[556x45]

Thats exactly right. Im not sure those preparing have really come to ‘peace’ with that reality. If you have ‘stuff’ youll spend your days defending it. Most every day will be life & death. To me that seems a daunting task not to be embarked on lightly. Your best defense is secrecy but at some point itll become common knowledge then you’re really committed. Youll kill or be killed. Id rather not have to go that road.....

[Kartographer]

"Youll kill or be killed. Id rather not have to go that road....."

"And that is what Evil does: forces us all down dark pathways we otherwise would not have trod."
From the book 'Dark Tide' by D.L. McKiernan

[papertyger]

Im not sure those preparing have really come to ‘peace’ with that reality.

Where the hell did you get THAT damn fool idea?

[packrat35]

Youll kill or be killed. Id rather not have to go that road.....

The other option is to die and let your family starve. I'd rather NOT go down that road.

[Free_in_Alabama]

I know I'm unprepared and I am more prepared than most. If it goes SHTF in a bad way, (99%) of us are screwed. Most people are tied to a single theory/solution. This concept that people can survive and retain their humanity is flawed. I have thought about it and have come to the conclusion that there are 2 choices in a true apocalyptic scenario – die or become totally and truly vicious. Probably won't have to make that decision right away but eventually if it is TEOTWAWKI then that's the choice. Some here think they have it all figured out. They don’t. Even if they are prepared to do all that is necessary to survive the worse, the question is how about the people around you. People say they can do what is required but how about their wife, kids, parents ... What if your daughter or wife is the week link. Can you sacrifice them for your own survival? Righteous viciousness without hesitation may be what is needed in. Can most of the “preppers” here be that way? The answer is no. I know I can’t. I could be ruthless to a point. I will do everything I can to protect my family. I will be the bad guy if I have too. But the result is I will be prepared, ruthless and diligent but will need luck or divine assistance. Let’s take a simple scenario - A child wanders into your area hungry and needing help. Do you send it away or kill it. Will your family allow you to do either? Maybe the child is just a random transient. Maybe the child is a scout for a larger group who has no problem using children as infiltrators and for recon. You feed the child and now it knows there is food, fuel, water … at the location. When you aren't’t watching, the child vanishes to notify its controller. A week later you have snipers or a night attack on your position. Knowing that what do you do when a child wanders into your area and your wife/daughter takes them in? The key is what collapse scenario plays out and the speed. Based on that info determines my defensive, offensive or run and hide response. I pray we don't see it and if it does happen then it is like what we have seen in other modern countries and not like the apocalypse people are thinking here.

[SamAdams76]

If you have 'stuff' you'll spend your days defending it...

I agree wholeheartedly with your post. All the "survivalists" here yapping about their generators, livestock, stores of food and ammunition and whatnot are going to be among the first to die in a true TEOTWAWKI situation.

It's one thing to brag from your keyboard about how you will sit on your front porch and mow down would-be looters with your automatic rifle. It's quite another to actually do it and think you are going to get away with it. Eventually you are going to need some sleep or you are going to run out of ammo Then you will be overrun by the hordes with their pitchforks and torches and whatever is left of your "stash" will disappear down the throats or be carried off by your killers. And if you leave behind a wife or kids, they will soon be dead or wish they were.

Not a pretty picture but that is the reality. Now don't get me wrong, it's a great idea to be prepared to ride out a short-term disaster such as a hurricane, an earthquake or an extended power outage. I have myself a good supply of flashlights, batteries, firewood, canned goods, bottled water, candles and a generator ready to go - so if I lose power for a week or so, I'm in fairly decent shape. But anybody attempting to ride out the apocalypse by filling their cellars and sheds with years worth of supplies are wasting their time and money.

For when the crap hits the fan and you end up being the only one around with lights on at night and livestock running around the place, people are going to very quickly be beating a path to your door and word will spread around like wildfire that you have stuff worth stealing and it doesn't matter if you have a private army of snipers encircling your place 24/7. The well-stocked compound you spent so much time preparing will eventually get overrun by the hungry and desperate masses, even if they have to climb over a stack of dead bodies to get to you.

So that said, what is the best way to prepare for a TEOTWAWKI event?

Learn as many specialized skills as you can. The more services you can provide to a society forced to start all over again, such as carpentry, general repair, doctoring skills, rudimentary dentistry, etc., the more valuable you will be and the less likely you will go hungry as you will be able to barter these specialized skills for food and/or shelter.