Joined: May 26, 2008 Posts: 801 Location: Chicago, IL
Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2008 9:01 pm Post subject: Re: [Opinion] 5 Rules for PO Prep.
I read some of the doomsday scenarios preparation methods.
I don't know. If peak oil comes gradually, we'll have time to learn, react, adapt, adjust, etc.
If it comes overnight, forget about weaponary, shelters, storage, batteries, gardening skills, isolation, etc. Look at the LA riots and Katrina for example. People went bezurk. I don't see the populace staying composed while a few thousand prepared people have food, light, heat, fuel, etc.
The prudent (and logical?) way to survive PO, is to ensure very few die.
Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 1:14 am Post subject: Re: [Opinion] 5 Rules for PO Prep.
VMarcHart wrote:
I read some of the doomsday scenarios preparation methods.
I don't know. If peak oil comes gradually, we'll have time to learn, react, adapt, adjust, etc.
If it comes overnight, forget about weaponary, shelters, storage, batteries, gardening skills, isolation, etc. Look at the LA riots and Katrina for example. People went bezurk. I don't see the populace staying composed while a few thousand prepared people have food, light, heat, fuel, etc.
The prudent (and logical?) way to survive PO, is to ensure very few die.
Uh, I hate to point this out, but PO is heeeerrre! There has been no adapting, no adjusting, but there is and well be plenty of reacting. There's still a huge preponderence of big cars, long commutes, drafty houses. Come this winter, with food, gas, heating oil, and electricity somewhere near double last year, along with the joblessness from the recession in full swing and there are going to be people dying in their homes. In about 8 months, some people are going to be having to decide whether or not they allow in neighbor families with children knocking at their door when it is 10 below, or if they leave them outside to die.
No more late night speculation, folks, we will be gathering the frozen bodies. We didn't prepare, and now the darkness begins to fall.
Joined: May 26, 2008 Posts: 801 Location: Chicago, IL
Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 7:17 am Post subject: Re: [Opinion] 5 Rules for PO Prep.
Hi, Fiddler.
True, cheap oil is gone, and hence peak oil. Same for natural gas; in 2000 it was $2-$3/mcf, now it's $10/mcf. Same for other commodities of our daily frivolous, extravagant and wasteful life-style. We are in agreement.
But I don't see people dying in the streets, and those with foresight of having stored supplies simply going to work like it's just another day.
People already die in their homes due to improper heating and cooling. Here in Chicago they do. The city and the county have programs to counter that with 99% efficiency. There are also food banks, blanket donations, etc, and people get by. Again in agreement with you, the next 8-12 months will be historical, but people will die more of natural disasters than of peak oil, including global warming.
Fiddler, here's where we disagree: the moment neighbors know someone has food and heat and is letting people die at its doorstep, there will no place to hide. That person will linched, the housed broken in, and the supplies pillaged. Distribution electric and gas lines will be tapped, gas stations will be sacked, Home Depot, Best Buy and the like will be sacked as well, etc. It will be ugly, and no law enforcement or guns at home will be enough.
Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 7:48 am Post subject: Re: [Opinion] 5 Rules for PO Prep.
buzzard wrote:
Opinions seem to vary mainly as to priority and focus. Some of us feel that it is important to walk, hike, exercise, work-out. Some of us feel that it is important to remain mobile and to prepare a "bug-out-bag", keep options open. Some have a very specific list of how-tos and what-to-dos based on their perception of what will be needed to survive a collapse. Then there are others of us who are old.
Age can tend to temper one's perspective about a lot of things. Not only is it not important for those aged among us to remain mobile. It is down right laughable to consider it. Oh yes, by all means pack a bug-out-bag to hang on the back of our wheelchair. See you on the other side-- of the sidewalk. Upon reaching a certain stage of life it becomes very important to be where you are going to be-- forever. If I am not where I need to be for the rest of my life, then it's too late. Even then, I'm here for the duration whether I like it or not. For those of us who are old enough to know better, it is important to remain in our comfort zone. Do it because it feels good. Too old for politics, too old for esoteric philosophies and too old to keep second-guessing every decision.
I'm going to make it real easy for the zombies to find me because I'm not moving and I no longer care who knows it. Instead of hiking several miles a day to remain in shape, I am installing grab bars in my shower. Instead of maintaining a good work-out regime I will replace the back stairs with a ramp. Garden? Raised two feet so I don't have so far to bend. Permaculture? Secondary to comfort. No Till? Only if I can access it from my walker. The size of my firearms is not dictated by what size I imagine my dick to be but by the amount of recoil on my poor arthritic wrists.
It would be more than pathetic if by this time of my life I let some ideology break my hip. I have gotten to the point that the die-off may come and I won't even notice. I see my mom (88 yrs old) watch helplessly as her entire generation slips silently away. The Greatest Generation. Gone. I can't take it too seriously. After all, we invented the hoola- hoop.
A great post!
All of us are not able to bug out or have the resources to get to our hideaway cabin in the woods. We have to stay where we are. In light of this, I remember that when being chased by a bear, I don't have to outrun the bear, only outrun the guy with me.
If one can establish the fact that he will make a stand then the zombie hordes just have to decide which 15 or 20 will die first.
They will NOT take my hoola-hoop. _________________ A man should never wear a hat that has more character than he does.
Joined: May 26, 2008 Posts: 801 Location: Chicago, IL
Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 9:02 am Post subject: Re: [Opinion] 5 Rules for PO Prep.
Right on, Ludi. Point taken.
First, I have Dr Phil moments with relatives and friends. For instance, a close relative will take her 10-year old niece Arabian Horse shopping, because the niece's current pony is not cutting it. Have you ever heard of more wasteful life-style? Don't we have more crucial things to do? That relative heard a 30-minute PO lecture. I don't know if it will help, but I did what I could. If I go bezurk on all people I know, soon I won't know anyone.
Second, I compare my utility bills with my neighbors. I'm always with the least expensive. Same thing, a little PO talk.
Etc, etc.
Needless to say, we own one small car, walk to work, postponed the monster LCD TV purchase, have no debt, recycle to death, stay healthy, life within our means, etc.
I must point, Ludi, I don't want to live like a moron, although you'll find I already do. I'm passed my mid-life point, and think the thick of the PO and global warming crisis will be after I'm gone. I do my part, but will not sacrifice or alienate my friends because life as we know is coming to an end. I'll roll with the punches and cross the water when we get to it. If life is coming to an end, I want to enjoy it, and at the same time doing my part to be generous with the upcoming generations.
Joined: Oct 06, 2006 Posts: 1184 Location: was rwwff
Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 1:53 pm Post subject: Re: [Opinion] 5 Rules for PO Prep.
Hmmm... 5 rules.
1.) Debt is not good; debt is not bad. It is a balance between a fixed asset and a paper currency. Keep the balance in your favor.
2.) Do not depend on the idea that taxes won't be due, in US dollars, next year, next decade, or on your kid's 60th year of wedded bliss. They will be. Be prepared to pay them, in cash, at the counter if need be.
3.) Live today, in today's world, by today's world's rules.
4.) Be ready for the world's rules to change... radically.
5.) Family and clan survival is more important than personal survival. You will die, quite soon, regardless; what counts is that which carries on after you are gone. _________________ Yes, we are. As we are.
And so shall we remain; Until the end.
Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 7:57 am Post subject: Re: [Opinion] 5 Rules for PO Prep.
buzzard wrote:
IV. Always trust your dog's evaluation of other people.
I pick this one as one of my 5. I'm new here, this is only my second post, so my remaining 4 will likely evolve as I continue to learn.
1. Involve the entire family in preparation. Husband and I feel it is a top priority that our children are accustomed to the work required to tend the garden, raise the livestock & hunt the woods. Teach them.
2. Practice what you plan. Don't just plan to store food, to feed your family in the winter with wild game, to learn to milk dairy animals or hatch your own poultry. Do it now. Become adept at the skills you will need right now.
3. Know your neighbors & become known. You don't have to be best of friends, but many hands lighten the load. It helps to know the strengths of others & it's a good safety precaution to be able to distinguish the locals from strangers.
4. Try to develop a sense of when to hold your tongue. This one is hard for me. The time will come when relatives & friends may face reality. But for now too many prefer to ignore the ramifications of PO. Better to keep quiet and hope they come around soon. Better to not be the first family to come to mind when the grocer's shelves are empty.
Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 8:33 am Post subject: Re: [Opinion] 5 Rules for PO Prep.
chris-h wrote:
1) Do not get married but if you want to do it desperately find a submissive woman from a poor country to marry. She must have all the skills that poor women have ability to cook , repair clothes , farm a small garden raise rabbits , raise children and everything else.
Gotta say this one amuses me a bit. I have all those skills and then some, luckily my husband didn't have to travel to a poor nation to find me! Though some women today might consider me "submissive" I think the more appropriate term would be "respectful." And that respect should be mutual.
I think being married to (or at least having a long term, reliable partnership with) another person is a very very important part of long-term success in the post PO world. Who will look out for you if you fall ill, and as you age? If you are injured? Who will watch your back?
I'm very glad to have my husband. We have a greater security, knowing we can rely on one another as times get ever more difficult.
Finding a steadfast mate would have been in my 5 rules if I didn't already have one.
Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 9:53 am Post subject: Re: [Opinion] 5 Rules for PO Prep.
Welcome, Countrymomma.
I like the way you think. Probably because I think the same way lol Thanks for posting your five rules. I can't say I disagree with any of them.
Welcome again to the PFTF forum. I look forward to reading more posts from you.
Kathy
Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 10:50 am Post subject: Re: [Opinion] 5 Rules for PO Prep.
As most newbies here, I have been lurking a while. There is a LOT to learn and I have been reading and digesting for about a month. My situation is a bit different from most here as I am disabled, live alone, in a small complex, on meager fixed income. I have an old car that is paid for. I get out once every couple of weeks for all my needs. I am a good shot.
1> Rely only on yourself
2> When you shop, buy extra storable staples
3> Know your neighbors
4> Any extra money goes to reloading supplies
5> Trust only yourself or IMMEDIATE family
This is a starting point. Any and all suggestions are appreciated. These are only for survival short term. I won't be able to make it long term, and I realize it. _________________ A man should never wear a hat that has more character than he does.
Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 4:42 pm Post subject: Re: [Opinion] 5 Rules for PO Prep.
I know this is an old thread, but I want to post on it anyway. I am new to the PO forum but not new to the PO situation. I believe that depending on where you are located when everything goes down, your 5 rules change. These are my 5 rules for living in a rural town of about 7,500. It is hard enough to prepare here, I can't imagine trying to prepare in a city.
1) Food and Water. (Duh!) I'm stocking up on MREs and plan on getting a couple of those 50 gallon, chemically treated, water barrels. And this supply is only for when everything gets crazy. I believe things will be downright nasty for a couple of years. After things calm down(its best not to draw attention to your shelter during the worst times), everyone will need to start growing a garden that is as hidden as can be.
2) Motivation and Inspiration. I believe this is very important in surviving. In order to survive, you need to be determined to survive by all means. We can get our motivation from different places such as protecting our loved ones; the realization that this crash is for the best and that we are leading a new era that will ultimatly bring us together to live a more fulfilling life; and we can also get inspiration from artistic outlets such as creating music, paintings/drawings, or poetry.
3) Team work. At the begining we will want to keep the team as small as possible being that our supplies are probably very limited (in history during certain times of war, women and children would be cast off into the enemy lines in hopes that they would take them in and deplete their resources). I recommend having a large dog as part of the team to be able to sense unseen dangers and scare away scavengers looking to take your resources. I also believe that once we are able to start a garden, there should be shifts 24/7 to guard it (with the dog always present at night). As time goes on, the team needs to grow into a community that can accommodate different needs.
4) Physical & Mental Health. We must be able to pull our primal instincts out that have been programmed into us. To be aware of our surroundings; To become more keen with our senses (if you have nearsighted vision and haven't gotten lasik surgery yet - try to do so while there is still time!); To have the ability to take another life if necessary; To be aware of our sixth sense and learn to trust it; To take care of our body now and address any issues while there is still time; And to establish an inner peace within ourselves during this world of chaos.
5) Tools & Supplies. We need to get as many good quality tools while we can. Weapons probably being the most important.(Guns for those who plan to take your life and tasers for the poor souls who won't listen or leave, but don't threaten your life - I don't want to kill those I don't have to). I also suggest: Gardening tools, Medicine, Manual Radio, First Aid Kit, Good Boots, Travel Bag, Water Purifier, Bicycle, Solar Battery Charger and Rechargable Batteries, Oil Lamps & Oil, Durable Warm Clothes, Extra Stock of Toothpaste and Soap, Blankets, and items like these. I also believe that it would be a good idea to get extra of these items to barter in the future for things we did not remember to get.
There they are. Most of these have already been stated I realize, but I did elaborate on some of them. Location is a gimme rule. There is going to be a very small survival rate in the city. GET OUT NOW! Those who survive in the city will probably be the worst of the worst.... murderers, cannibals, and god only knows what else. Don't get trapped in a city.
Another personal issue I have is land ownership. I do not own any land... I rent. However I am saving a little gold bullion and hope that when everything has settled down and hopefully I have survived, it will be enough to buy some land. By then, Gold should be worth 10x as much and land prices should be way way down after the die off.
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