Sunday, September 6, 2009

Who Would Survive ?

It doesn't have to be an End of the World scenario for conditions to arise which require a certain level of hustle to ensure one's survival.
All it takes is a hurricane, flood or any other natural disaster to disrupt the quality of life for millions of people.
In such an event - money becomes almost worthless.

During our recent hurricanes on the Gulf, we learned who we would want on our team.
And we also learned who was so dependent upon the system that they couldn't function rationally in it's absence.

After about a week without electrify many things to which one becomes accustomed fail to be readily available.
Banks and ATMs require electricity to process transactions.
Gas stations require electricity to run their gas pumps.
Grocery stores require electricity to store their perishable food items.
The water company requires electrify to run it's filtering plants.
At this point, one's survival skills and willingness to work become their most important assets.
So how would Bill Gates' money and computers save him?

Subsistence farmers would be okay.
They know and understand the procedures, growing seasons and natural fertilizers enough to ensure their ability to eat.
Large scale farmers are so dependent on petroleum based fertilizers, genetically modified seeds, automated sprinkler systems, and power equipment that their farms would be almost unusable.
Without the tools which progress has afforded them, many would have to look for a better way to find food.

Bullets are a finite commodity.
How many modern hunters understand the 75:15:10 ratio of potassium nitrate, charcoal powder and sulfur powder required to make gun powder?
How many know to let their urine decompose, gather the coals from a spent fire and live near a hot spring in order to get the raw materials?
Guns are only good as long as there are bullets.
A man who can make his own weapons would have a better chance of survival in a worst case scenario.
But many modern hunters lack this skill.

Down here on the Gulf, we have it easy.
In case of a hurricane we can evacuate north, east and west.
In an area as populated as California - y'all are screwed.
In the event of The Big One - where would you evacuate?
To the desert with no water or food?
You'd be better off trying to scrape a living from the orange groves and learning how to fish in the Pacific.
Maybe you all better acquire the skills of Mac Gyver.

3 comments:

KST said...

SMH and nodding at this post. Lol -yet another reason not to move to California.

FreeMan said...

We just have a long walk brother over the grapevine to the land of plenty. You forget we are not the manufactured bread basket of the country but actually raw fruits and vegetables. Almost everyone in Compton has a fruit tree in their backyard. So we'll be alright.

I'm sure Gates has a plane gassed up ready to fly out of the US whenever he wants. I am sure most of your regular people will make it down to Mexico and blend in with the mexicans like the blacks and the Native folk after the french left in Louisiana. The old will die and the medical dependent will die. So we'll make it but you better make sure your family have a surplus of insulin.

uglyblackjohn said...

@ KST - Cali ain't that bad. With the right environment, the quality of life is great.