Is it possible we are all just kidding ourselves?

[MaryN]

Tibbs, I understand your point exactly, it's a view I take myself and mull over on those rare occasions when I have a bit of free thinking time. The fact is that no-one knows what events are going to hit us and in what timescale, we can only prepare as best as we can. I did stand outside looking round yesterday and wondering what would happen if just the few people down our lane were cast adrift in a calamitous event. My conclusion was that it would not be pretty - some would be off to find their families; others would be in a state of panic and would probably expire quite quickly out of sheer funk. Even the inhabitants of the nearest village, if they spread out across the local area, would cause chaos and consternation to everyone else.

My conclusion is that the only way to have any hope of survival is to be in a community that has its members interests at heart and is prepared to fight and defend it. I can't see any other way round it. Apart from the obvious benefits of support and assistanse, there would be a strong element of security - most important. I don't see loners as surviving for very long. Just my own considered opinion, you understand.

[bigpaul]

there are many places in the UK where the "community" will get you killed, I'm thinking inner city and many of the so called "council " estates in our large cities, I spent a lot of years around these sorts of people and I wouldn't rely on any of them in a pinch even in the good times, never mind WTSHTF. much better to be a lone wolf and rely on no-one but yourself.

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I lived for many years in a leafy suburb of Plymouth, closer to the Cornish border(The Tamar Bridge) than the city centre, nice friendly people, short walk to the river, woods all around, that same suburb is now full of druggies that take short cuts through other peoples gardens and try to kick in peoples front doors at 4AM..presumably to see what they can steal to fund their habits, my friends wife(they still live there)said to me "its not the same place you left, Paul"...its sure isn't.

[T-oddity]

Neither lone wolf or being part of a community guaranties survival and it is very much down to personal circumstance, thirty years ago I would have gone lone wolf now with a family, ageing parents and good like minded friends I look to being part of a resilient community as a best chance for survival.

[bigpaul]

(22 July 2014, 08:30)T-oddity Wrote: I look to being part of a resilient community as a best chance for survival.

if only that were true for everybody! unfortunately its not always possible, its just me, the wife and the dog, neighbours don't have much of a clue, not that many will remain post SHTF anyway once the deliveries stop and the power is off.

[Tibbs735]

Thanks for all the responses so far guys. If anyone's interested I posted the same question to the Facebook PreppersUK page, which is also worth a read.

[bigpaul]

ok, i'll have to get the wife to have a look, I'm not on Facebook.

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isn't preppers on facebook bad OPSEC? (hardly "grey man" is it?).

[Scythe13]

Tibbs, I 100% understand where you're coming from.

How I see things, if there's a major catastrophic event, my odds of survival are equal to that of any other person walking down the road. That is WHILE the event is happening. However, this only applies in sudden SNAP events (think riot, explosion, dirty-bomb, invasion, meteor strike, emp, etc). Granted a few preps can really help me in these situations to better my chances of survival, but they will not guarantee it or protect from other things, e.g. dust mask to protect lungs, reinforced clothing could protect from debris, first aid kit to treat injuries, etc. As awesome as these could be, an explosion right next to me is not going to be very well protected against. Some things will just wipe you out.

If there is a slower demise event, maybe a 3 year polar shift, a 3-4 year famine, or something like that, my odds of survival are greatly enhanced as a result of my preps. Stored food, water, self sufficient, crops, etc.

Preps increase your chances of survival for certain events, but others....they are just going to kill you.

[bigpaul]

just having a few useful items and some stored food has got to be better than most of the sheeple population who have nothing and expect nothing bad to happen...ever. once their 3 or 4 days worth of food is gone they will be killing each other for a Mars bar or a packet of crisps!!

[Steve]

(23 July 2014, 13:04)bigpaul Wrote: just having a few useful items and some stored food has got to be better than most of the sheeple population who have nothing and expect nothing bad to happen...ever. once their 3 or 4 days worth of food is gone they will be killing each other for a Mars bar or a packet of crisps!!

Spot on. I've seen a few posts where people have lamented the fact that they can't afford to "prep", whereas in reality anyone who buys a few extra tins of corned beef whilst they're on special offer is prepping for a time when they're normal price, or more.

Prepping does not mean buying a £100 knife, it means thinking. Most of us can think, and most of us can afford an extra tin, or save a pop bottle full of water, or plant a few seeds in some unused ground.

In fact, when you think about it, it seems ridiculous that people don't "prep". Why leave a tin of beef with a sell-by date in 2016 in the supermarket when it could be in your larder ? You know you'll eat it, you know it won't get any cheaper, buy it now. Same with fuel, you know your car drinks it, why not stash a 20ltr jerry can away now ? Next time there's a tanker strike you feel smug instead of panicky, or maybe one day you're a bit short of money and you need to get to work, it's a no-brainer.

Non-preppers are the crazies.

[Tibbs735]

Yeah sadly I got involved in Facebook back in high school, when I had no concept of OPSEC online. I took pride in spilling everything to the GCHQ/NSA data gathering service. So I have nothing to lose now really. Were all on the list in the end, some people are just higher than others.

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I take great pride in rattling the cage of British preparedness.