Let's just say that for some reason, all the modern conveniences that we have now were gone. For whatever reason, it doesn't matter. How many would survive? How many of today's young people know how to hunt, plant gardens, cook on the open fire or even chop wood to keep warm. It would be an interesting scenario wouldn't it?
How many would survive?
- Thread starter Snuggles
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It's my opinion that a lot of the preppers, the ones that isolate themselves, will not survive. Most of the unprepared will go quickly, through disease, starvation, and depradation by maurading bands. The maurading bands will eventually run out of victims and run into groups that are bigger and stronger thus thinning themselves out.
The survivors will be those who band together in entire communities with a one for all, mentality. In any given community, it will surprise you how many do know what to do and if they are willing to share knowledge and help with those with other skills, the group may survive. Even then, it will take a strong leader and a determination by the group to make it work.
The survivors will be those who band together in entire communities with a one for all, mentality. In any given community, it will surprise you how many do know what to do and if they are willing to share knowledge and help with those with other skills, the group may survive. Even then, it will take a strong leader and a determination by the group to make it work.
Theo
eyebp's mentor
My sentiments, exactly. No one person can know everything needed to survive so it is going to take a combined knowledge base to make it through adversity.
In the words of John Donne, 'No man is an island'
oldsarge
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I agree with Grandpa, the lone preppers may outlast the unprepared, but the ones who band together for the good of all will most likely outlast the others. Sometimes I think preppers are those with limited skills waiting to be thrown into a survival situation to put their knowledge to work. You can learn all you can, but when you're thrown out of your comfort zone and it's all "real world" , it's not as fun as it was during training. Whereas people who live a lifestyle of living off the land will simply take it all in stride. I can honestly say that in my given situation, if the worse came to be, I would be in deep doo doo!
Judy Ann
Active Member
I think that there will be a few of us trading services and knowledge in the new world order. I wonder how a community can stay off radar for an extended period of time and not attract attention. It must be difficult to live off the grid for months or years as a small group, but to convince others that everyone's life depends on it in a community would require a tremendous amount of faith.
On a backpacking trip, this very topic came up. My thoughts above are actually the sentiments of that group. One of the group members is currently the head of our local emergency preparedness organization in this "community" which entails the whole county. My son in law said,"that is fine for you folks that have skills and preparations, but where do I and my family fit in? All I bring to the group is a wife and hungry kids."
The response was, "but you are a fighting man, and that will be needed too. YOu and your family will be welcome because we need your skills as well."
The response was, "but you are a fighting man, and that will be needed too. YOu and your family will be welcome because we need your skills as well."
hummingbird
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In my opinion, not many young people would last. They may have a run of pure luck but most of them don't know much about the old skills which are necessary to survive. My bunch would because I've always taught them how to do things even if they don't do it now.
wvbreamfisherman
Active Member
One person alone is totally vulnerable. If for no other reason than you have to sleep eventually.
People originally banded together in tribes/extended families for mutual support and division of labor. Eventually specialization came about (hunters, flint knappers, tanners, woodworkers, potters, etc.).
In a EOTWAWKI situation, all those skills and others will be needed. Society will reform around people that have needed, specialized skills and knowledge, and that can work together with others to advance all their fortunes.
The lone wolves will survive until they (inevitibly) make a mistake. The totally unprepared will divide themselves into predators and prey, and fight it out until they reach the least common denominator.
The predators will turn on each other until they reach a sort of wolf-pack arrangement to take on larger prey.
At that point the communities will be at maximum danger, as they aren't totally organized around fighting.
Some of them will be conquered and destroyed or enslaved. the stronger ones will probably band together as a sort of city-state and then as a nation state, or more likely a kingdom.
Just my $0.02
People originally banded together in tribes/extended families for mutual support and division of labor. Eventually specialization came about (hunters, flint knappers, tanners, woodworkers, potters, etc.).
In a EOTWAWKI situation, all those skills and others will be needed. Society will reform around people that have needed, specialized skills and knowledge, and that can work together with others to advance all their fortunes.
The lone wolves will survive until they (inevitibly) make a mistake. The totally unprepared will divide themselves into predators and prey, and fight it out until they reach the least common denominator.
The predators will turn on each other until they reach a sort of wolf-pack arrangement to take on larger prey.
At that point the communities will be at maximum danger, as they aren't totally organized around fighting.
Some of them will be conquered and destroyed or enslaved. the stronger ones will probably band together as a sort of city-state and then as a nation state, or more likely a kingdom.
Just my $0.02
CozInCowtown
Moderator
Too many!!
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Well I guess I'm off the bell curve. While I understand what you are saying there are a lot who do not know the basics, it is not the case in my neighborhood. I've got the garden and fruit trees. I also can items, jelly and jams, and the most important of all I can make beer and wine. My neighbor hunts and has been known to grab fresh road kill. Another one raises chickens. One down the street is a sort of jack of all trades, hunts, fishes, small garden. My brother in law used to have chickens.
To be honest, all that does not mean anything if you do not have a way to treat medical conditions. I grow some herbs which can help, and have some knowledge, and books on their uses. But if I cut off my hand or a foot or another serious injury I'm done.
To be honest, all that does not mean anything if you do not have a way to treat medical conditions. I grow some herbs which can help, and have some knowledge, and books on their uses. But if I cut off my hand or a foot or another serious injury I'm done.
ppine
Forester
I like the concept proposed by Grandpa about the importance of the group. I used to work in Utah alot and learned about the Beehive Mentality. Humans are much more social than many outdoor types will admit. The long-term survival of the individual always relies on the group. History has taught us that in many forms. It is heartening to see people deal with difficult topics on the forum in realistic terms.
That is why you will need a doctor to treat your hand and a blacksmith to forge you a hook as a replacement so you can get back to raising food for those who are busy making hooks and treating wounds. Doctors will continue to be doctors and also be happy to get a chicken or a sack of spuds for payment rather than a cash payment on the BMW.
"A man offered me a sack of gold in one hand and a dead cat in the other. I took the cat because I could not eat the gold." (not sure of the source but an old saying around here since I was knee high to a dachsund.)
ChadTower
Active Member
I always enjoy listening to the preppers who think rifles and ammo are the solution to every problem. They're going to kill anyone who comes near their property and they are going to hunt for every meal. Apparently, they're also going to use that ammo as first aid, they're going to crap in their rifle chambers, and they're going to drink bullets. Few them ever bother with silly things like first aid, sanitation, or a good water source. Why should they? They have 6 months' worth of stores for all that stuff!
IMO, skills are everything in this situation. If you have an important skill, I mean are really skilled at it, you will be welcome in any community.
I would not count on hunting unless you plan on going really remote. Everything within an hour of any city is going to be picked clean in a week. Hunting grounds will be full of incompetent men with rifles looking for anything that moves to feed their kids. The only real way to sustain here is livestock management because the deer, the turkeys, the hogs, the freshwater fish, it'll all be gone in a flash. And it will mostly be wasted, too, since few people have any type of preservation or chain cooking skills anymore.
IMO, skills are everything in this situation. If you have an important skill, I mean are really skilled at it, you will be welcome in any community.
I would not count on hunting unless you plan on going really remote. Everything within an hour of any city is going to be picked clean in a week. Hunting grounds will be full of incompetent men with rifles looking for anything that moves to feed their kids. The only real way to sustain here is livestock management because the deer, the turkeys, the hogs, the freshwater fish, it'll all be gone in a flash. And it will mostly be wasted, too, since few people have any type of preservation or chain cooking skills anymore.
Hikenhunter
Well-Known Member
BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES. ( sometime in the late '70s.) That was the last in a series of 5 movies. In it it depicted humans and apes living together in one village. The planet had been mostly destroyed by nuclear war but the survivors formed little communities. Those who stayed in the city were radiated and basically had nothing, but the apes and humans that eacaped to the country all brought their specialized skills together to form a thriving community.
My father in law and brother are in the medical field. Not doctors but better then nothing.
oldsarge
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There was an episode of Brad Meltzer's Decoded, about 2012 and how it predicts the end of the world. They interviewed a guy who's organized a group of 20 or so people to band together with when things go sour. He really sounded like he had his wits about him and covered all kinds contingency plans for different scenarios. Not an anti government warmonger but someone with a great way of looking at things and trying to be smart in his preparing. I tried to locate the video but my computer is on it's way out and won't play music or videos anymore. 8 years has taken it's toll, time to find a replacement!
pauldude000
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I used to write TEOTWAWKI fan fiction, though I still write occasionally. (Just not fan fiction) Researching for a TEOTWAWKI story is depressing. It is amazing how much total garbage masquerading as knowledge is out there on the net.
Realistically, unless human nature changes, do not write off humans in general. Large amounts will die, but through every major event in history humans survive. What is odd is that preparation was never the key. Attitude was the key. Those determined to survive tended to find a way to survive. Those who held too tightly to the past, or whom refuse to change despite circumstances tend to die.
Below is a highly possible outlook, though there is no possible way to envision an actually probable scenario. Far too many variables.
- For most people, in a general sense, most of those who initially die would succumb to dehydration.
- Disease or physical conditions would kill off many more.
- Old man Murphy would have a field day with numerous others.
- Due to lack of food resources, a great number would die, especially those who have food when nobody else does.
- Those without food would eventually kill most of those obviously with food. (Not enough bullets for those with the defense mindset. They underestimated their opponent and his determination. Always a fatal mistake.)
- A good portion of those who survive to this point would starve.
- A fraction of humanity would exist, and numerous whole sections of these would succumb to 'acts of god' (drought, insects eating crops, etc.)
The difference? Basic knowledge of how to survive without electricity and gasoline.
Yet settlers made the same human mistakes, and often they died in droves. Sometimes whole communities. One drought could mean life or death to hundreds or thousands.
Truthfully? The uber advanced nations are toast, with their populations being the hardest hit of all nations. They are too civilized to learn such base knowledge as what they can eat from the wild field behind their own house, or how to live without manufactured 'stuff'.
Knowledge, or rather the lack of it, will kill most people in TEOTWAWKI. Specifically the knowledge that stuff can't save you in a post apocalyptic world.
PAW fiction was fun to write, but it was a bunch of fairy-tales when viewed towards usable practicality. The real stuff nobody would want to read.
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ChadTower
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Did anyone else have to look that up?
pauldude000
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The End Of The World As We Know It - TEOTWAWKI
Post Apocalyptic World - PAW
Sorry about that. It is easy to forget that not everyone is familiar with the acronym.
Pathfinder1
Well-Known Member
Hi...
I knew what it meant...I just don't know how to pronounce it...!!:tinysmile_twink_t2:
I knew what it meant...I just don't know how to pronounce it...!!:tinysmile_twink_t2: