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Going Rogue: 15 Ways To Detach From The System
Submitted by Tess Pennington via SHTFPlan.com,
I am inspired by the very definition of self-reliance: to be reliant on one’s own capabilities, judgment, or resources. Ultimately, it is the epitome of independence and lays the groundwork of what we are all striving for – to live a life based on our personal principles and beliefs.
It is a concept rooted in the groundwork that made America great. Being dependent on our own capabilities and resources helped create a strong, plentiful country for so long. That said, the existing country as it is now is entirely different than when it began.
Why Are We So Dependent?
It is much too complicated to get into how the “system” was created. That said, the purpose is to enslave through debt and to create an interdependence that will force you and your family to never truly find the freedom you are seeking. It manipulates and convinces you to continue purchasing as a sort of status symbol to make you think you are living the good life; while all along, it has enslaved you further. Wonder why we have all of these holidays where you have to buy gifts? The system needs to be fed and forces you into further enslavement. If you don’t buy into this facilitated spending spree, you are socially shamed.
Collectively speaking, the contribution from our easy lifestyle and comfort level has created rampant complacency and a population of dependent, self-entitled mediocres. We no longer count on our sound judgement, capabilities and resources. The system keeps everything in working order so we don’t have to depend on ourselves, and furthermore, don’t want to. I realize that many of the readers here do not fall into this collectivism, as you see through the ideological facade and know that the system is fragile and can crumble.
Breaking away from the system is the only way to avoid the destruction of when it comes crumbling down. When you don’t feed into the manipulation tactics of the system, or enslave yourself to debt, and possess the necessary skills to sustain yourself and your family when large-scale or personal emergencies arise, you will be far better off than those who were dependent on the system. Those who lived during the Great Depression grew up in a time when self-reliance was bred into them and were able to deal with the blow of an economic depression much easier. Which side of this would you want to be on? Those who had the patience to learn the necessary skills, ended up surviving more favorably compared to others who went through the trying times of the Depression.
Develop Personal Dependence
Now is the time to get your hands dirty, to practice a new mindset, skills, make mistakes and keep learning. Developing personal dependence is no easy feat and requires resolute will power to continue on this long and rambling path. To achieve this you have to begin to break away from the confines of the system. You don’t have to run off to the woods to be the lone wolf. Simply by asking yourself, “Will your choices and the way you spend your time lead to more independence down the road, or will it lead to greater dependence?”, will help you gain a greater perspective into being self-reliant. As well, consider ignoring the convenient system altogether. This will help you to detach yourself from complacency and stretch your abilities and your mindset.
Most of us can’t move to an off grid location. We have responsibilities that keep us from doing so. Therefore, live according to what is best for you and your family (common sense, I know) and do what you can. My family and I moved to the rural countryside four years ago to pursue a more self-reliant lifestyle. We learned many lessons along the way and are proud of where we are. Am I 100% self-reliant? No. But, I am venturing closer to living more self-reliantly with each skill I learn. Many of my little homesteading, off-grid ventures can be read about here.
Here’s What You Can Do:
1. Inform Yourself – Understand that there are events on the horizon, some large-scale and some personal that could wreak havoc on your quest toward a self-reliant lifestyle. Informing yourself and planning for them will be your best in staying ahead of the issue.
4 Things You Must Eat to Avoid Malnutrition
Most Likely Ways to Die in a SHTF Event
End of an Era: Prospects Look Bleak For Slowing the Coming Food Crisis
Collapse Survivor: “There Was Little Room For Error… Either You Learn Fast Or End Up Dead”
The Perfect Storm: Grow Local or Grow Hungry?
GMO Labeling: Will Congress Keep Us in the DARK?
2. Learn Skills – When you can depend on your skills to support you and your family’s life, then the outside world doesn’t affect you as much. When large groups of people in a general area possess self-reliant skills, it makes your community stronger.
10 Skills Necessary For Survival
49 Outdoor Skills and Projects to Try
As well, look into these DIY projects found on Ready Nutrition
3. Get Out of Debt – It is paramount that each of us begin actively practicing economic self-discipline. Many believe that because of the ease in money confiscations from the banks, you shouldn’t have all of your money stashed there. Diversifying your money and investing in long-term ways to preserve your wealth will ensure you have multiple ways to pay the bills.
How To Break Up With Your Bank
Buy Commodities at Today’s Lower Prices, Consume at Tomorrow’s Higher Prices
Money and Wealth Preservation During Times of Uncertainty and Instability
How to Use Ebay to Find the Most Affordable Silver
Silver Bullion or Junk Silver for Long-term Bartering?
5 Reasons Why There Is Security In Seeds
4. Store food – Having a supply of food to subsist on in times of dire circumstances ensures that you are not dependent on having your basic needs met by someone else. This gives you the control of what food to put in your body and how you want to live.
25 Must Have Survival Foods: Put Them In Your Pantry Now
11 Emergency Food Items That Can Last a Lifetime
Best Practices For Long Term Food Storage
Meet Your Emergency Food’s Worst Enemies
5. Start raising your own food – With the high prices of meat at the store these days, many are turning to raising their own meat sources. Rabbits, chickens and fish can easily be started in backyard homesteads.
How Micro Livestock Can Be Used For Suburban and Rural Sustainability
Waste Not, Want Not: How To Use EVERY Single Part Of An Animal
6. Prepare for emergencies – Preparing for the unlikely emergencies is a way to insulate yourself from the aftermath. The simplest way to begin preparing is to prepare for the most likely events that can affect you, and go from there.
FREE Emergency Preparedness Guide: 52-Weeks to Preparedness
SHTF Survival: 10 Survival Tools That Should Be In Your Survival Pack
5 Reasons You Should be Preparing
Buy The Prepper’s Blueprint: A Step-By-Step Guide to Prepare You For Any Disaster
Six Ways You Can Keep Yourself Alive With Animal Bones
7. Repurpose – We must take steps to stop being a throw away society and get back to a population who makes do with what they have.
50 Things You Should Stop Buying and Start Making
5 Ways to Make Candles from Household Items
Survival Uses for Household Items
SHTF Planning: 7 Ways to Use The Items Around You To Adapt and Survive
8. Make Your Own Supplies – You have everything around you to survive, but many can’t look outside of the box to see how they can use what they have to survive. Having versatile preparedness supplies saves space and can serve multiple uses that can double up as ingredients to make soaps, medical supplies, etc.
3 Ways to Naturally Make Yeast
10 Dehydrator Meals for Your Prepper Pantry
SHTF Survival: How to Prevent Infections
7 Kitchen Essentials That Deserve To Be On Your Preparedness Shelves
9. Use Up What You Already Have or Find Another Use – Being self-reliant means using up what already have. This is a crucial principle of being self-dependent. Saving leftover construction supplies, food, clothing, etc., can be reused for another day.
Why Everyone Should Have a Rag Bag
8 Slow Cooker Meals Made From Leftovers
10 Household Products You Never Have To Buy Again
Complementing Your Food Storage Pantry with Dehydrated Foods
Five Essential Tools for Fixing Your Clothes on the Cheap
10. Live More Naturally – Life is chaotic these days and many of us feel we have to keep up with everyone else. It’s time to forget that and start living more simply and naturally.
7 Off Grid Projects for Survivalists
Five Eco Friendly Alternatives For Emergency Preparedness
11. Grow Your Own Medicine – With the vast medical advancements in the Western world, we are turning our backs on the first medicine – natural medicine. It’s time we begun exploring a more mindful, natural existence.
30 Most Popular Herbs for Natural Medicine
Step-By-Step Guide to Making Colloidal Silver
Essential Oils for SHTF Medical Care
How to Make Dakin’s Solution for SHTF Medical Care
12. Grow Your Own Food – The cost of making healthy decisions about the food we put into our body is eating our budgets alive. We want the very best foods for our family, but buying solely organic products can be costly. All the while, you are questioning the legitimacy of this produce. Is it genetically modified? Where was this grown? Was it exposed to salmonella or another food-borne pathogens? What was the type of water used to grow it? There comes a time when you want to throw your hands up and shout, “That’s it, I’m doing this myself.”
25 Survival Seeds You Need For Your Garden
10 Foods You Should Not Feed Your Chickens
Medicinal Plants for the Survival Garden
6 Essential Food Types To Grow Your Own Food Pantry
Make Your Own Herbal Tea Blends
13. Be Flexible – I often tell those who are preparing that the single most important thing you can do is continue to be flexible in your preparedness efforts. Doing so gives you leeway in your planning and backup planning, as well as helps you move more fluidly through the aftermath. This concept can be applied in non-emergencies, as well. Self-reliance can help us be more flexible in our life and our decisions.
Survival of the Most Adaptable
8 Prepper Principles For a Prepared Mind
Blending In: The Secret to Keeping The Target Off Your Back
5 Survivor Traits That Make a Prepper Successful
5 Steps to Become the Smartest Person in the Woods
14. Barter Better – Bartering for goods and services was the first currency that went around. Let’s be honest, everyone is up for a good deal. Using self-reliant skills, you can use these as leverage in bartering. As well, having a surplus of survival/preparedness items can also help you make good bartering deals.
A Free Falling Economy Makes Bartering Go Boom
15. Teach Your Kids – We must teach our children how to be more mindful and self-reliant. After all, we do not want to continue the cycle of having a dependent, self-entitled population. By informing them, we are setting them upon a self-sustaining path for life.
How Farmers Markets Can Teach Your Kids the Values of Local Food and Community Building
* * *
We must come to the understanding that there is no true safety net for us to fall into; it’s up to ourselves to get us out trouble. How easily you land depends on how reliant you were to begin with. Adopting certain concepts as your new life’s code will help you on your path.
Many of us share a common goal: to be free from the shackles of the system. This goal doesn’t come over night. You have to work at it, invest in it and ultimately, change your way of thinking. The point is, we are all at different places in our preparedness efforts, so don’t get discouraged! Continue on the pace, keep learning and step-by-step, you inch closer and closer to that goal.
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Here is my contribution to your survival skills library......
https://www.youtube.com/user/sigma3survivalschool
All good and well, but 99.9% of Merkins are idiots that only think as far ahead as their next meal... The looming crisis will be like nothing seen since WWII and will make the Baltimore riots look like children at play... The only answer is to either move to BFE in the heartland of US and become self-sufficient or leave the country...
You first start (quickly, like yesterday), finding yourself, and who you are.
Else, in a crisis, so many different people show up in our own heads/minds..we are lost.
Get to being one person, at least for the most part, THEN do all the other stuff.
This is time for us to push ourselves inwards, as evverything is trying to force our attention out.
In a "I KNOW who I am" person, all the above suggested stuff happens as if naturally.
So I believe/practise...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewdDVOc3tcA
Your insight is always appreciated ORI
Your user name is from that of a main protagonist on that now discontinued AMC series titled Rubicon.
That was probably the best drama, in that it eerily reflected art imitating reality, I've ever watched, and I'm perplexed as to why AMC discontinued it (probably a complaint or complaints from Alphabet Soup Agencies due to realism).
All of this is what Zionism wants. It says it right in the Bible FFS.
the more sheeple that believe this doomsday stuff, the easier it is to get rich!
right, yea... the 'people avoiding consumerism market' that's a BIG market. Huge.
(thanks bill hicks)
This article is excellent. The only thing that I want to add is - if you are going to learn survival skills - practise. Start living that life now. Go in the bush and stay there and you will quickly start adapting out of necessity. You will quickly realize what your limits / capabilities are and you can safely make the trip back to huntmart where the things that you would kill for can be bought easily out of pocket now.
We have some discernable phases we are going to be going through. Those who are closet prepared to each coming phase and to the future adapted lifestyle it will require now will make the easiest transitions.
1. Decay phase (now)
2. Collapse phase (Gold and silver will acquire great resources in this phase).
3. Semi-Martial Law / Depression phase (Food / toilet paper / ability to privision / moonshine stills)
4. World War Phase (surivival in a totally collapsed system)
5 More
The first rule to survival is to not get in a survival situation in the first place, and realize that you need certain skillsets and provisions for each phase of the coming collapse - to which you must prepare now while resources are plentiful. Prepare accordingly. Survival today might mean navigating the politics in your office atmosphere of backbiting to squeeze one more cheque out of a dying company. Survival in a year from now might mean mastering a rabbit hair line trap on their paths, or learning how to eat rodent, or how to put a pop bottle over the end of rifle to silence it so that when you shoot a deer you get that needed protein while everyone else goes without.
In the SAS they have a saying - prepare twice as much as you think you will need and you should be half ready, and idioms like "Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance"
No matter what - remember your mind is the most powerful tool you will ever have in any event. Discipline it, exercise it, and use it wisely. Do the things you do not want to do now, to avoid not having to do the things you do not want to do in the future.
Adding to this I hope everyone realizes that all the stupidity in Baltimore and New York have every trademark of a 'state-sponsored dry-run for martial law' The system is practising for the next phase, and preparing for the next phase post-collapse.
You could spell out warnings to people until their ears rings they don't give a fuck and won't prepare. They are hooked on the delusional bubble they live in where people like Hillary is good, and where their delusions are reinforced by the TV hour, and rap beat. These same people will be the ones unable to transition and will be victims when society is forced of necessity to shift to the post-collapse phase.
People reacting out of emotion will *always* make the wrong decision. They will riot and loot, and reduce themselves to animal behavior, and then come for your shit, your women, your habitations. The system exists to defend the system - not you, and will 'pen' everyone into their city cages. Dr Deagle (whatever you think of him or not) saw the advanced plans. If/When the hard collapse starts they have plans to erect two perimeters around the city 'cages' (<5 miles) and a second perimiter (~30 miles). Thus you see the 'crazies' talking about wearing night-vision equipment and walking out of the cities at night. So prepare accordingly.
It might mean 'caching' where you buy 3-4 large rubber maids load them with food, survival gear, clothes and bury them way into the bush, and as long as you can get to them you can re-base yourself, and continue as some fundamental level. But again you cannot do that when the show starts, you buy your popcorn before the curtains are drawn..
superb post
Dr Deagle's presentation is now up on youtube from 7 Dec 2006 Granada Conference - well worth the time to listen to that, and some other youtube interviews from the collapse time of 2007/8 are great - he's definitely very smart, very informed about Fukushima & radiation. He also spent a lot of time in Colorado and says what others have said too, that Colorado is key to gov/mil plans, ala 2nd capital away....
Thanks Truxton, glad to hear it resonates...
No need to move to the heartland.
There are plenty of woodland spaces in the mountains of the East with plenty of water, forage, fish and game.
Six primitive traps everyone should know how to make:
http://www.theprepperjournal.com/2013/06/10/six-primitive-traps-for-catc...
Everyone should know how to build fire, shelter, forage for wild edibles, dress fish and game, sew (repair clothes, tents, etc.)
Bonus points for learning how to make and use primitive bow, arrows, etc.
My plan is to stay vewy, vewy quiet for at least six months while all the crazies and the bad mofos shoot each other.
If I do need supplies, I'll take my gun out in the woods and wait for someone else to shoot a deer, dress it out, and lug it back to their truck. Then I get deer, gun, boots, coat, truck, and ammunition without going to al that trouble.
Which gives you some idea as to why staying vewy, vewy quiet for six months is such a good idea.
One glaring problem with your plan:
Guns make lots of noise.
That lets hostile elements know that you are within earshot,
And can give your position away.
Which is why I recommend primitive traps that are relatively silent,
Augmented by bow and arrow.
Guns should be used for self defense only,
Should hostiles attempt an ambush.
Depends on the gun. If you could get your hands on a Honey Badger, you'd be pretty set:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zn3KCSm3ui4
Remind me not to go hunting where-ever you are bugged out... :)
Yup. If it gets really bad, you probably only have to last 180 days and then the vast majority will have already starved to death. Then you will have space just about anywhere you except in small towns where they were able to band together, share knowledge and resources, AND fight off the masses of zombies. Good luck with that one. .Mil will be out hunting for food too in that event.
Unless the military siezes control and turns America into North Korea, in which case, you may need to stay bugged out for decades.
I freelance over th? internet and earn about 80-85$ an hour. I was without a job for 7 months but last month my paycheck with big fat bonus was $15000 just working on my computer from my home for 5-6 hours. Here's what i have been doing... www.globe-report.com
Fucking terrorist.
reduce overhead, not just debt, all expenses
save money, conserve, buy right, reuse stuff, stop overconsuming
growing your own food or whatever will not set you free nearly as fast as not being a wage slave.
Exactly right. I think you're hitting on something similar to what I posted, below.
it is a pity that young people aren't taught this. some never get free and it is so simple a cave man could do it. freedom is a great feeling that very few ever experience.
We spend BILLIONS of dollars on education, but I have yet to see a high school class called "Money 101". Imagine that. Something that every person in the country has to deal with every day of their life and is highly important to understand, yet we never teach our children about it in school AT ALL. That is not by mistake.
I offered to teach exactly such a class at my local high school (after hours- anyone who wants to come- free of charge). They listened to my proposal (some of it anyway) and then gave me the brush-off that didn't actually include the F-word, but the attitude was there. I guess they thought I was going to try to use the class to sell people annuities or some such shit. I offered to sign a contract or whatever they wanted that I would never solicit nor accept business from anyone who attended the class IN PERPETUITY (forever). As you can imagine, I had already lost by the time that issue came up.
Maybe they thought you just wanted to meet high school chicks.
High School chicks don't show up for free after-school classes with creepy old men. I am definitely a "creepy old man" to anyone under 30.
They will if you pay them, first lesson of Money 101.
I don't need the pretense of teaching a class to do that, though.
No, but the class is a great pretense for weeding out the ugly ones.
"we spend billions of dollars, yet I have yet to see a class called 'Money 101'"
How could there possibly be time for that when they are busy teaching them about important things like global warming, racial issues, and how if Bob decides to wear a dress that day, its ok if he wants to use the women's restroom?
Here in the Twin Cities, teachers periodically suggest teaching a class just like that. It gets to the School Board, and then it gets denied. The Chamber of Commerce blocks it. Their beef is that teachers would be negative about banks and Capitalism as it is practiced in America today.
The unions and liberals that run schools certainly don't want anybody to understand the money-spending scam that they are into up to their necks.
I teach a high-school anthropology class and include a section on money (history of money, currency/fiat, gold, silver, barter, banking, fractional-reserve money creation, the Fed, etc.) and never saw their interest flag. We watched and discussed most of Mike Maloney's videos, and they showed me through the discussions and attention that they were fascinated with the topic.
Agree 100% Buzz. The flip-side of that is to INCREASE: Skills, Assets and Alliances.
Having people with real-world skills, i.e....
1. Natural Sciences (various Engineering disciplines, Physics, Chemistry, Microbiology, Geology)
2. Life Sciences (Doctors, Nurses, Surgeons, Dentists, Livestock Veterinarians)
3. Trades (Electricians, Carpenters, Furniture Makers, Tool & Die Makers, Machinists, Technicians, vehicle Mechanics, fine-Mechanics, Butchers, Bakers, Tailors, Boat or Airplane builders, Masons)
4. Crafts (making Bread, Beer, Cheese, Wine, Distilling Alcohol, making Fuel-Alcohol and Diesel from Biomass/Stockfeed, Soap, Glassmakers & Blowers)
It is particularly useful to study European history for the so-called Dark Ages, as it shows how civilizations before us have gone through similar Resets and Rebuilding phases. The eye-opener for me was that (a) Village life was a LOT safer and more pleasant that roughing it by oneself on a distant farm, (b) Marauding gangs* eventually developed and ravaged unprotected countrysides, and (c) Villages and Towns hired Specialists/Mercs to protect them, only to have them morph into Robber Barrons and Robber Knights, who later became 'respectable' and even 'noble' in the passage of time and 'seasoning' (aging) of their blood-money.
* Marauding gangs were of 2 types: (1) the truly marginalized and desperate people of little character, skill or hope, and (2) former soldiers and Mercenaries who had little or no other skills than Warfare. There's a fine line between such a person turning into Robin Hood, versus becoming the Sheriff of Nottingham, so to speak. The former group tended to come through like a plague of locusts, whereas the latter tended to conquer and settle a town or city.
That's just how Feudalism evolved, and we should expect similar developments in the coming neo-Feudal age.
But to ORI's point, you have to know both yourself and your objective first, or you might wind up with the intellectual equivalent of George Carlin's house full of useless "stuff". Economics is about the allocation of scarce resources. Time is a very scarce resource, and there is a very important balance that needs to be struck between renaissance man and specialist. That balance is applicable both to prepping as well as to everyday life, and it is different for every person.
I've worked in three fields/disciplines (finance, security, engineering) in a number of industries (excluding the bullshit that passes generally for "management"). Ignoring my age, I could do any entry level job any financial institution - teller, operations, trading, legal, accounting, finance, IT, corporate security, even mop & bucket operations. But there are significantly fewer areas where I am qualified for more advanced positions (those oriented towards industrial engineering, analytics, and M&A/PE- either the more well known financial or the actual process of expanding/consolidating functions and geography). Just because I can write an algo or an OTC derivative contract doesn't mean anyone (in their right mind) would pay me to do so, or adding to my skills in those areas would be an intelligent investment of my valuable and finite time.
Just because I can stabilize a victim of a gunshot wound or a broken bone and evac them doesn't mean I can do surgery on that victim, or that because I can lay a block wall, that my usual mason can't do it a lot better, faster, and cheaper.
The reason that life was better in that Medieval town, was because of specialization. However, that specialization has been carried to an illogical and counterproductive extreme in present time where many of what used to be "people" now could not justify own their existence (outside of such luxurious notions as natural and civil rights) outside of a narrow function that could be automated given enough resources.
So, as person: 1. your timeline isn't long enough and 2. you need to balance/multitask/dual-purpose a) family/community, b) production, c) investment/learning (excess production), and d) savings (also excess production). In order to do so effectively, you need to do some serious introspection and organized planning first.
If you can acquire skills and get paid for doing so, it frees up time. Whereas if you have spend time (away from family) and pay money to acquire skills, the skills better have a relatively high reward.
--
IMO perhaps throwing off the yoke of debt slavery is more important than wage slavery. That and... start teaching your kids (or your community), not at an "early age" but as soon they pop out - the "savings" of 18 years is before the "force multiplier" of being able to think and do things for themself.
I think a good plan is to get some together with folks who are of a mind to use arms to defend themselves and their resources, and hang out around the edge of an Ahmish community. You use your muscle to protect them. you trade with them. You get the benefit of civilised order without their religious conservatism.
Several great reads, many thanks for the abundance of informative links !
Yes a perl of ZH. Could keep you kickin in a serious lickin.
Why is topic #3 ("Get out of debt"- my personal favorite, by the way) littered with articles that aren't really related to getting out of debt? That's sad because everyone thinks they know how to do it, but few ever get far because they don't know that there are methods of doing it that which span the gamut from "more effective" to "less effective". Most intuitively gravitate towards the "less effective" end of the scale and burn out before they get to the finish line. The question isn't "can you do it?" because most people can. The real question is "how FAST can you do it?"
<Grumbly old man stuff. I'll shut up now.>
Step one is to get out of want.
We started Dave Ramsey 10 years ago. 2 years in we were debt free (other than perpetual property taxes on paid in full mortgage and deeds to undeveloped land). We have spent the last eight years working on many aspects of mastering these 15 points.
Being debt free is most important because at that point you decide how you want to live and participate in this oligarchal shit show.
For my family this is FREEDOM.
We continue to politely and quietly function in society, but have a master survival plan that is not theoretical but rather being lived in the open without anyone realizing what we are doing.
The most dangerous human to a government is not an anarchist or "protester".
It is people who can feed themselves without debt that present a problem for the oligarchs and political class.
Be quite, start digging in the dirt.....
"4 Things You Must Eat to Avoid Malnutrition"
Beer is only number two?!?!?!
I will never suffer from malnutrition.
Learning to make beer and wine should be either there, in medicine, or in barter. Take your pick.
Strange they did not mention eating fresh placentas of newborn baby calves. Maybe because it's a seasonal dish.....?
Yes, Beer is #2, just behind #1 - Wine.
If it gets that bad start with rule #1: "Shoot first, ask questions later".
reduce debt, if the world is finished shouldn't you just go crazy on credit now. Same Tired Diatribe I've been hearing since 1999.
Quite agree, quite agree. Make sure to keep the Gulfstream gassed up, your bulletproof Mercedes tuned and keep an eye on your butler
And pare the harem down to essentials, just more mouths to feed.
And we know just what to feed 'em, wot?
Use it up
Wear it out
Make it do
Or do without
Burma Shave
Unplug f**King TV and Hollywood. They help control the Amerikan sheeple. Your viewership helps the slave masters.
Don't lose your head to save a minute.
You need your head. Your brains are in it.
Burma Shave
GET FIT!
Harden your hands.
Grow a pair.
Harden your feet, also.
Harden your heart to external events.
Soften your heart to your family and cherished neighbors.
When I got married we couldn't afford a mortgage but I could afford raw land. The first year we lived with no power or natural gas. Just an out house and a trailer and a few acres of bush. The hardest thing to deal with was no refrigeration. In those days a propane fridge was a lot of money, plus they were hard to find. Solar panels pretty much were only found in the space program and to run a gen set would have bankrupted me.
After 6 years went by we had a house with power and natural gas. Never did get a mortgage or loan. I doubt I could do it again.
and a few acres of bush
Ahhh the 70s, when women didn't feel compelled to shave everything off.
LOL! Dude's on a roll tonight.
+10
Thx for the belly laugh 813..I really needed it today!
Why would any sane person want to detach himself from the world? Do you have issues, like autism? Adapt, change, learn to swim. You belong to the 1% on this planet. Want to see how the 99% live, go to Laos, or any shithole in Afganistan, Africa... whatever. Or just be a looser, quit because its not the way your mommy said it would be, crawl into some hole you dug in the dirt, and cry yourself to sleep.
Laos is beautiful.
Africa is awesome dude.
And the food here in Afghanistan is fresh and tasty.
oh god. yes survivalism blabiddy bla.
not everyone can survive. people NEED jobs and stability to an extent if there is to be continuous existence of a middle class.
while i know many peopel don't celebreate or desire the end of days and doomsday, many look upon it as eschatological prophecy by which their preparation makes them superior to the 'hordes' of folks who might be unprepared .
you do reep what you sew , but sometimes you just have shit luck being born into the wrong time and place.
would you look down upon nepalese village folk who weren't prepared for an earthquake despite living in nepal , an earthquake prone place?
no. most of them are just victims.
any such collapse of a society , like in russia, mostly just comes down on a populace forced to live under soviet rule. i'm not saying they were willing victims or passive victims, i'm just saying do not 'judge' lest ye be judged.
being a prepper doens't make you closer to god.
and if the collapse doesn't happen for another 30 years, than enjoy your 30 years of praying for the end.
what i'd like to see is more 'prepper' types actually talking about what can be done to fix things and make our present situation better rather than only focussing on the end of time dissolution prophecy. i think both can be done and some for sure do both, but the two vissions of the future are essentially incompatible so to hold such a dual mental state actually requires massive maturity and cool headedness.
so i think that's actually super repspectable.
but indeed it's really hard to hope for the best when one is self taught enough to know the best, even at its finest, cannot be good. and the most likely outcomes are just a number of tragedies unfolding along a relatively unpredictable timeline.
oy. i haven't seen a prepper article on zh for a while and it's just got me depressed, as hearing the helicopters in union square hovering over crowds of fairly good hearted by naive people who will likely acomplish nothing for their own good by no reall fault of their own per se. anyways viva la protests!
The article makes it all seem so complicated (impossibly so, probably for most), when in fact it is super easy to unplug.
1. Stop watching TV, get ad-block for the internet, avoid Hollywood productions, etc.: don't let yourself be programmed into wanting stupid junk and your expenses will shoot down (and your life will be invariably better since you will be doing better things than TV)
2. Keep in mind that happiness is what you need to maximize, not some absurd sense of 'safety' you might feel due to having some bunker. As such, leaving society to be in the woods will likely make you lonely and with fewer ways to earn income, whereas unplugging but staying wherever is cheap + good is better than some pie-in-the-sky million-dollar bunker+etc. setup in Nevada for the End Of Times.
3. Keep improving, keep thinking of how to do better and move forward with things (ex: helping people wake up and improve their own lives as well), and bit by bit you'll get to the point that your quality of life is so great you never even imagined it could get that good!
There are tons of us out there now, who are purposefully living a great life at 15K a year or less in living expenses, which means you then don't even need to worry about a full time job or career! I enjoy every sunny day and haven't had a boss for years!
If there is no division of labour, if everyone is self-relient, than there is no economy, and you go back to the stone age, good luck with that society.
It worked for native americans, but you keep pretending they never existed. And they even gave you food.
Are you consciously an imbecile or can you not help yourself?
Most of us can’t move to an off grid location. We have responsibilities that keep us from doing so.
Good article, but I must take issue with the above statement (or maybe just the implication). Knowing what I know, I'd say moving to an off the grid location is the number one responsibility of independent people in major western fictitious "nations", especially the USSA.
Here I'm applying a slightly more general meaning to "off the grid". Here I mean more like "off the control grid" than "off the electric grid", though being off the electric (and water and sewer) grids is also wise.
The most important sense to be "off the grid" is to live within a fictitious "nation" that does not consider you a "citizen" == "slave". Plus, don't live in any of the major western nations that are partners or allies with the evil empire (including at least UK, CA, AU, NZ, EU).
This single step... living where you're not a primary target... is so important that I consider this "the top responsibility" for anyone serious about liberty and independence. For one thing, taking action on this "responsibility" also implements or aids many other important and beneficial "responsibilities".
Honestann- I see your points but cannot approve of your message- so I voted you down. I cannot live where I am not a "primary target" - In a nuclear war, which I see as a distinct possbility in the short erm (very likely in the long term) I live in a city (Dallas) which will clearly be a top 15 target. Even without nuclear war, I clearfy recognize that as a resident and citizen of the US -a country of too many sheeple -and very likely to to be a "primary target" of our own government - when TSHTF - but like most of us -I simply do not have the resources to move elsewhere. I really have no choice but to sit and wait -hope that the sheeple will wake up and take back our country- and join the resistance and fight -if it looks like we have a hope and a prayer. Those who are Patriots must stick together in solidarity. If we all flee or hide out in the mountains or wilderness-we are lost. They will search us out -find us -one by one and enslave or destroy us. My sons are grown and gone. I have a beautiful 13 year old daughter to think about. I have to think about her -it's a fine line -a balancing act. If it were just me -I would have no concerns. If I had the resources, I would take her to a safe haven where we do not live in a "primary target". But the way it is now, I have no choice. I am stuck in this pathetic, occupied country where the elites are in control because Big Brother has set up a Police State that Orwell would never have imagined possible.
I wouldn't worry about nuclear war.
An EMP event is much more likely.
In the city with no electricity, you will have no running water, no sewer, etc.
Cholera and dysentery will wipe out 80 to 90% of the population, so forget about fantasies of patriots sticking together.
Best learn and practice survival skills and be ready to head for whatever wilderness is closest that has abundant water, forage, fish and game.
'Bring out yer dead..."
Above all, including everything I said above and elsewhere, you must make all decisions for yourself... precisely because it is you who will suffer/bare/enjoy the consequences of your decisions and actions (and inactions).
However, you are NOT stuck. It may be difficult to move, but you can. Many places, even as close as Mexico, have very low cost of living, and are vastly better places to start your own business than the USSA, and thus become much better places to craft your own lives.
I'd also say the biggest reason to get the hell outta dodge is your daughter. I guarantee you she will notice the much lower stress level you and she feels after a short time getting used to wherever you settle.
To clarify, I don't primarily mean "target of warfare" when I say "primary target". What I mean is, anyone who lives where they are considered a citizen is a target of the local predators-DBA-government in hundreds or thousands of ways. To be free of all that is extraordinary... but you really can't comprehend until after you leave and settle in elsewhere.
Nonetheless, I am only trying to give you the benefit of my experience. You must make your own decisions, take your own actions (and fail to take other actions), and you will suffer, bare or enjoy the consequences. Sadly, so will your daughter.
-----
PS: Never in human history have the sheeple taken back control. It has never happened... not once. The closest to this happening is... short periods after the predators-DBA-government cause complete and utter collapse and catastrophe, but soon thereafter they or other human predators regain control.
The history of liberty and individualism on planet earth has NOT been one of collective gains in liberty (overthrowing or voting-out governments). The actual history of liberty and individualism on planet earth is a story of a few of the bravest, brightest and most independent individuals moving to a frontier. Various parts of the americas were such a frontier in the 1500s through 1700s~1800s (plus or minus). Today, no full-bore frontiers exist. However, the trick I mentioned gets you a large portion of the way, and has the benefit that you still get to live in modern conditions, not some empty forest or wasteland somewhere.
Read my other messages for other tips. Like... why moving to a [small as possible] town that is also a "tourist destination" to some extent. Not only is life much more pleasant and friendly (on average), but the variety of potential businesses you can start up is almost limitless.
Keep thinking. You can afford to move. You just need to research, think, and be creative. And ask as many others who have moved elsewhere for practical tips, not just me! If you choose to stick around... well... good luck, cuz you will definitely need plenty of that.
People give to much credit to the power of the "evil empire". The evil empire is overrated and is easily overcome once the SHTF. The best thing people can do is be active in their community and volunteer for essential services like fire department, sheriffs search and rescue, food bank., Red Cross etc. Even being involved with FEMA is no sin if you understand that the beast is best controlled by the common citizen from within. Join the Trojan horse.
Sadly, a number of self suffieient drop-outs in my part of the woods got their only real cash crop legalized out from under them as pot has gone "corporate" in the Rockies. (Like the moonshiners of yore.)
Once they work their way through their built-up stash, they might even notice.
Henry David Thoreau
A person should not, cannot "detach", from the system. The system must be destroyed, and the Constitutional republic Restored.
Since the whole Zionist system of tyranny and plunder is based upon our continued payments and service on their fiat-debts our first step is to Stop paying. Just Stop. That is our first step.
Their whole skyscraper of stolen wealth, wealth stolen from the American people, will just collapse into its own rotten footprint of grift.
Liberty is a demand. Tyranny is submission.
Zion's three-legged stool is:
Media
/ Zion \
Financial <--> Political
Dismantle one or more of those things, and their system of tyranny and grift collapses.
Yes, the system must be destroyed. However, to detach from the system aids the process of destroying the system (at very least stops feeding that system).
You say "stop paying". Well, that is one way to detach from the system. Other ways are important too, but direct attack is not practical (because not efficient) as long as the vast, overwhelming majority of humans are still willing to aid, abed, fund, obey, sanction, support, defend, praise and participate in the system.
"Not paying" does NOT mean 'Tax Evasion' -- for which they can and will "fry your ass": take everything, just for starters.
It means doing it legally, via (1) Tax Avoidance, and (2) Consumption Reduction to bare-bones minimum. You don't buy it, you don't pay taxes. You might make "equitable arrangements" by some other means that are technically legal, if creative & unorthodox. I'll leave that to people's creativity/ingenuity.
And to address your comment re 3-legged stool... one way that I've started repeating over & over recently, is for people to keep a Word or Excel copy of the Deeds & Misdeeds of TPTB. So that a future court or history may judge and try them.
Take a left when you get to Neptune and just keep going. Buh bye.
Meh. Agriculture was a mistake. Everything went to crap when the first fat pathological liar sat down 10.000 years ago and said "I can't be arsed to hunt moose today, could you be a champ and dig some earth for me, I'll be eternally grateful to you? Thanks."
And the dude did it cos he thought they were kin and trusted him.
Next day, the liar said "I thought we agreed that you would dig for me, cmon man don't be lazy, that's not how civilized people behave, The Creator will be angry with you".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyXdxKFBwzk
Isn't it better to just move? Stay alert of the geopolitical situation and gtfo if you happen to leave in a country that is getting too messed up (if you're American, for exampel now is the time to go). I'm sure that even in a worst case scenario with the possible exception of a nuclear world war, there would be some Islands somewhere that will be virtually unaffected of all this crap, to unimportant to be of any interest for the evil powers. Sounds a lot better than hiding out in the wilderness and fighting "zombies". But maybe that's just me.
Anyone checked out Bloomberg news this evening... Hit the markets tab and read the news stories ... U know after u scan the headlines.
they cover lots of stuff covered here today and recently.
Also lots of economic numbers around the world have sucked this week according to interest rates swaps today...
Unfortunately, all of this stuff is easy to say, but hard to put in practice. Why is that? Because humans naturally want things, and want to make life easier for themselves.
Yeah, you could make toothpaste, but it's a lot easier to pay somebody to make it for you. Yeah, you could ride a horse to work, or a beater car. But the big, shiny one looks a lot nicer to us. It's just human nature. Everybody wants something for nothing.
Put a steak in front of a hungry, but healthy and fit wolf. Sure, the wolf could very easily go out and catch dinner. But what is the wolf going to do? He's going to eat the fucking steak you put in front of it, because it would take less energy, and it would result in a greater energy profit for him. That's an ecological fact. Animals do what is best for them which requires the least amount of energy. Spiders will eat their mates after mating, because it is energetically easy for them to do.
It's all about reducing energy expenditure.
And that's precisely why 80 to 90% won't make it through very long at all.
They wanted the easy life, with no preparation.
When times get tough, their want will come upon them like an armed man, and there will be no escape.
I never understand the "get out of debt" part in these end of the world, living off the land articles. If the system ceases to exist I doubt the credit card companies will be out looking for you.
If the system starts rocking, me and Mr. Amex are going to par-tay hard.
Learn to camp out, that's the first prepper step if you can't camp out with minimal equipment for a week you can just skip all the other stuff. the other one i like is what if you had to shelter in place in your own home for whatever reason for 30 days could you make it. lock the doors electric water and phones go down. and no you can't walk down to wawa for smokes and such
My solution was easy. I left the United States and I now live in the tropics.
Many people believe that they can hide out from what is coming. Being a rich foreign gringo when the lights go out does not sound like an ideal strategy to me.
Yeah, I'm going to fight for my country (the original constitutional republic) how ever that evolves.
"The whole world united shall not prevail against her."
30% of the population is enough to win and will join in - the other 70% will passively watch
But you're wrong, unless you are simply an arrogant jerk gringo to your core, and make everyone hate you. But even then, when the SHTF in the major [mostly western] nations, in a great many places (even comfortable places), life won't change much.
And let me tell you! If you are relatively rich AND you act humble and friendly, you have just about the best of all worlds in a great many very enjoyable parts of the world.
PS: If you're even a little rich, you can afford your own infrastructure, so your lights won't go out. And if you provide even small amounts of comfort to others in your neck of the woods, you're more likely to become a local hero than have trouble. But then, that might require a bit of an attitude adjustment for some.
All of these scenarios are the effective equivalent of placing a bet upon which one's individual survival depends.
To my mind, operating in an unfamiliar environment carries many risks. In addition, I am not a big fan of people who foresee a crisis and plan on sitting safely on the sidelines while the rest of the players fight it out for the fate of all mankind.
I do see the need to ride out the initial storm before working to rebuild, but that is a different animal than simply rowing off in one's personal lifeboat and everyone else be damned.
"We will nobly save, or meanly lose, the last, best hope of mankind on Earth."
Scattered expats slumbering beneath the coconuts will not effect the outcome and they will find that the crisis from which they fled may one day visit their happy little world regardless. Everyone everywhere shall be called up to face the fiery altar before this is over.
That's some high degree of self-importance there! The fate of mankind is not dependent on what happens to and in the West. Anyway witth that attitude, you are probably not likely to be welcome in other parts. So it is a better idea for you to stay put where you are.
And I suppose staying where you are isn't equally a bet? Of course it is! And it is a rather amazing claim to say you just coincidentally already happen to be on the very spot on earth that gives you the very best odds of a good outcome! Think about how arrogant or narrow-minded that sounds to others.
However, I do agree that you are better off when you have time to "become known". That is, unless you're an arrogant jerks who think you are just oh so special, and everyone should immediately know and bow at your feet. In which case... please stay where you are!
I would have been happy to "fight it out". So why did I run instead? Because the chances of anyone who decides to "fight it out" are near zero unless at least 1% (or thereabouts) are on your side and also willing to act. But that's not the case in the evil empire, or in other major western nations. Virtually everyone will accept any abuse heaped upon them, and most will even defend the abusers, even if they grumble now and then.
The best way to prepare to rebuild is... to not waste your resources fighting losing battles. The predators-that-be always win, and always have won, throughout history. Where humans have had relatively more liberty were frontiers, where no single pack of predators dominated.
The world is not your problem So-called "your" nation is not your problem. YOU are your problem. Above all, the fact you don't realize any of this is your biggest problem.
Given your attitude, I suspect we all agree you should stay put and go down with the ship. We don't need folks like you messing up "the good life" in locations where a reasonable approximation of the good life is still possible.
And no, we will not be called up to face any fiery altar. But obviously you want to be, and so you most likely will.
For those who desire to make it to the "other side" by the time the dust settles, and God only knows when that time or period will make itself known, independent minded people will need to become interdependent with other like minded individuals. Community is the key, CANNOT DO IT ALONE. It is mathmatically impossible for 99% of the population to think they can make it by themselves. Most of them have the potential to perish within a very short time.
I've lived off the grid. It's not easy, not to mention, those longing to be independent of the system are now considered "terrorists" and the plan seems to be to eventually ferret them/us out. "They" have the technology to produce a lot of casualties in that department. September and into October is when things really begin to heat up. Personally, I like the notion of sailing away from America for a few years, south of the equator, but even that will be risky.
What you say applies more and more to individuals inside the USSA, CA, EU, AU, NZ and other "allies". However, it does not apply in most other places in the world. Nobody cares whether you live "off the grid" or not... and many places the majority of farms are technically "off the grid" (they have their own independent infrastructure).
Community is not necessary. I am proof. I live 125km from the nearest human being, and I moved here from the evil empire over 3 years ago, and my life has never been better. To be sure, I am an usual case, and I admit that (scientist, engineer, inventor and lived alone for 7 years at a remote self-sufficient (except food) scientific research station).
I definitely encourage people to find others with common interests (and complementary skills, expertise and knowledge), but... unfortunately... that is far-and-away the best excuse to "never actually do anything". This is because it is damn near impossible to find like-minded individuals who will also take action. And so, I advise people to move to rural parts in other parts of the world, implement their own plans, then welcome others to join them. Take more of an "if you build it, they will come" approach.
Oh, and also, your support "community" can be the locals where you move. If you are a friendly, humble, non-arrogant individual, the locals almost everywhere will be kind, helpful and friendly. And yes, southern hemisphere is a wise choice.
Grow your own weed. A perfect barter item and profitable even today. Plus the stalks make great fiber. Poppies would be even better though I don't know how well they grow in most of the US.
You are correct. The problem with poppies is teaching junior that they are only for when you have a broken leg.
I live in the inner city,it is a target rich environment.
Those survivalist points seem shocking but they adequately address not situation that will happen but the situation that is happening to millions in western world right now.
It is depressing but vast majority of US population does not have idea what they are dealing with. It is not recession, great or not so great; this is not even great depression because of one fundamental fact. All those concepts were defined as elements of economic cycle under assumption of perpetual secular growth of economy within specific legal/political regime at least at levels adequate to population growth.
In other words underneath it all there was tacit assumption that ruling elites (oligarchs and government) would create policies and conditions, political/legal framework and/or directly support economy enabling or allowing necessary level of growth.
This assumption is no longer true. During last few decades policies of ruling class could be characterized as more or less controlled collapse of US and other western economies by whatever means available: devastating for all sides (working people) trade agreements, massive, unheard of on scale of civilization, programmatic divestment or speculative suppression of assets held by majority of US and other households, savings, retirement and productive assets of small to medium business, outsourcing.
ALL these policies; economic, fiscal, tax, financial, social were harmonized in order to render horrendous economic and social blow, to every hard working American or European, policies reinforced by army of propaganda and security courtiers of plutocratic ruling elite. While hard core exploitation of third world continued without measurable improvement of standard of leaving except for those entangled in debt illusion.
The suppression of life, culture as well as social and economic activity of US and other citizens has become unprecedented. For decades now, US security forces, formerly known as law enforcement, have been unleashed onto American and other societies and economies, with unprecedented viciousness and vengeance against anyone dare to speak economic or civil rights or constitution.
The propaganda of forced suppression of everyday reality of rampant social and economic decay of millions of Americans (and others) as well as massive surveillance and brutal physical suppression or extermination are tools used now by ruling elites in orderly process of economic destruction, pauperization of US and western populations and eradication of any remaining political influence or people independent organizing capabilities.
Yes, It sounds shocking but ruling elite wants most of us dead, the truth that no longer can be denied in face of overwhelming facts.
The economic crises and wars concocted, propagandized and executed solely to justify political moves and detailed policy implementations against vital interest of American and other people are milestones of pre-programmed secular collapse.
This plutocrat instigated, economic/financial collapse and the one that will follow soon is just another permanent, deliberate step into social and economic abyss for most working Americans and other working people all over the world and no hallucinations of prostituting pseudo economists can change that.
The America economy is not coming back until this over two-century-old regime falls. The continuous collapse of income, standard of living, net worth and purchasing power of most Americans due to loss of job, savings, investments or debt servitude is here to stay only to be deepened by environmental collapse.
Interesting take on true intentions of ruling elites can be found at: https://contrarianopinion.wordpress.com/2015/01/28/slaves-of-wage/
One of most importat poits of this list is #14 barter:
We must make step away from the bankers money which myth is proliferated and instilled in people in young age to corrupt them into slavery. We need to remove money from our human relations in order to really be free.
Interesting take on what it money really is and how it was built into our psyche can be found at :
https://contrarianopinion.wordpress.com/2015/04/14/plutus-and-the-myth-o...
A target rich environment,that is ,for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Why not build your bug-out shelter on the solid rock that is Peter's confession:
that Christ is the Son of the True living God.
Good night everyone, Unite and Conquer!
Tess Pennington, so good to see some of your work on the Hedge.
You and Chris Martenson were my first regular teachers, as I was starting out to live more independently. I consider myself as following in your footsteps. Like you, I am not 'there' yet, but gradually getting there year by year. The situation of the whole world and many of my family and friends leaves me in despair, but my own personal lifestyle has slowly become richer and more rewarding. I feel stronger and more authentic in the way I live today than ever before. It has been and and is very hard, but I would never choose to go back even if I could. I cannot believe how I once lived, so much waste of money and time and energy, chasing things that never made me happy. I feel that I appreciate life now, and I cannot describe the beauty of this lesson to me. I have learned to cherish life, in both my human fellow travellers and in other life forms, animals, plants.
My contribution to this thread, from my own small experience:
1) Avoid relying on debt for any reason. Means learning to do without even when that's very hard. Sure, there are ways to get away with scamming the scammers and if you want to take the risk... bla bla. But for me, at first it was very hard but now I am wiser and more honest, as I have learned to live within my means. We have a stellar credit rating b/c I take on ONLY the kind of debt I can cover immediately, so my debt serves me instead of the other way around. I can keep credit cards b/c I pay them off, and now I only use them when they are a real convenience to me.
2) Help your family, and let them help you. Again, it's amazing to me, discovering in midlife what a family is actually all about.
3) Start small. I started with your 52-Week Guide, Tess, and planned first for a 2-week emergency, then a month, then 3 months, and am now working on the full mccoy sustainable lifestyle. It's been like graduating thru school, and one of the few things about life I can look at now and feel happy, strong, and proud. Also, it just feels comforting to have a stocked medical kit nearby, and a few bags of emergency foods. You never know when you might need these things, and they aren't that difficult to get together. But for those of us with a family, the peace of mind is incomparable. I would never go back to the way I was, so completely dependent on everything running just right all the time.
4) On a personal level, I've lost a lot of the pretensions I used to feel a need to maintain. I don't feel the need for the upscale clothes & cosmetics, anymore -- I've learned to sew, learning to can -- and I've completely lost all interest in what's on TV. It's been very freeing from a time perspective.
These times are much scarier to live thru and harder work, but I've never felt so self-directed and strong. I owe you and people like you including some posters here a big debt of gratitude. We cannot give much back to the community yet -- our production is still very small, and only for ourselves -- but I can teach people to read and sew and my husband is teaching art and horticulture (on a small scale) to some neighbours. I've even helped a couple of family members with budgeting! So, things are looking up. The hard part for me is mental, trying to take it easy and just one day at a time. I feel as though I'm just starting to 'grow up'. Our next step for this year is attempting to go full-on solar, turbine, and wood -- RIGHT off the energy grid. It's kinda nice to have a step-by-step plan, and measure the progress each year.
These are some other sites I've found informative:
http://www.motherearthnews.com
https://survivalsherpa.wordpress.com
http://americanpreppersnetwork.com
http://graywolfsurvival.com
http://www.off-grid.net
http://www.permaculture.co.uk
http://www.lifeunplugged.net
No question that these are all good skills and assets to have, and I don't disparage them in any way.
But... to keep perspective on things, SOMETIMES the best course of action is to not only stay away from wild animals, but to get away from the Savannah or Jungle, so to speak. IOW, sometimes you have no recourse but to get out of Dodge -- and there is NO shame to it, if your prime directive is to preserve the life and health of your family and loved ones. No shame in getting away from Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot, ISIS or Mexican drug cartel slime. Or any other slime, wrapped in DOD/DHS fancy gear.
"Live to see another day, far away from the strife and fray", I say. Keep that 2nd passport handy, should the need arise. If we had to, we could leave in a matter of hours, and be safe in the knowledge that we did out work and due diligence years ahead.
By the same token, speaking as someone whose parents survived the Great Depression, WW2, and the Commies, and having experienced "rugged living" (no running water in winter, all-season outhouse, etc), I'm not afraid of reverting to the late 1800s to early 1900s lifestyle for a while (few months or years).
It still suprises me that in a country with so many guns, there are so many treacherous Cryptofascist Zionist Bankster Scum happily living their lives with no fear of taking a bullet in the head from a sniper rifle at long distance.
The Praetorian Guard protects them... for now.
Fuck it. I've made some modest preparations. But in the end, I'll go when it is time to go. No one lives forever.
I feel you.
You should say that to Simon. He feels that running away to Chile is the right thing to do.
I'm going to stand my ground for better or worse.
..It is much too complicated to get into how the “system” was created...
Didn't Jamie Dimon say the same thing about derivatives.
You can't effectively defend yourself against something you don't understand long term let alone keep it from happening again if you don't understand how the 'system' was really created in the first place. Knowledge is knowledge regardless of how one implements said knowledge. Belief is not knowledge. You more effectively utilize your limited resources and skills using knowledge than belief.
I bet you the author doesn't know what the 'system' really is for starters.
What is the common element of all systems?
With that said, some of the skill sets the author mentions should absolutely be core skill sets people should know regardless like being able to feed yourself without money. One of those skills is to know your local flora. The example I like to use for this is dandelions, they are everywhere, easy to grow and no maintenance really needed and a great plant nutritional source up there with spinach yet people ignore it and treat it like a nuisance instead or actively cultivating it on their own lawns.
Ah, the lowly dandelion. You can eat the flowers. The greens are edible (best when harvested in early spring--less bitter). The roots can be roasted and ground and used as a coffee substitute. Dandelion rocks. It is for this reason that absolutely no chemicals are used on my lawn. That pisses off my neighbor, but fuck him, he's a statist tool, anyway.
Other eminently useful plants that are literally everywhere: cattails and pine. Cattails have many edible parts. You can boil the immature flower stalk in water and eat it like corn on the cob. You can collect the pollen and use it like flour. You can eat the leaf hearts. You can eat the rhizomes (roots to the unknowledgeable).
Pine is amazing. You can boil the needles to make tea that is exploding with vitamin C. You can eat the soft inner pine bark. And of course you can harvest the pine cones and eat the seeds within. If you have a pitch pine, you can use it to make fatwood, a superb fire starter.
If you don't know about foraging, read anything by John Kallas, Samuel Thayer, or Christopher Nyerges. These guys do know and they're very generous in passing on their knowledge.
Exactly what I was thinking last week as I was weeding!
http://www.semiblonde.com/2015/04/29/if-you-cant-beat-em-eat-em/
slavery is not dead. Withdraw from the system. I pay 5500 dollars a year in property taxes on a 170 K home. i paid 9 k in mortgage interest. I was transferred to a city with a 30 percent higher cost of living. I bought half the house with twice the money when I was transferred here from my previous midwestern city. I worked as an executive chef the first 20 odd years of my life. I spent many years at country clubs in that position. Your average foursome on a golf course is a judge/lawyer, some level of polititcian, an insurance agency ownwer and a banker/realtor. FIRE.
Governement at all levels in America has become an all consuming beast. When I say government I mean any agency or group of people that has the ability to reach in your wallet and take your hard earned money. I now pay in just property taxes and interest more than I made annually working full time in 1989. See, we have lost our way. I will not wax philiosophical but what do you want out of life? Happiness will be this city in my rear view mirror. Hell, the state actually.
I had the misfortune of an IRS audit after a divorce many years ago found me owing several thousand dollars. The smug prick across the desk was making twice a year what I was with lifetime benefits and early retirement. His sole purpose in life was fleecing the US taxpayer. I think this country needs fixing. I don't think as a whole the country pays a whole lot of attention.
Want preparation? .22 rifle with 4x scope. 500 rounds of .22 ammo and more squirrels than you can count in most city suburbs. Barter. It will be food, booze, cigs, liquor dressed squirrels. Don't think you can make hordes of wandering hungry people stand down in your average suburb if they are roaming the streets. Only way that you would do that is if you have your whole neighborhood trained and working together to monitor primary points of incursion into your neighborhood. Remember all the guns in the world wont stop someone from lighting your house on fire with a molotov cocktail. My neighbors "hate" guns. Ha. That is like hating a chef's knife or frying pan. They will be hungry very quickly.
Being ready is also a state of mind. If you look up, look around, stay aware you can see unless you are totally blind there is an ill wind blowing in our land.
Always keep one eye on your bobber,,, good day all.
Keep posting my man and watch those Vice Russian Roulette videos on YouTube.
What's happening on the ground in Ukraine is a travesty and it should be a wake up call for everyone.
deerhunter....excellent post.
I would only add....get a good bolt action or lever action .17 HMR.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.17_HMR
This round is a real sleeper. Remember....if the shit hits the fan, and everbody starts plinking squirrels and small game, then being able to reach out and touch something at distance will become important, because the "low hanging" close fruit will have been harvested and the rest will learn to keep their distance. Plus, it won't tear up the meat as bad of a coyote at distance like a 30-06.
Pig takes a .17 HMR dirt nap
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU23w9YllYM
Taking out crows (corvids) at 150 yds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jVaEjPR4AI
Taking out a rabbit at 190 yds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMKNWwEWHzQ
Taking out a fox at dusk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anIHHF0syZg
.17 HMR takes out bullet proof vest rated for .357 Magnum
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JG8CSKl0Nb4
.17 HMR vs helmet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWlqpp7F8wc
The big problem with the .17s is that the bore is so small that fouling after just a handful of rounds is a real problem.
the hardest part will be convincing my wife and kids that life is worth living without Chik-fil-a.
Great Post! Thanks for the motivation. Think I'll skip Starbucks and drink free coffee at work today.