Search Results for: collapse

Martial Arts in The Collapse: A Question of Limits – Part 1, by Dr. Joseph

…being reduced to 0, it was proposed in the previous article that a Mad Max scenario of multigenerational collapse would occur. The sociological and historical evidence indicates such periods of collapse will be times of hyper-violence; with the lack of preparedness and weakness of most people in modern societies, high levels of mental illness and psychological issues, and many totally welfare-dependent, the breakdown of the social support systems will drive them to desperation and savage violence. But, only for a limited time, as their fate is sealed by their own choice of lifestyles. Confronting the Collapse The survivalist will face two scenarios regarding collapse: (1) the period of tribulation of the collapse, the great breakdown and die-off of the bulk of humanity, and (2) threats in the post-apocalyptic wastelands, after the collapse. There are many issues here, both tactical and philosophical, but my previous concern was melee weapons in both…


Trades for Surviving After the Collapse, by A.W.

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You have been preparing for the unknown– economic collapse, social unrest, nuclear war, or even just a downsize at work– for quite awhile now. Perhaps you are feeling confident in your ability to survive a catastrophic event by putting to use your survival know-how and stores of food. You even learned valuable gardening skills that will ensure your long-term survival. Now, imagine what life will be like after the collapse for which you have diligently prepared. You will be surviving, but will you be thriving? You will be eating, but will you be contributing to the rebuilding of your region by way of trade, commerce, and productivity? You will be alive and relatively well, but will you be cementing a positive future after a collapse?     There is a divergence of opinion as to what the world will look like after a disaster or collapse. Some survival experts see the…


Surviving the Collapse, Not Only Physically But Spiritually, by F.C.

So often, we hear about how to prepare for the future collapse. We hear, and correctly so, that we should store up food and other essentials to survive in the future. However, what will life really be like after the collapse has taken place? What will we do besides just survive? What should we do? Let’s assume that there is no longer any electrical power, either due to an EMP, general societal collapse, terrorist attack, natural disaster, or some other reason. This means there is no more Internet, cable or satellite service, television, Facebook, video gaming, and texting, and it means there are no more cell phones with service at all. Now, if you happen to have purchased a solar kit with inverter and deep cell battery (or if you have a gas or diesel-powered generator), you should be able to power up some of these devices, for a limited…


Our Struggle With Survivalism, by R.B.

…one simply must decide if they believe that, given the evidence at hand, there will or will not be an economic collapse in this nation that will likely also be a global economic collapse as well. To disbelieve clear evidence simply because the ramifications of such a collapse are too unpleasant to contemplate is not a rational conclusion. In order to opt out of survivalism, one must honestly and with conviction weigh the evidence of our current economic situation and come to the conclusion that there really is nothing to fear. If that is the case, then no adjustment to life need be made. However, if we honestly look at the economic situation and determine that what we observe us untenable and unsustainable, then inaction is nothing but foolishness. Also, while no one wants to experience a societal collapse with all the horror and hardship that comes with it, to…


How to Do More than Survive at the Different Stages of Societal Collapse, by Tamara W.

Dmitry Orlov wrote about the five stages of social collapse. In descending order, these stages are: financial, commercial, political, social and – last and certainly worst – cultural. In the face of a collapsing society, what can be done to lessen the immediate and local impact at each of these stages? How can we lessen the personal impact of societal collapse? Preparedness is key in any disaster, and societal collapse is certainly a disaster on epic scale. The question then is what to do at each stage of societal collapse. Here is how to do more than survive at each stage of societal collapse, and what one can do to prepare in advance of each stage. In the financial collapse, currency hyper-inflates or becomes unavailable. If currency becomes unavailable, either due to hoarding or restrictions on allowed cash withdrawals, money becomes scarce. If currency hyper-inflates, the theoretical cost of paying…


Dietary Change To Fit A Post Collapse World- Part 2, By J.L. Augusta

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…at a dietary change to fit a post collapse world. Doing so in advance of a collapse has its clear advantages. Transitioning Food Sources Transitioning out of a high carbohydrate diet typically occurs when a person has started to deplete their glucose stores within their body. Usually this happens when a person’s body goes into starvation mode and the body starts to consume body fat for energy. The process of using fat as energy is called ketosis, and the body produces ketones via the liver. The transition phase from a glucose energy source to a ketone energy source can be extremely uncomfortable and sometimes referred to as the “keto flu”. This phase exhibits flu-like symptoms without actually being infected and typically lasts between seven and ten days. In a post-collapse world, this could result in limited functionality and leave the individual or group extremely vulnerable. Moving To Ketogenic Diet Prior…


Dark Age 2.0: Melee Weapons – Part 1, by Dr. Joseph

…as Europe, that arose from the collapse of Rome, constitute a metamorphosis, while others collapse in total, such as the Viking settlement in Greenland and the case of Easter Island. [8] The total collapse scenario, as seen in the end of Easter Island, typically involves hyper-violence [9]; I call this the Mad Max scenario, after the movies. Following Gibbon, many theorists propose that the principal mechanism of collapse is internal, at least to begin with; as Ophuls puts it, “a civilization declines when it has exhausted its physical and moral capital.” [10] As Will Durant has written: “A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within.” [11] In general, many collapseology theorists agree with the internal decay thesis, adding their own variations. Thus, Oswald Spengler in The Decline of West [12] saw all civilizations existing like organisms, having a birth, a period of virility,…


The Five Stages of Survival Grief, by Dr. Bob

…day in a dollar collapse may be too long. Have a plan for yourself and your group for collapse day. What happens if you are wrong? So, you have more dog food and gas that you might need that month, big deal. You may also find something that your “24-hour list” might be missing. We have a “24-hour list” that has many helpful survival items that we have thought about buying in quantities and without worry of cost in the event of collapse, as recommended by many prior articles and books on the subject. We have moved past the denial of ever needing it to have it ready. If you have not, perhaps it is time. Second, realize that sometimes it is the little things that get to us more than the bigger ones. “So there has been a complete collapse, oh well. But we ran out of (BLANK)?!!?!?!?! That’s…


Retreat Owner Profiles

…(6 adults and 5 children) for a possible total of 13 people; concern they will have difficulty traveling to retreat following a disaster/collapse and in anticipation we have to extend considerably the food supply. What type of disaster is likely: financial collapse; hyperinflation and currency devaluation; possible, but less likely, EMP strike. How long might the disaster last: At least one year, but more likely five to ten years. What is the worst case scenario: collapse of all levels of government and lack of any law enforcement, collapse of the electrical power grid, followed by attempts at martial law, followed by widespread lawlessness. What personal circumstances shaped your preparations: growing up on a farm that was largely self-sufficient; no interest in ever working for or accepting unearned benefits from the government; concerns with growth and excessive spending of federal government and attempts to abridge the second amendment; Fed delaying the…


Letter Re: The History of Societal Collapse and Implications for The American Redoubt

Mr. Rawles, I recently watched a speech given by Jared Diamond, author of the books Guns, Germs and Steel and Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, among others.  It was very interesting and prompted me to write this post (which I first posted over at Guerrillamerica.com.) I’m watching Jared Diamond speak about why societies collapse.   As you may know, Diamond wrote the book Guns, Germs, and Steel and Collapse, among others (and they’re all great).  Here are five factors that Jared says affect the collapse of societies.  I’ll take notes and relate these effects to the American Redoubt region.  Think of these as thinking points as opposed to talking points. Human Impacts on the Environment There are massive human impacts on the environment in parts of the American Redoubt, although much of the Redoubt states are a majority of Federally-owned lands.  Because Redoubt states are so richly endowed…


Should I Bug Out or Survive in Place?- Part 2, by Jonathan Hollerman

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…it. However, you believe that a financial collapse, pandemic, or (insert your SHTF Scenario X here) is more likely to occur in the near future. You are convinced, by God, that the dollar is going to collapse in six months and that’s what you are getting ready for. Great! You might be right. But what if you are wrong? See, here’s the thing…. If you plan and prepare for a grid-down event, a financial collapse or pandemic will be a walk in the park. But if your plans strictly revolve around bugging in, boarding up your windows in town, gardening in your back yard, forming a security team with your neighbors, and fighting off the looters brought on by the coming financial collapse, and then instead of a financial collapse we end up getting hit by an EMP attack from North Korea or Iran, you and your loved ones are…


Should I Bug Out or Survive in Place?- Part 3, by Jonathan Hollerman

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…not possess. A hospital and doctors , for example. Such towns in the past had discipline for the simple reason that there was a small elite who provided many of the jobs and had great influence with the other businessman who provided the remainer. I agree with you that welfare, local economic collapses, meth and oxycontin have undermined that in many places. But not all. Obviously, a problem arises if the major local industry goes bankrupt because it can’t receive or service orders from remote customers. The Roman Empire in the West collapsed in part because it could no longer protect shipping on the Mediterranean Sea — including the huge shipments of grain from Egypt. 5) Could the military keep the interstates and railroads safe from bandits in a grid down situation? For a while, IMO. Look at where Army forts are situated in CONUS. Shortwave comms don’t consume much…


The Unrealistic Mentality of the Modern Survivalist, by Bryan R.

I am guilty of falling into the “Wolverines!” mindset from time-to-time, that being the image of going toe-to-toe with the insidious foreign invasion force and setting up ambushes to destroy the evil occupiers or perhaps having to confront droves of hostiles, be they urban gang-bangers, local looters, or some other such group of less than savory individuals. The modern survivalist seems to be rather obsessed with the idea of a total collapse of all centralized authority to the point where society is little better than Somalia, although historical precedent doesn’t give much credibility to this theory. The idea of a “total collapse” has been covered to the point of ad nauseam but what of the idea of a “partial” or “limited” collapse? If you have prepared for a total collapse and your entire mindset, mentality, and preparations are focused on that, what if the collapse is less than total? What…


Dietary Change To Fit A Post Collapse World- Part 1, By JLA

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In most first-world nations, the diet most individuals partake in consists of a high carbohydrate, moderate to low protein, and low fat regimen. This diet type is inefficient for a post-collapse world. Tribal groups who have had to live in a more limited and primitive manner had a diet that consisted of a high fat, moderate protein, and low carbohydrate regimen, also known today as a Ketogenic diet or Paleo diet. This article will go into the negative aspects of continuing a high carbohydrate diet and the positive aspects of transitioning into a high fat diet before the collapse occurs. It assumes that people in urban areas will not be able to produce their own food sources in any meaningful manner, due to lack of viable land for crop production and/or enough sources of meat. This article focuses on suburban and rural areas instead, but it is also noted that…


Getting Ready For the Long Walk-Part 1, by Lone Wolf and Cub

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…cause widespread disruption in food distribution. Grocery store shelves will be cleared out in a matter of hours. Most people will be hungry and angry. Within a matter of days, the world as we know it will collapse. The author Dmitry Orlov describes this as, “Faith in the goodness of humanity is lost.” It is the final level of a book that describes the the five stages of collapse of human civilization. You need to get rid of any self doubts about whether total collapse is possible or not. You must now realize that there exists a very real danger that total collapse is a clear and present danger; and it must be acted upon. Stage 1: Facing Your Fears Get right with God. Understand that If you have grown up in a western society, then you have been at least covertly raised a Christian. Accept Christian Responsibility to Provide…