If you are reading this, it is because you are already aware of many of the events that you may think could be the catalyst for TEOTWAWKI. Many think it will be something that quickly turns the whole world upside down and causes the Golden Horde to attack your retreat, threaten your family, steal your food supply and rape, pillage and burn the neighborhood; all by tomorrow night. It’s something envisioned on a national rather than regional or local scale. Some attempt the overwhelming task of preparing for the national event. More prepare for the regional or local event. Most prepare for nothing. They are soon to be the fabled Golden Horde, but it’s unlikely that they will do so by tomorrow night, justification for those who do nothing.
In today’s world, it’s easy to become an alarmist, emulating “Chicken Little.” Riots, Police Actions, Political Upheaval, Food Production Crisis’, Energy Crisis’, Stock, Market Crisis, Peak Oil, etc., etc., etc.. Everything is a crisis; if you are an Internet surfer, you’ve been exposed to many more crises that never hit the mainstream media. Most promoting these ‘crises’ are doing it for the money. A few are doing it because they know it’s coming and they don’t want to be alone and unprepared when it happens; they just don’t know when, or in what form it will occur.
‘Survivalists’ / ‘preppers’ are a special breed, but many have focused on TEOTWAWKI to the point that their creditability is sometimes lost in their enthusiasm. Some get obsessed to the point, they don’t enjoy the other parts of their lives. Their friends, relatives and associates may think they’ve lost their minds, as it gradually, or immediately, becomes a way of life to them. I know this applies to me. I write this article as a personal attempt to bring a little reality to the table, and thereby focus on the attitude and mindset that controls most of this.
The likely events that may ultimately cause TEOTWAWKI simply will not occur instantaneously or overnight, but are rather a series of smaller events in succession; unless it’s a EMP blast, or an asteroid impact and pole shift. Instantaneous or overnight events are regional or local in nature, like a Katrina or an earthquake, a dirty bomb or a riot in Egypt. They are devastating to those that are in them, but not to the general population of the areas adjoining the devastated area. They are a shorter term disaster, and preparation for those types of events is something that is a short term, finite duration, event. Those events are life changing for those immediately affected, but again, not for the population as a whole. By their very nature, they are easier to prepare for than a true TEOTWAWKI scenario. Some will die, but most will likely live. There will be some looting, a few shootings, some arrests, a few will go hungry for a while, but most will live and to most it will be just a bad memory.
For that reason, the shorter term, regional or local events, are the ones that people can get their minds around; as these are the events they see on tv, but seldom, if ever, in their own home town. They can’t relate to and picture them actually happening to them, where they live. In Egypt recently, some that I know, made up all the reasons why they’d be ok if they just stayed away from the demonstrations. If they don’t get involved, they needn’t prepare for anything. The rest of the country is okay, they say. They also believe that someone else will help them if they just stay out of the frey. Still, some will be a little prepared, and most will not be prepared at all. In the US, the unprepared are still involved in American Idol, Dancing With The Stars or some other form of entertainment which justifies their denial and therefore no reason to think about what those crazy ‘preppers’ are doing. After all, look at Egypt, it’s all back to normal now.
Those who envision and see the reasons for the ultimate national disruption are the ones that people think are crazy. I’m one of those. TEOTWAWKI will be on a national and likely a world wide scale. — But, it will start small; a little here, a little there until a series of seemingly small events kicks it all off. It will be exactly like the frog in the pot, who is positive he’s just sitting in a recreational hot tub with a thermostat that will keep it below 106 degrees.
Here are a few “Reality Checks”:
Peak Oil: It doesn’t mean we’ll run out of oil by Friday. It simply means that fuel and everything else will get more expensive. The question here is how much, how soon. Nothing to go crazy about today, but without planning for it, it will affect everything in your life, unless you’re independently wealthy. Try to picture anything in the room that you’re sitting in that was manufactured and got to you without oil being used somewhere in the cycle. There is nothing.
Food Shortages: You’ll have steak, a baked potato and salad this week and next. It will quickly become much more expensive because of Peak Oil and all that it brings: more expensive fertilizer, farm machine operating expenses, processing and delivery expenses, etc, etc, Droughts, floods, climate change and all the rest of the ‘crises’ will also cause shortages and subsequently higher prices; maybe even limited or no availability. That doesn’t yet mean you won’t be able to get it, if you’re independently wealthy. Grains are up 70% in 2010, (both cows and people are grain fed) and the U.S. reserves are at an all time low.
Civil Unrest: Most riots are short lived. Nothing to worry about, just keep your head down and keep a low profile. But wait, maybe the riot is caused by empty fuel tanks at the gas stations. Maybe it’s caused by empty store shelves because of high fuel prices or lack of fuel availability for trucks. Maybe it’s caused because of higher taxes and decreased services — fewer cops and higher crime. Or perhaps other causes? Today, it could be almost anything, but likely because of lack of something. Again, not a problem if you’re independently wealthy.
Yellowstone Volcanic Eruption: What happens when the ash has spread throughout the mid-west and southwest from border to border a five million people are dead, and the rest are slowly suffocating while they are out searching for fuel and food or water? Not a problem if you are independently wealthy and have built and provisioned a underground bunker in Kansas. But have a way to get there before the ash settles.
Hopefully, I’ve made my point. Anything can happen, and the likelihood of something occurring that could be catastrophic to you and yours becomes greater every day because of population, weather, the economy and politics. You may have noticed that I kept writing: “unless you’re independently wealthy”. All that wealth does is give you a little bit of time. It’s not the end-all cure-all for your future problems. The facts are that “it” , whatever “it” is, may not be available at any price, get it now or plan to do without it. Get some junk silver while “it” is still available, but before hyperinflation makes it too pricey. Slow methodical preparation is the answer. Just don’t let it become obsessive. You can still watch American Idol, just do your daily preparedness task first. Let Mr. Rawles get you started. Make your own lists as he recommends, and do it now. You won’t be sorry. Whether it’s local or world-wide, you’re in the pot and the thermostat is broken.