Family Life

[MaryN]

So many of the posts I have seen on here seem to involve the writer heading off (post troubles) on his own into the bush to play hermit or "lone wolf". Interesting proposition, but are any of you planning to round up any of the outer circle of your families, such as parents, siblings or even other relatives, to try and help them survive?

Just to expand the thread a bit further, have any of you considered communal living. By this I mean sharing accommodation and skills to help each other along?

Some years ago I spent two years living on a tiny island in the Pacific, and looking back and, in context of all the info on this site, I realise that it was pretty similar to some of the scenarios outlined here. No electricity for the native dwellings, grow, fish or forage for food, and a general very strong sense of community. Probably very similar to many of the third-world countries in the world today, and so different to the civilisation of the UK. What strikes me now is how vital cooperation was to that tiny community. More hands helping with the fishing nets meant more fish caught; more help with building huts helped everyone.

I just wonder if the concept of lone-wolfism would actually work for very long - I suspect not.

[Metroyeti]

Depending on the situation I will try and group together my mum,gran and a few friends.i think you could survive for a while being a lone wolf, but if its long term you will struggle. Trying to manage any crops on a larger scale than your average garden will be hard, especialy if you carnt use modern technology

[Highlander]

I guess we would all like family around, but these days most families are spread about a bit,... We have married sons and daughters living in the borders, I am sure that if they were able they would head north in a shot, this would help in many, many ways, I think this would happen in most situations

The one that is more worrying is if the Emergency happen to be an EMP, then there would be now way they could make it.

One of our family members walked it from the borders to here for charity, he is a very fit young guy, and it took him a week to complete, it would be an almost impossible task for young families.... if this was the case, they would have to manage the best way they could, and hope they make it

As well a family, I am prepping for one other couple,..lol they dont know it yet, and I doubt they will till the time comes, but he is the local gamekeeper with access to rifles, if something serious was to happen, we would offer him and his wife refuse

Mary, I remember many, many years ago I spent time with a group of men and women on a small island of the coast of Malaya called `Paula Bazzar`,.. [ that's how it is said, I don't know if it is spelt right ], the only people on it was a group of Monks,.. we spent about a month doing nothing but surviving with what we could catch,.. the are was very plentiful though

[bigpaul]

apart from OH and myself, step daughter and family are in a large town 25 miles away..they probably wont make it here in time and we havent got the room anyway, apart from that cousin about 30 miles away, other cousin lives in Australia, half sister lives near Reading, a recent widow and the only one i am really worried about but she is so far away i dont think i can do much about it.

[Luci_ferson]

(10 March 2013, 16:46)MaryN Wrote: So many of the posts I have seen on here seem to involve the writer heading off (post troubles) on his own into the bush to play hermit or "lone wolf". Interesting proposition, but are any of you planning to round up any of the outer circle of your families, such as parents, siblings or even other relatives, to try and help them survive?

Just to expand the thread a bit further, have any of you considered communal living. By this I mean sharing accommodation and skills to help each other along?

Some years ago I spent two years living on a tiny island in the Pacific, and looking back and, in context of all the info on this site, I realise that it was pretty similar to some of the scenarios outlined here. No electricity for the native dwellings, grow, fish or forage for food, and a general very strong sense of community. Probably very similar to many of the third-world countries in the world today, and so different to the civilisation of the UK. What strikes me now is how vital cooperation was to that tiny community. More hands helping with the fishing nets meant more fish caught; more help with building huts helped everyone.

I just wonder if the concept of lone-wolfism would actually work for very long - I suspect not.

even with all the prepping and planning ive had to go through, and the fact i know I can survive just about anything (already have a lot of things).
Ive still got this thing constantly eating away at me, and thats familly and doing whats right for them. (the times of just me are long gone)
Luckilhy i dont bother with my sister, and my Bro is dead. but I still worry about my mother and her husband.
Sadly they are both old and frail and frankly theyre bordering on dementia.
I know I cant realistically do anything to help them without endangering my own familly (this sucks).
So id say regarding familly worries yep ive got loads.

as for your question about comunial living.

even with everything ive got and already done, id leave it all behind tomorrow if there was a self reliant comunity somewhere that would take me and my familly in right now, and teach us their ways.
Id join the ahmish if theyd have us.

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would my familly want to,
my misses probably would, but the kids would hate me for it.

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if id been with you in the pacific id have never come back,

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sounds pretty much like heaven to me

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great thread by the way, it reminded me that no matter how stupid us sophisticated folk get, theres still places left where people live right.

[Straight Shooter]

I am prepping for 15 mary 3 son in laws 3 daughters and 7 grandchildren and us 2 .. already there with a commune....

[Luci_ferson]

ive got extras put away, but extras aint the same as actually having able bodied people you can rely on and trust as though they are your brothers.

[ObongoPox]

In 2002,I did 8 month solo stint on uninhabited (fresh-water lake)island in northern Sweden.

[Straight Shooter]

you are still here OP so you must have done ok

[MaryN]

Mm, some interesting replies. Personally, my gut instinct is to try and gather what's left of my family in one place. There are not many on my side, but OH has a bit of an extended family. Trouble is, most of them would be as useful as a tit on a bull! Still, I would find the stress of worrying about the useless whotsits far greater than actually dealing with them, so it would be a commune for me as well!