his father died 3 years later. My mother’s family home was destroyed in a major flood in the late 30s and her first husband abandoned her. Neither of my parents ever had a poor me attitude about anything. They simply put one foot in front of the other and did what they could to improve any situation they were in. They were wonderful parents and I wish I was more like them.
Agreed! Hard times, injustices, etc. these are things that help shape good ol’ prepper resiliency and grit.
You are a great example of a survivor, someone who battled through and learned from your experience. I hear so many people blame their current situation on something that happened in the past. Those are “victims” and they continue to have the pity me attitude. A great example of a pity me person…I recently attended a virtual migraine support group. I’ve had migraines since age 13. On this migraine “support” group all they did was whine about how bad they felt and what they couldn’t do. That was the first and last meeting I attended. I’m a positive person and will do whatever I have to do to be healthier and enjoy life. I strongly believe you can overcome unbelievable things with a positive attitude.
This is a very good article. Being prepared for this environment will buy you more time to become even more ready for when or if SHTF goes all the way.
Yes, it can be a transition period, to even worse times. We never know.
“a transition period, to even worse times”
(laugh)
You just described South Africa. I lived in Cape Town for 10 years and had a wonderful life having adapted to the conditions. The most important thing for me is the sun, sea and pure air direct from the Antarctic. Healthy living which cannot ever be reproduced here, 50 deg north of the equator, in UK where I reside temporarily.
Britain is going down fast and with 8 months of a cold, wet, gloomy sunless environment with energy bills going to the moon, I know where I would rather be – and soon.
well said Austrian Peter, this is exactly like South Africa, the testing ground for the elite! Daily load shedding (i.e. fancy words for cutting the grid for 2-4 hours per day) imagine running a serious business or manufacturing anything under these conditions.. then the crime, rampant, judicial systems cannot cope, let alone prisons or police that are seriously mis managed in the first place due to a sickly “culture” of a corrupt government.. (by the way, one that the US kindly implemented by supporting communist/terrorist Mandela!). Mobs of unemployable youths that demand jobs or loot and steal to survive – no future! Big international (mainly UK and US) corporations and mining houses pillaging and raping the country clean for just insults as returns to the people.. if you want to witness what Fabian wrote about, come to South Africa for a while, its being tested there, live!
oh and i forgot to mention, if you want to apply for work, you have to be a certain race to fulfil the legal aspects for the position! how crazy is this, evil! they call it black economic empowerment (BEEE) and its law if you are white, no jobs for you mate! but if you are a underqualified black, unfit for the job, you are hired mate!
Kurt, I’m seriously not intending to be a smart aleck, but what if you are neither black nor white? What happens then?
I think “prepping” gets a lot of attention from the physical side- guns, ammo, food, etc. However, this article is bringing to light the harshest reality we have to prepare for- ourselves! Mental, spiritual, emotional health are the key determinants of long-term survival, and this article puts this truth in a stark perspective. We all have different ideas on how to get to this place of internal peace as evidenced by the previous comments. But this article makes it clear we need to figure this out soon!
I honestly thought he was talking about now…..California regularly has power outages and everything else i America right now ….of course its only going to get worse….very intelligent article
Your article makes it soundifficult like this is something new. It’s not. The US goes through these cycles. I remember the 60s & 70s. Civil rights riots, protest & riots against the war, skyrocketig prices so yo can’t afford food, gas, healthcare. Crime everywhere. But we worked & pulled together as a family & community.
I think the point is Jody that the 70’s didn’t have the confluence of events that we are presently facing. We may have had high inflation, but we didn’t have a $30 billion deficit. We may have had protests and riots, but we didn’t have defund the police and politicians actually encouraging/supporting those riots. We may have had some hard times, but we didn’t have forty years of an entitled and pampered society. It is not the individual circumstances that will sink us, but the fact that through inaction and apathy that we have allowed all of these issues to grow into a perfect storm that is coming to a head in our lifetime.
Great article and great comments! I would like to comment on rising crime, at least here in the United States. Although it’s going up rapidly, we’re actually well below the violent crime and property crime levels of the early 1990, when victim rates were about twice where they were in 2020.
I’m not claiming that criminal activity isn’t a problem, and I expect it’ll get worse (possibly even beyond those 1990’s peaks). But as bad as it was back then, it wasn’t a societal collapse, and in rural areas where I lived, it wasn’t even evident. Definitely something to watch, especially for city-dwellers, but remember that 30 years ago violent crime was quite literally twice as prevalent as today. I think we look at the recent increases and forget the historical perspective.
Also, the majority of crimes (and the recent increases) happen in larger urban areas, where (hopefully) none of us live. And back in 1993, very few states had concealed carry laws; now most do. Unfortunately, liberal DAs seem more interested in prosecuting victims who resisted rather than the criminal attackers.
ITS ALL ABOUT THE JAB! without the injected nanochip to conduct all financial transactions – and its surveillance mechanism? Total control and One World Govt aka ‘Great Reset’ is impossible. THAT is why they push it so hard
Very thought-provoking article. I have sometimes wondered how you know in advance how you will cope, and I think you really can’t know. Some people discover a toughness and will to survive they never knew they possessed. Some whither and give up. I think it is like a lot of things in life – playing it for a time, or imagining it are one thing, but the reality of living it and knowing things can never go back (even remotely) to how they were, and that this is it…forever…is very different.
A slow decline/collapse is not a pleasant thought, but a dramatic and violent one is pretty awful too. I think even worse, since the unpredictability of human nature, and the authoritarian tone of current governments would certainly make it ugly for all of us.
I agree that being adaptable is a critical trait. Some of us will cope much better than others in that regard, prepper or otherwise.
This article sounds like it came straight from a video game(story mode). It’s scary to think that even a fraction of it could become true in America. If we can’t change the minds of all making the rules, the only option I see is changing their life. And I don’t think they’d like the methods used to accomplish that.
One day I was sitting at a stop light heading for the next job site. 5 seconds later I said “this is gonna hurt!”. Another 5 seconds and my seat was broken and I had permanent neck and back injuries.
I went from 80k a year to just over 10k. I was out of work for 4 years due to that accident. When I was able to go back to work I took a 75% pay cut. It took 10 years to get back to normal and even longer to climb back to almost the same pay level.
I’ve lived the drastic pay cut that comes with a financial downturn.
Been there, done that. Got the scars and the t shirt. If it happens again I’ll deal with again. And during those financially lean times I prepper even it it was $5 per month.
(salute!)
Your describing the life and outcome of a typical idiot. You must live in a real shithole? Most any prepper has this covered I would think. Those that have’nt are in for a world of doo doo. They are not welcome in my home…
Excellent questions!
Yes, getting old sucks. I’m 65 and my husband is 73. Mic paints ill health with a very broad brush. There are many illnesses that people are born with or obtained through other’s choices and not their own.
It’s worse when you are caring for your spouse who was involved in a military conflict overseas where your own government felt their health didn’t matter. My dear husband is a disabled Vietnam Veteran who was exposed to all 3 of the defoliant agents. His health was destroyed by our government’s choice to use these agents. For him his ill health is not a matter of his food choices. His poor health was caused by our government’s reliance on defoliants that they knew were poisonous. Because of these toxic poisons that my husband was exposed to, I watch daily as his health deteriorates just a little bit more. Getting the flu or some other simple health issue can be deadly.
I strive daily to keep him healthy. Every day I administer to him Elderberry, strong doses of Vitamin C & D, zinc and magnesium in addition to his already over burdensome medication list. Last year he came down with a case of COVID 19. The VA refused to give him Ivermectin and an antibiotic or even monoclonal antibodies. I took him to my personal doctor who immediately wrote him prescriptions. He recovered in about 72 hours from a very mild case.
This week he is battling a Norovirus infection. We have no idea where he came into contact with this virus. We are always together and eat together and I never had a symptom. A trip to the ER in an ambulance to our neighboring town’s hospital’s ER (we only have a couple of medical clinics in our small town) where they rehydrated him and provided us with prescriptions to stop the diarrhea and severe vomiting associated with this virus. These are the types of emergencies that few of us could even consider happening in a full grid down scenario. Not to mention trying to keep large amounts of insulin on hand along with all of his other medications.
I’m personally a relatively healthy 65 year old with asthma, RLS and arthritis. My asthma has been under control for about 8 years now. I still take a few medications and vitamins. I keep an emergency supply of most of my medications along with several supplement. I was born with asthma and the RLS came out of no where. I have no clue how I got arthritis. Certainly these cannot be considered food or life choices either. Again, here in the USA we have an aging population with serious medical issues that could be catastrophic to many families.
Many of these elderly have knowledge garnered over a long period of time. We as an elderly population have knowledge in food preservation, cooking, sewing, gardening, firearms, child care and child birth. How we deal with these issues as a community could easily determine its survival.
Moving for my family is not practical. We have our grandchildren and great grandchildren living with us. We’re in a desirable rural area considered part of America redoubt. We have no other family even close to us, but yet have managed to create a close group of friends and contacts that we can rely upon. We continue to increase our necessary supplies on a very limited budget. Every member contributes something to the family.
How equipped are many of you to deal with the elderly in your families? Health consequences are not all causes of personal choice.
And I sure wouldn’t fail to prep thinking that you are going to be “raptured” up. I won’t go into the scriptural nonsense of a rapture here, rather I would prefer to say that to be prepared for the inevitable societal collapse.
“How equipped are many of you to deal with the elderly in your families?”
very few. most survivalists/preppers are loners and don’t include family, let alone extended family, in their plans. I doubt many could even if they tried, the survival rate for elderly in primitive societies is not high.
????? You must not be a part of very many online prepper groups. While there are some lone wolves because of the cards life dealt them the majority of peppers I’ve seen are married at the least and many have plans to be the bug out location for elderly parents, adult children and so on.
8 people of various ages already live here. We are planning on taking in one older brother and are the back up location for my mom and step dad.
Have you ever read the book, “The Grapes of Wrath”, 1939 novel by John Steinbeck?
Which was a portrayal of life for the common man during the Great Depression.
And I believe the title was inspired by:
Revelation 14:14 “And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.”
Revelation 14:15 “And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.”
Revelation 14:16 “And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.”
Revelation 14:17 “And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.”
Revelation 14:18 “And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.”
Revelation 14:19 “And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.”
Revelation 14:20 “And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.” (KJV)
One of my daughters has embraced the family tradition of whole natural nutrition and good looks coupled with natural medicines and Christian lifestyle . The other married into a rather baloney and cereal type of fellow with a love of modern 1st world mrna theology . The difference is striking . Out of wedlock grandkids and mounting health problems with a credit rating in the $hitter . Continuing financial drain on those of us that achieve . The other is prosperous and already helping us oldtimers out with travel , shopping , etc . Bringing us homemade kombucha, yogurt , and fresh organic produce canned and full of nourishment . Love ’em both but wondering if they will ever wake up .