"May you live in interesting times."
-An old Chineese curse
When I was in high school, I remember having a closet full of plastic Gatorade bottles I'd filled with water. This was my 'store' for in case the water to my Missouri suburb was shut off. I told my friends about the impending demise of Western civillization. At the time, I was just getting big into Hubbert's theory of Peak Oil. After all, "All the world runs on oil, and it's running out!"
Hubbert was some guy from the '50s who predicted that since oil was a finite resource, and since man was taking it out of the Earth at ever-increasing rates, the time would come in history when man wouldn't be able to get as much oil out of the ground as he had the last year. This would be the 'plateau' of global oil production, and it would result in ever-increasing demand for a not-increasing (and then downright decreasing) supply of crude oil products (gasoline and diesel, for example).
That's the theory, and the theory is valid. Hubbert was right. In fact, it seems that the global 'peak' actually did occur in 2006. It happened five years ago! The chief economist of the International Energy Agency stated just last month (November) that "The Era of Peak Oil is Over."
Therefore, there should be mass rioting and chaos in the streets! Store shelves have been emptied! Martial law has been imposed! And woe to all of us who have not established our survivalist retreats to hide out from the slaughter!
Forgive my sarcasm. Obviously the world has not fallen into complete anarchy (atleast as a whole- certain parts are certainly closer to it than others). Zombie nazi biker gangs don't rule the land. Life goes on, just as it has through all of history.
So... does that mean we all get off scot-free? No, that's not right either. Please, let me clarify myself.
There's an old Chineese curse. I believe it says something to the effect of "May you live in interesting times." That is exactly the curse my generation (I write this as a twenty-something American midwestern collge student) is facing. Peak oil has happened. As the years go by, oil is going to become more and more expensive, and I will probably witness an international paradign shift at some point on what a 'daily commute' actually entails. Maybe someday soon.
And that's just the example I was using to make a point. In this day and age we have cyberwarfare, bio-terrorism, the omnipresent threat of economic collapse, and EMPs that can permanently shut down a nation without warning (just to name a few fantasies that could become reality in an instant).
What is a man to do?
I've played with the idea of writing this little blog for some time now. I grew up reading Rawles' survivalblog (as you very well might have too if you're reading this). As time goes on, the bug-out Rawles ranch survivalist retreat thing seems more and more like... escapism. Running away. Leaving society (and humanity) behind. I guess that's fine if you think civillization is worth nothing and is something we mere mortals have no power over (or responsibility for). But I have to believe I have some power to affect (and responsibility toward) my fellow man. I have to believe that even if the SHTF, I have a place helping to navigate the change in the world.
After all, SHTF rarely means alien commie invaders from outter Gurkastan. It looks a lot more like what we're already seeing. Unemployment happens. Poverty happens.
Losing your job in a time of 10-30% unemployment? That's a pretty freaky TEOTWAWKI right there.
I'm writing this blog because I think what's needed among the prepraredness community is less talk about beating the 'golden horde' and more thinking about how to see our little slice of humanity through a hard time. I would like to see ideas on self-employment, entrepreneurship, and on giving people reason to live a decent life. I want to know about moving away from a failed consumption-based society and towards one that produces. I want to see how we're going to take our little slice of history, our 'interesting time,' and run with it because it's what we're given.
Make no mistake- I'm not attempting to guss over reality. I advocate firearms and concealed carry. I do believe in food storage. Solar energy is a great way to get off the grid and be insulated from shocks in 'the system.' And storing water is a great idea. But if all the conversation consists of is how to 'isolate' yourself from a troubled world, then I have to believe the point has been missed.
The point?
All of history is simply a record of change and how men dealt with change. All of humanity is made of cities, towns, communities. We live in frightening times, and many of us, our neighbors, and our friends will go through harsh times.
How are we going to deal with it?
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