Questions you had better know the answer to when TSHTF.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Truth^^^^ Thanks for the reminder RK!

Survival of the fittest is good, flourishing of the most cooperative is better.

5) Will you be able to go without food for days and still remain productive? Do you know enough about the local flora to never be without food? What can be used as medicines/disinfectants?

6) Do you have a list of actionable priorities to complete each day? Do you have a long term plan?

7) Do you have a functional stash of literature; medical, herbal, agricultural, theosophical, mathematics, maps, star charts, etc?

8) Can you produce anything of tradable value from salvageable materials? Water stills? Alcohol stills? Tools with hardened edges? Plant nursery?

9)What part of your current jobs/hobbies can translate to a collapsed economy situation? Is any of it? Do you need to learn some new skills?

10) How do you fit into larger groups? What "organ" are you in the body of humanity? Sure it's important to be able to be the wheel to get yourself and loved ones moving...but if there are many, specialized spokes make for a longer, stronger, civilizational haul...what will you be doing?

Any one?

No one?

Got horses ?

Good idea!

Got a place to take care of them?

Add the rest of the farm if you can, chickens for eggs, sheep for mowing and meat, a couple pigs for rototillers...etc.

A horse would be a highly valued item...

Thought provoking stuff MR!

What about people that live in heavily populated city areas? hardly any natural food content around. apart from gardens.

Thanks!

Emigration in mass and for the most part it won't be pretty...

Those that are left will be the feudal types, and opportunists...

Last Edited by Apotheosis Rex Khristos on 09/02/2010 09:50 PM

I read all these prepped up people talking about bugging out.
Why would one become a wandering refugee? I don't get that.

what's for dinner? and what's to drink?

Like I posited earlier. Have a destination in mind that satisfies the primary criteria. Water, food, shelter, security...

Real bugging out is for good. And there are many legit reasons for doing so. We could quite easily have a "zombie" invasion without a super pathogen...just and EMP to cities and presto. Wandering hordes, (short term) roving armies, (long term) and all kinds of individual nut cases...

You want to get where you need to be a quickly and silently as possible. Sleep in the day, travel at night.

My only problem would be water.

Ahhh crap did I just say that?

Yeah water would be the main thing living in the desert...prepared to walk where i need to go? No...=(

Travel to where? Marriott's would be pretty full, I would imagine.

Lack of clean water, or lack of water period?

1) Not really in a 'safe place' There are a lot of people around here. I know a few of my neighbors, but no where near all of them, and one of them is crazy so I don't want to know him. If there truly was a SHTF scenario, part of my plan is to go door to door in a small area around my house to get people together so that we can discuss getting/growing food, defense, etc. so I do think I could be the leader if needed, I really wouldn't want to be though.

2) I know how to purify water. I have a water filter thats good for 13000 gallons. Can easily build a sand/charcoal filter, and then boil it. I also live near the beach, so I learned how to make a simple desalination thing so that I can get water there too.

3) my supply of food isn't great, but I can't really afford to build it up for very long term. There are a decent amount of forests nearby, so hunting would work, have a beach, so could go fishing as well. I also have a bunch of heirloom seeds, so I could grow things and be able to collect seeds for the next season. I plan on building a cheapo greenhouse at some point too.

4) If I absolutely had to, I would relocate. I have two potential areas I could relocate too, either my fathers house, or my aunts house. I have two aunts who live across the street from each other, so with the both of them I would be able to get to know a lot of people in the surrounding area, which was my weakest point of the first three questions. They don't have nearly as much forests near them though, and are much further from the beach, so food would be more scarce. If I went to my fathers house, he also knows quite a few of the people in his area, his backyard goes right into the forest, and he lives somewhat close to the beach, but not as close as I do. Going to his place would probably be my first choice as it would give me a better chance of survival if I had to leave my house.

5) I've never tried going without food for an extended period, so I'm not too sure about that. From what I understand, you can survive 2-3 weeks without food though, and after a few days your body will stop making you feel as hungry, but I would also probably be very low on energy. I don't 'know' a lot about the local food plants to be able to totally supply myself with food, but I do know some about it. I also have a book for all of the edible/medicinal plants in my region, so if I needed to I could refer to that.

6) that would depend on the situation. Daily actions would change based on what kind of SHTF scenario it is, so I haven't bothered to think that up. I do have long term plans if it is some kind of total collapse though, mainly to get a small town together and bring some normalcy back, then get a small group of the people to go exploring with me to find other towns, and start up trade routes with them.

7) Not really. I have a few books on plants, gardening, and that kind of thing. I do have a few math and physics books too. My dad works at a University though, and whenever they throw out old textbooks, he gets a few of them, so he has a good stash of different things.

8) Trade value... I started growing tobacco for personal use since prices are outrageous now, so if there ever was a total collapse, I could probably live off of that the rest of my life if I wanted too. I also got into home-brewing recently, and have been experimenting with that, to make that useful post-STHF though, I'd need to learn how to grow my own yeast as well.

9) I'm prior military, so that will help post-SHTF. as I also do a bit of gardening now, so I am a little familiar with growing things in my region (I don't use fertilizer, pesticides, etc. so that change wont affect me.) I also try to read up on what people think will be useful post-SHTF, so I have a decent amount of knowledge locked away in my head.

10) I touched on it a bit earlier, but if there ever was a truly total collapse, I would want to get society working again. I would work in my area at first, getting a town together and working, then I would move out and set up trade routes between different towns, hopefully making the town I'm from one of the centers for trading. That's what I'd like to do at least, if the time ever comes, I'll see what actually happens.

Last note, I'm a different kind of prepper then most of them. I don't have the money to work up a good stash of food/gear/weapons/etc. So instead I try to get up a good knowledge of things I think will be useful, and things other people will be useful, once TSHTF. The way I see it, gear runs out, breaks, gets lost or stolen, and then it can't be used anymore. Sure, you may forget things, but most of the things I teach myself I'll remember, and that will help a lot more then gear in the long run.

Might end up being WHO'S for dinner !

I have a kick ass place in taos nm bought and paid for, with river frontage.

Just got back from a hike exploring possibilities and the terrain.

Feeling the need to free things up in my life a bit and get rid of or store my extra belongings. Getting prepared for being entirely mobile.

Futher away from cities...closer to resources.

Did you know hono-hono grass is very edible?

Found a route today that will take me straight into the heart of the island with only crossing one road.

Was not aware of that! Thanks. I'm in the process of learning all the edible plants in my surrounding area. I know where to get ferns, mangos, noni, guava and bananas right now.

Great stuff korp!! Even if you don't have the answers you currently want, you've done the head work.

And you are quite right in storing intellectual "goods" Make yourself indispensable.

From experience, I cannot recommend a week fast more highly. The psychological fortification you will gain cannot be duplicated. In truth, the average male, given a low work load, can survive over a month without food. I've gone several times a week without (just water) and hiked back down the mountain full of energy. Yes the hunger does go away when you enter ketosis after about 3 days for males (2 for females) And then naturally return once your body has done all the healing it can. HGH (human growth hormone) triples in concentration in a fasting body allowing for deeper healing and repairs than possible when having a full diet.

If you haven't already, look into permaculture, mulching, and manure teas. You could provide for a town given a few extra hands...

Thanks again Korp, you're a light on this horizon.

I make land salads of hono-hono, hibiscus (all hibiscus flowers, except for one hybrid one, are edible...including Hau!), gotu kola, geranium, purslane, macnuts and that's just off the ground all over the place...

Thanks. I tried fasting once, made it to the first night, forgot I was fasting, and ate dinner, lol. I would like to try it to see what it's like, but I like food too much to give it up for good for even a few days unless I had to.

I haven't looked into the three things you mentioned, I have started composting everything I can though, makes a lot less garbage too.

It is hard the first few days, but then it smooths out and so does everything...emotions...mind fog...just so much residue crap the body can get rid of but is rarely given the chance to.

There are worms called red wrigglers that you can order online that will eat all you paper garbage and turn it into black gold.

You can also propagate them.

Most of the readjustment we need to make is in knowing and aiding the biorhythms that are already going on all around us...

Nope...nope...and uh...nope...

I'm a goner...it'll be see ya later to MY physical self.

In a pinch, the grasshopper are the perfect protein supplement.

We lucky fo da hunta's, eh?