Survivalism on the Rise

By Selwyn Duke

The New York Times has run a piece titled "Duck and Cover: It's the New Survivalism," about how stocking up on non-perishable foods and water and taking other survivalist measures is becoming more mainstream.  In other words, even some liberals are doing it.

What this really means is that reality is setting in.  And it is reality.  I've always been fascinated -- not surprised, mind you -- by how most people will blithely drift through life, oblivious to how easily our little modern apple cart can be upset.  It's not that the majority trust in God or are fatalistic, either; it's just that they're out of touch with reality.  They're "on the grid," not just in terms of their lifestyle but also their thinking, and they assume the grid will always be there.  You see, most people view matters through the prism of their own experience, and if they've only known comfort and security, they often assume they'll always enjoy those things.

This is a big mistake.  If there's anything history teaches, anything relatively current events have taught us, it's that the best place to find a helping hand really is at the end of your arm. 

Just consider Hurricane Katrina.  Unless you're an ideologue blinded by the desire to lay blame at the feet of the current administration, you'll learn the right lesson.  To wit: When a great disaster strikes, don't count on the government to be there to hold your hand.   

The government is basically an intransigent bureaucracy.  And  it comprises people who are in some cases conscientious but who, in the larger part I suspect, are either incompetent, corrupt or both.  In any case, they have no vested interest in helping you and no emotional attachment that would inspire them to do so. 

Thus, under a scenario in which severe social breakdown occurs, many government workers will be doing what a good number of the police in Hurricane-stricken New Orleans were: Taking care of themselves and their families.

Lastly, when you put together your survival supplies, don't forget guns and ammunition.  Don't be like Val Vontourne, who was quoted in the Times article as saying:

I think of survivalists as being an extreme case of preparedness, people who stockpile guns and weapons, anticipating extreme aggression. Whereas what I’m doing, I think of as something responsible people do.

I don't call a desire to leave yourself naked and defenseless a badge of honor; I call it a badge of stupidity.  But that's political correctness for you.  It has actually made people think that defenselessness is a virtue.

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