Posted on 06/23/2009 11:11:42 PM PDT by appleseed
While the credit crunch has caused life-changing hardships for many, some, believing the world is on the verge of a major depression, have taken to living off the land, regardless of how hard it is.
Seven years ago, Viktor Sergienko felt life in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev had become too stressful. On top of that he had read several books that claim a big world crisis was imminent. The software engineer decided not to hesitate and prepared for the worse. In 2007 he bought a small house in the countryside. Last September Viktor was among the few who could say, “I told you so.”
“Back in 2002 I realized that a big crisis would come in about 10 years. It is not that I made this up – there are many books on the subject. And now my forecast is coming true even earlier, and I believe this credit crunch is only the beginning,” Viktor said.
Mass manmade disasters, natural resources depleted, marauding and food scavenging…. These are just a few of the possible scenarios which – according to Viktor – will only increase around the planet. That is why, he says, one has to be ready to live a fully autonomous life.
Viktor wakes up early in the morning to work the entire day. It is hard, especially in the blazing sun. However, he’s not working for money, but for his survival. Over the years, the Ukrainian has accumulated everything he needs – cattle, a garden, and a shed full of necessities.
“We have counted up how much we need to survive and we are now able to grow it,” he said. “And also we need food for the cattle, timber for heating in the winter time and water – we have it all. Such things as electricity, oil, telephones and money will not be available during the crisis. And I can now say I have made myself fully independent from those.”
If someone thinks these ideas are absurd, try to imagine what would happen in a megapolis should it be deprived of electricity or sewerage disposal.
Some, however, turn this survivalist theory into a scary scenario, arming themselves against possible cataclysms. Others – like Mikhail Mikhin from Moscow – stick to a more sensible approach. Mikhail doesn’t quite share the apocalyptic view, but still he believes that one should be prepared to turn even the simplest things into means of survival.
“This is a regular military spade. Every soldier has it at his disposal. But in a crisis situation it could be used as a hammer, as a knife and you can even use it as a frying pan to fry fish,” he said.
The number of so-called survivalists in big cities is thought to have more than tripled since the beginning of the global market crisis. In Russia’s St. Petersburg alone they are estimated at 15,000.
Whether or not the world will soon descend into chaos is debatable.
Or without a water softener for 3 days. Heard someone talking about this a month ago. They had to go into full survival mode. Went to Menards and bought 3 cases of water to use in the coffee maker because they didn't want the hard water to clog it up. Called every day until the reapir man showed up. Now they have a case of water lying around that they didn't use during their shtf event and don't know what to do with it.
I can imagine the cities without basic utilities for any length of time. It ain't gonna be good. Zombies for as far as the eye can see.
Self Reliant/Survivalist ping list
Very sad. Water is #1. Not just water, but safe water. Three days and your dead. Sadly, a water softener was not a wake-up call for these people. So many are complacent and missing the required synapses between their neurons. Zombies is correct.
Isn’t Evian spelled Naive backwards ?
As unemployment rises so does the possibility it will effect you and I . Thus my emergency doesn’t have to be anarchy or a natural disaster. It can be no income for 2 or more years........be self reliant, depend only on yourself, share and help others if you can and everything else will come easy IMO.
Frugal is a fun hobby.......:o)
why just cities?......people in the “country” need electricity just as bad.....for refrigeration, the freezer, the water pump, etc......
Didn't mean to put down all city folks.
Debatable or not, its always a good policy to be as self-reliant as you can, even if only for a week or so after a natural disaster.
Then again, some folks just want to disengage as much as possible from the Rat Race. A way to start is by reading Countryside Magazine. Mother earth went Yuppie some years ago but CS is much more down to earth. Fun to read even if you can't go totally "off grid".
That’s us except we did finally get the internet through the cable but it’s nearly as slow as dial up. What sort of water filter are you using?
A country boy can survive..... ;-)
Went to Menards and bought 3 cases of water to use in the coffee maker because they didn’t want the hard water to clog it up.””
Actually, consumption of hard water is healthy compared to drinking the soft sodium-laden water. We used hard water (Ca++ and Mg++ ions) for a couple of decades without too many problems. Had to replace two water heaters in 20 years, but that was it. I can survive on very little compared to the frivolous stuff I have lying around today.
A country boy can survive..... ;-)””
You got it Bro. One of my favorite songs because I relate to the techniques.
No. 8 Howell III, Thurston
Secretive billionaire remains virtual recluse on remote Pacific island, holed up with small core of longtime associates, known only by code names like "Professor" and "Skipper." Howell Industries benefiting from burgeoning interest in green technology; firm is only known maker of coconut radios, bicycle-powered washing machines, bamboo automobiles. Rumored to be observing U.S. financial crisis with glee; Howell's own assets securely insulated offshore
Berkey water filters. Kinda expensive but it works.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.