Collapse Survival On A Budget - Part I
Filed under: General, Sustainable Living, Collapse — admin @ 11:48 pm
There is recognizably, a great amount of anxiety and angst among crash watchers on how to survive the coming collapse of civilization. The means to do so seems beyond most - they lack the skills, experience, money and resources deemed essential to simply “buy” themselves the comfort zone perceived as being necessary for their survival.
If you are like me, you may not have the means to buy your chance of survival when civilization collapses. It’s also a very real possibility that nobody can really buy their security no matter how much money they may have due to the nature of a full-blown collapse.
So cutting to chase, here are steps you can take to help your chances.
Collapse survival will encompass several essential areas, which will overlap at all times. Your “job” as it were, is to do whatever you can to ensure this overlap. The absence of any given area, or it’s failure, weakness or oversight could be critical (and probably will be).
Your best defensive, offensive and preparatory response (read that slowly) will first be found in your own head. There you should find the skills, knowledge, experience and judgment that you are going to need.
No? Then here is the list again of what you must do.
a) Develop the skills required;
b) Gain the experience necessary;
c) Learn the knowledge needed;
d) Use good judgment in all things.
Since this is just a blog and not an instruction manual, I’m not going to attempt to cover everything (which I never do here, on purpose in any post, I expect everyone to think for themselves).
What knowledge and skills and experience are required?
Do you know how to make a fire? Gather wood? Skin a deer? Smoke meat? Raise vegetables? Can food? Build a root cellar? Sew clothes? Build a shelter from natural materials? Doctor a wound? Treat an infection? Avoid a police patrol? Hide in the woods? Shoot a gun? Defend your home? Dig a grave?
All these and more are life skills, once known and taught to generation after generation, but not any more. Collapse will mean a retraction, consolidation and reversal of the last 100 years of “progress”. Some areas will probably do just fine, and should you happen to live in one of those areas, these skills will still be usable. And you might even get to do what your doing now, carpentry, metal working, ceramics, accounting, banking, mechanics or pencil pushing, except under different conditions.
But don’t count on it. It is the lack of personal survival skills and experience that will probably kill most people and cause a significant portion of the coming die-off. Add to that the police state / imprisonment, war, civil unrest, climate change, starvation, plague, disease and injury that will come as part of the package.
Not everyone believes that these things can or will happen, but I do for the following reason: interdependency. Everything is connected and hooked together in our world today. There are many, many weak points and linchpins that could fail and probably will. All of them, and I mean all of them, are inextricably linked to oil and the climate. When the energy supplies run out, or diminish to the point they are unaffordable, these weak points and linchpins will start collapsing in earnest.
This will cause a domino effect, toppling and tumbling the entire system of interdependencies. At the very bottom of this interlocking system of dependencies, is global agriculture and fresh water supplies, both extremely affected by available energy supplies and their costs and climate change. Food and arable land will be one of the most prone areas of failure. Without food or water people starve. People relocate. People fight over resources. People start wars. This issue, all by itself, can create massive depopulation, disease, pandemic and death. Entire economies can collapse (look at Zimbabwe).
But it will be much, much more then this. Transportation will almost stop. Electricity will stop flowing in many locations. Water will stop being pumped. Businesses will collapse and economies will implode. Riots will result and desperation will set in. It’s all linked together and it all must work together or it doesn’t work at all.
A predictable response will be enacted, already covered on this blog. Martial law, nationalization of assets, microchip implants, rationing, work camps and a police state. War, draft and even the nuclear option. The world’s fight for survival will commence in earnest - how could it not?
Nations will pit themselves against each other and within. The plutocrats and wealthy plantation owners of the world will be facing the same set of limitations now affecting everyone else on Earth - finite resource limits, and they will fight (sending you to die) to stay on top of the heap as long as possible. And they will also enact their plans for global depopulation. They are not so stupid as to believe that the world can run like it is forever. The coming wars (which will be extremely profitable, like all wars) will enrich them and enable their plans for total control over the Earth and it’s people. At least, that’s their plan.
Nobody knows if they will succeed and it’s beyond the scope of this post to discuss it. Our job will be to figure out how to survive all of this, if we can. Some of us will, most of us won’t. Those the prepare now will already be light years ahead of those that refuse. They will need to be generalists that can employ those skills above and those I’ve included below.
Specialists in select fields will be in high demand, but generalists with well rounded skill sets will be more likely to survive due to their self-reliant nature and experience. Specialists require a lot of support, generalists are capable of providing their own support. But generalists are not always going to be sufficient by themselves, there will be many situations that will require specialized, advanced skills.
Example: advanced medical skills are held by specialists, but I’ve known some doctors who couldn’t fix a flat tire on a bicycle, or knew how to raise vegetables. Generalists will be widely skilled in life skills that deal in self-sufficiency and self-reliance and will be able to provide the things that they and others need, while specialists will be much more focused in providing a specialized ’service’. They will probably do better for themselves in larger population groups that will require their services and who in turn can provide them with the things they also need.
Here are some practical, generalists skills you will need (redacted from the Sustainable Living & Common Sense forum):
Water: Know many drinkable water springs in order to go to another if you cannot rely on the one you currently use. Learn how to identify a drinkable water spring without having to taste it at your own risk. Learn several ways of purifying water in case you cannot find any pure water springs. Learn how to swim in order to reduce the risk of drowning. Learn how to keep ice in order to keep certain food fresh. Know how to build an ice-house. Learn how to find water in desolated areas. Prevent dehydration by drinking plenty of water.
Food: Learn how to recognize poisonous plants, herbs, fruits/berries, seeds/nuts and mushrooms from edible ones in order to prevent poisoning. Learn how to prepare insects in order to make them safely edible. Learn how to prepare fish and small animals in order to make them safely edible. Learn how to prepare large animals in order to make them safely edible. Learn how to breed livestock. Learn how to feed and raise livestock. Learn how to keep livestock healthy. Learn how to milk dairy animals. Learn how to use all parts of an animal when slaughtered. Try to leave out as little waste as possible. Learn how to slaughter livestock.
Learn how to grow vegetables, herbs and other edible plants. Learn how to grow grains such as wheat, oat and rye. Learn how to grow, find and prepare basic ingredients such as yeast. Learn how to grow and/or maintain fruit trees and fruit bushes. Learn how to forage fruits and nuts in order to prevent waste and destruction of fruit tree or bush. Learn the basic needs of each plant you intend to grow or take care of.
Learn how to use farm tools in order to prevent accidents of misuse. Learn efficient farming and cultivating techniques.
Learn how to fish. Learn how to hunt insects, small animals and large animals. Learn how to make bread and other basic recipes. Learn how to make sugar from saps and juices. Learn how to make vinegars and wines. (Note: Wine was a great element of barter trading in the past, it will certain be of great trade value once more in the future.)
Keep one quarter (or more) of your crops for seeds in order to harvest again the next year. Learn how to prevent your soil from exhausting itself. Learn how to make compost. Learn how to conserve your harvested vegetables, fruits and
grains throughout the non-harvest seasons. Learn how to build a root cellar. Keep a plan B in case one harvest fails. Keep a positive attitude and be grateful and respectful towards the Earth for her gifts. Do not abuse her. Learn to control yourself and prevent gluttony; practice simplicity towards your food. Eat food only to survive, find emotional shelter elsewhere.
Shelter: Learn how to build a strong and efficient shelter. Learn several efficient building techniques. Build a shelter that will be safe and comfortable to live in. Learn how to make shelter in inclement weather. Learn how to use building tools in order to prevent accidents or misuse. Learn how to make fundamental home objects such as a bed, chairs, table and so on in order to make your home comfortable. Learn how to build a fireplace and chimney in order to keep your shelter warm. Learn how to make locks. Learn how to use and identify building clays and mud. Learn how to maintain your shelter for as long as possible; learn how to make it permanent if necessary. Learn how to build efficient caches to safely store and hide your supplies. Learn how to build efficient storages. Learn how to build miscellaneous structures for multiple purposes.
Fire: Learn several ways of building a fire. Learn how to maintain a fire throughout the night while you rest or when you are not at home. All the while keeping it safe. Learn several fire prevention methods in order to keep reduce the fire hazard in the surroundings. Learn how to prepare and maintain firewood.
Defense: Prepare for barbarians, mobs and hordes. Prepare for dangerous beasts, two legged and otherwise. Prepare for wild dogs. Learn how to use a gun or rifle. Learn how to make and use a weapon. Learn how to maintain your weapon in order for it not to fail when you need it most. Keep it ready at all times. Learn how to make traps. Kill if and only if necessary, be wise. Learn how to setup a defense plan. Learn how to really hide. Learn how to setup an offensive plan. Learn how to observe. Learn situational awareness. Learn silent methods of communication.
If you must kill a human, don’t hate him afterwards, he won’t do you any harm now. He’s like a cloud in the sky to you now. His body is in your hands now so is the possessions he has with him.
Physical Preparations: Prepare to walk great distances. Prepare to work for at least 14 hours per day. Prepare to experience hunger. Learn to conserve vital energy; don’t spend too much energy on a secondary chore and know your priorities. While you have the chance, enhance your physical condition. Train yourself to increase your stamina.
Mental Preparations: Prepare to live on reptilian/survival instincts. Prepare for great losses ahead. Prepare to experience a certain degree of despair depending on your situation. Learn how to control and master your mind and emotions. Learn how to see optimistic dimensions in your life. Learn how to keep yourself intellectually, morally, aesthetically and spiritually satisfied. (Note: Being spiritually satisfied does not mean religion, it means unity. Unity with something greater. Thus, you can find unity with nature by working with it).
Smile: Learn to laugh and be kind with yourself and others. Learn how to wisely analyze situations. Learn how to meditate in order to enhance your concentration and awareness. (Note: Being aware and concentrated will be a great asset, not being concentrated enough causes accidents and wrong choices in the first place. Apply wisdom, respect and compassion to your mind.
Medicine: Learn herbal medicine. Learn how to make serums, oils and infusions for medicinal purposes. Learn basic first-aid maneuvers. Learn how to treat minor illnesses. Learn how to treat dental problems. Learn how to treat accidents.
Learn how to treat intoxications and poisonings. Learn many “grand-mother recipes”. Learn all medicinal properties of herbs and plants around your community. Learn how to get a woman through labor.
Hygiene: Learn how make soaps and oils. Know a few safe bathing waterways. Learn how keep yourself dentally clean.
Learn how to treat your wastes efficiently. Learn how to ‘toilet’ without polluting the water supply.
Utilities: Learn how to make rope. Learn how make fabrics. Learn how to shear a sheep and process wool. Learn how to dye wool. Learn how makes furs and leather. Learn how make underwear, outerwear, footwear and others. Learn how to recycle rags and fibers. Learn how to make various kinds of knots. Learn how to repair, maintain and make tools. Learn how to make wax and candles. Learn how to make mirrors and glass. Learn how to make several kinds of containers. Learn how to make paper, inks and pens. Learn how to make wooden needles. Learn how to make metal or wooden nails. Learn how to process clay. Learn how to process metals. Learn how to do blacksmithing.
All in all, this makes a lot of things to learn and to do. Of course, remember that there are many things listed above that might not be necessary for you and your community or group. However, you would be better be prepared for the worst. Learn these things as soon as you can, find books and instructors that can help you learn these things.
I have tried to give a expanded list of things someone should know for the collapse. The amount of knowledge you know will “send” you to the age you are technically equal to. Realize you may no longer be able to rely on a world of experts to keep you alive or at a given technological level.
Some of these skills may not all be learned by one person, if you aren’t alone, explore the field you are best at, although it is better to get a basic understanding of all fields, just in case. I am well aware that these things cannot be learned in just in one book, nor can it be learned in a few days. I believe that learning all these skills through books, the Internet, historical societies and farmers and the all-important hands on experience would take at least several years of intensive knowledge absorption.
This is not an all-inclusive list. Everything listed above are valuable skills, knowledge and experience to have. Experience that demonstrates practical / mechanical skill, gardening, carpentry, military, medical, herbalist, outdoorsmen, and the ability to cope with varying conditions and needs.
The most important skill of all is attitude. There is an unbelievable level of abject “failure” in peoples minds when they consider the collapse of civilization. By failure, I mean defeat. If they can’t have this present world, they don’t want any world and they want you and everyone else to simply give up.
What they’re really saying is “I quit” and “I’m pampered and I refuse to try if I have to work at living.” Many people seem to think that a free ride is owed to them. The harsh reality is this - those who have remained soft all of their lives will be fodder. Those that believe that the world will be “too harsh” to handle have already defeated themselves. Those that quit are already dead. Those that refuse to see these changes as opportunities are setting themselves up for failure.
What opportunity am I referring to here? A new way of living is being forged. We will have the “old” technological world and we will also have the harsh reality of depletion and climate change at the same time. The challenge and opportunity is whether or not we can learn to live in this existence. It certainly won’t be the same as it is today, and it will be fraught with danger and death. But it will also be a chance to forge new relationships with each other on a level heretofore unseen in this present world. And will also be an opportunity to live within our means on the Earth.