Search Results for: collapse

I Survived an Economic Collapse – Part 1, by Siempre Listo

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…people go begging for food on the streets. Violent crime skyrockets. Vigilante groups form to protect neighborhoods from criminals. It Happened in Mexico A future scenario? No. All this actually happened, in 1982, but not in the United States. It happened in Mexico, where I was living at the time. Some commentators speculate about what might happen in a future economic collapse. We hear many different theories about how the banks might react, how the government might respond, and what panicked investors might do. Well, 36 years ago, I survived an economic collapse. Not a total collapse, but it was bad enough. Following is my story of what actually happened before, during and after an economic collapse, how I survived it, and lessons I learned from it. I moved to Mexico in 1979, with the idea of supporting myself teaching English as a second language (ESL). This actually worked well…


Post Collapse Barter: The Rest of the Story, by D.T.R.

Post collapse barter has been a hot topic for as long as I have been lurking around the Survival Community. Yet each time I read the offerings on the subject they have left me feeling like the whole story is not being told. This is an attempt to tell that story.   Post collapse barter is often presented in romanticized ways of a simpler and happier life such as depicted by Eddie Albert playing the role of the Persian peddler “Ali Hakim” in the Rogers and Hammerstein musical “Oklahoma.” He went town to town peddling everything from perfume to frying pans with his horse and wagon. A Spartan life to be sure but he was the model of happiness. After all, he had a girlfriend in every town! Or the notion of an impromptu open air market in the town square where people gather to fellowship and trade.   This…


Spiritual Preparedness for Hard Times, by ZeBo

…discipline and prepares us to deal with loss and hard times. These disciplines are not some sort of mystical practices or vague spiritual concepts, rather they are like physical exercise. They are practical, how to, type skills that can aide any believer in maintaining a living and active faith; one which is also prepared to face adversity in a righteous manner. What follows will be rooted deeply in the process that God has taken me through over the last several years in stepping out of our materialistic culture and returning to true pursuit of Christ. I don’t claim to have everything figured out, but I certainly hope that my experiences will be helpful to other brothers and sisters who are faced with the knowledge that collapse will hit our nation. Lest anyone misunderstand, let me clarify, I am not saying that physical preparedness should not be practiced as some have…


Guest Article: Ideas Concerning A Post-Collapse World, by M.S.

In thinking about the results of a total collapse of financial institutions in the United States, some conclusions can be drawn to identify events that would unfold immediately following the collapse. Following these conclusions, however, it becomes increasingly difficult to theorize how the subsequent future of society would look once order is restored. The collapse will obviously be violent and downright depressing. The cities will see conflagrations, mass killings, and famine, similar to what is seen in urban warfare. Because of the violence and difficulties living in the cities, there will likely be a migration of survivors into the rural areas in search of food, shelter, and peace. Luckily for those in rural areas, most “urbanites” will be on foot since gasoline will be gone quickly in a collapse, either from poor usage planning or thievery. These sojourners will not get too far before they either settle in nearby suburbs…


Guest Article: Surviving A Collapse: The Gold and Silver Game, by Capt. William E. Simpson II

…people, and all of these people require the same resources– drinking water, food, shelter, clothing, medicine, and other items to support life. The demand for these resources is now at the very limits of the new “just-in-time” supply chain infrastructure, which is extremely vulnerable to a myriad of potential points of failure, including but not limited to any financial collapse. I will put it bluntly; if you fail to read When Money Dies, you will remain uninformed and in the dark. And when a correction (nice way to articulate a collapse) comes, the effect of that collapse will be devastating this time around for many reasons that did not exist previously, as we now begin to understand. The parallels we now see unfolding between what happened in the Weimar Republic and the United States today are truly unsettling, and these conclusions are not being drawn with some product or service…


Dark Age 2.0: Melee Weapons – Part 4, by Dr. Joseph

…back to melee weapons. This is also the likely future even in the US some decades after the collapse. The article has looked at melee weapon choice, with a concern for economics and cost, given the tough economic times we are in, and the likelihood of economic collapse coming in the near future. Only brief mention has been made of training issues. In my next planned article, more will be said about this, in the context of examining the relevance of unarmed martial arts in a collapse of civilization/Dark Age 2.0 scenario. References [1] See: “Letter Re: Swords and Bows for that Dreaded Multigenerational Scenario,’ September 10, 2006, https://survivalblog.com/2006/09/10/letter-re-swords-and-bows-for/; September 11, 2006, https://survivalblog.com/2006/09/11/letter-re-swords-and-bows-for-1/. September 12, 2006, https://survivalblog.com/2006/09/12/letter-re-swords-and-bows-for-2/; September 14, 2006, https://survivalblog.com/2006/09/14/letter-re-swords-and-bows-for-3/; September 15, 2006, https://survivalblog.com/2006/09/15/letter-re-swords-and-bows-for-4/; September 16, 2006, https://survivalblog.com/2006/09/16/letter-re-swords-and-bows-for-5/; September 17, 2006, https://survivalblog.com/2006/09/17/letter-re-swords-and-bows-for-6/; September 19, 2006, https://survivalblog.com/2006/09/19/letter-re-swords-and-bows-for-7/; September 21, 2006, https://survivalblog.com/2006/09/21/letter-re-swords-and-bows-for-8/; September 23, 2006, https://survivalblog.com/2006/09/23/two-letter-re-swords-and-bows/; September 27, 2006, https://survivalblog.com/2006/09/27/letter-re-swords-and-bows-for-9/; March…


Martial Arts in The Collapse: A Question of Limits – Part 3, by Dr. Joseph

…reader critique, or confirmation, of this conclusion within the framework of an expected impending Mad Max multigenerational collapse, but until then, I leave the matter as it stands. References [1] M. C. Schippers et al., “Is Society Caught Up in a Death Spiral? Modelling Societal Demise and its Reversal,” Frontiers in Sociology, March 12, 2024: doi: 10.3389/fsoc.2024.1194597. [2] See the argument given in S. J. Smith and J. W. Smith, “Dark Age 2.0: The Coming Collapse of Civilization,” July 13, 2023 https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2023-07-12/dark-age-20-coming-collapse-civilization. [3] D. Tueller, “How Close is Too Close?” S. W. A. T. Magazine, March 1983. [4] D. Pentecost, Put ‘Em Down, Take ‘Em Out! Knife Fighting Techniques from Folsom Prison, (Paladin Press, 1988). [5] F. Griffin, Be Ready When the S*** Goes Down: A survival Guide to the Apocalypse, (it Books, New York, 2011). [6] As above, p. 45. [7] C. Courtley, SEAL Survival Guide: A Navy SEAL’s…


Thoughts About Gold, by Todd from Florida

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…economic disaster (and we will if the Democrats win) there is a much better than 50/50 chance that your friends and relatives won’t have PMs to insure their ability to survive and they will see you still eating and come begging. THEY are the uninsured that everyone is trying to warn you about. HP One way to look at it: instead of worrying about what the utility and/or viability of things you’re buying might be during a collapse, think about how you can beat inflation. What’s more likely to happen- inflation or total collapse of society? One of those things has been ongoing and documented in the US for 100+ years (and consistently everywhere throughout history), the other has not happened in this country. Its fun to imagine how you would survive TEOTWAWKI scenario, but inflation has been stealing your wealth from cradle to grave. Try to view your purchases…


Letter: Timing of Collapse

Sir: There has been some debate as to whether ‘the Collapse’ will precipitate quickly or not. I think it will depend on the immediate cause of the collapse. I was in the Ba’ath Party Headquarters in Baghdad in 2003 a couple of days after our cruise missiles hit it, starting the war. It was though Saddam Hussein was there watching a movie, but he was not. I walked through the Headquarters, and saw blood and brain tissue on the walls. I found a cruise missile fan blade on the roof. All the carpets, vases, pictures, furniture, et cetera had been stolen, virtually overnight. The system collapsed almost instantly, and it was “each man for himself.” In a military attack or coup d’état, I believe the collapse would be quick. If the collapse is precipitated by a economic depression, on the other hand, which I believe it will be, it will…


Default – Deflation – Depression, by Kelsey Williams

…a new experiment of making more and cheaper credit available and buying up the non-performing debt. Bank failures happen when banks violate the reserve requirements set by the Federal Reserve and are unable to meet the ongoing demand for money from their customers. Bank failures were a common occurrence during the early 1930s and are evidence of the ongoing risks associated with fractional-reserve banking. (see Fractional-Reserve Banking – Elephant In The Room) An asset price collapse is more often than not associated with stock prices. The stock market collapse in 1929 is the most prominent example; and it was a factor on three occasions in this century (2000-02, 2007-09, 2020). An asset price collapse, however, includes all assets denominated in dollars and includes stocks, bonds, commodities, and real estate. We are currently in the early stages of another asset price collapse. DEFLATION Deflation is the opposite of inflation; it is…


Nobody Wants To Be That Guy, by The Lone Canadian

…locale. Even in JWR’s books, and his are set in various locations, we have no way of knowing how other parts of the country, or other countries in the world, are actually doing. We have no idea what the death toll would be. And to be honest, in this situation, most people would be so focused on day-to-day living that they wouldn’t care. Remember, that we haven’t ever had a true financial collapse in a modern, First World nation. We most often look at the 1930s in America, or the Weimar Republic in Germany for anecdotal evidence. The “Dirty Thirties” were almost a century ago, and the Weimar Republic longer than that. Populations were not only more self-sufficient, but were more dispersed, and were not dependent on technology to survive. Serbia? Yes, I’ve read a lot of articles by Selco, about the collapse, and the aftermath. I haven’t got his…


Hyperinflation is Coming: 10 Basic Steps to Surviving an Impending Currency Collapse, by S.P. – Part 2

…(if possible) Once again, inflationary psychology may become a catalyst that leads to food shortages, so the more food an individual can grow on their own the less dependent they will be on a supermarket. Educate yourself on gardening and begin to grow your own food. Read The Resilient Gardener: Food Production and Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times by Carol Deppe . STEP 8: Resolve to Increase Your Macro-Economic Intelligence Financial knowledge is power. The greater an individual’s financial intelligence, the greater will be their ability to decipher Fed monetary policy and the impact it will have on their life. Review my references and read the books, articles, and blogs. View “Debt Collapse – $20,000 Gold – Mike Maloney on Gold, Silver & Economics“. STEP 9: Adopt the Mindset of a Survivalist Hyperinflation in the U.S.A. could lead to a societal collapse. If Steps 3 through 7 are implemented, an individual…


Hyperinflation is Coming: 10 Basic Steps to Surviving an Impending Currency Collapse, by S.P. – Part 1

…inflation rate of 50% or more [per] month”;[5] and once this sky-high level is attained nobody in their right mind will desire to keep their money because of the fact that out-of-control inflation is rapidly eroding its attractiveness as a “store of value.”[6] The entire course of economic history is littered with nations who’ve witnessed the debasement and collapse in the value of their currencies. Notable and well-documented examples of countries that faced this dire, financially apocalyptic fate include Germany’s Weimar Republic (1921 – 1924), Argentina (1975 – 1991), and probably most spectacular of all is the rampant 231 million percent inflation Zimbabwe experienced where a single loaf of bread ended up costing over $10 million![7] Are you prepared for a German-style Depression in the U.S.A.? Unfortunately, the controversial news I have for you is that several prominent financial minds believe hyperinflation is coming to America. The reason you’re reading…


Bee Colony Collapse Disorder and Adapting Gardens for Surviving TEOTWAWKI, by Craig D.

…to produce a seed (i.e. no pollination = no seed). Colony collapse disorder (CCD) is a phenomenon in which worker bees from a beehive or European honey bee colony abruptly disappear.  This phenomenon was named for the sudden collapse of North American honey bees in late 2006, (similar collapses have been seen in Europe, India, Brazil and Taiwan).  The reasons for this collapse are not known as of yet but the major factors seem to be from either a virus, Varroa mites and / or a fungal parasite called Nosema.  There is no known remedy for this as of yet but scientists are busy working on the issue. “The phenomenon is particularly important for crops such as California almonds where honey bees are the predominant pollinator.  The crop value in 2006 was estimated at $1.5 billion.  In 2000, the total U.S. crop value that was wholly dependent on honey bee…


Guest Article: Self-Employment as a Form of Preparedness, by S.G.

…on limited information is just another day at the office. Providing Leadership in a Collapse – In a post-collapse world there will be an endless number of missions that need to be completed ranging anywhere from building latrines to guard duty. The unprepared masses will be lost and in need of direction. Being a prepared individual with leadership skills will make it easy for you to direct small groups toward accomplishing goals. Without leadership, even a small number of people can become chaotic very quickly. Strengthened Resolve – On the way to building a successful business, entrepreneurs are met with constant setbacks and challenges. This forces the development of a “never give up” attitude and an underlying belief and confidence in oneself. Most of us will agree that life after a collapse would be full of challenges that test your resolve, day in and day out. Having the will and…