Older people's need for alliances with younger people

Malasian martial arts are great hand to hand as they are not widely taught as judo and karate are. It is important to note that martial arts don't stop bullets and they don't protect and provide while nursing an injury.

That old couple down by the creek might be an easy target but the gang of 50 year olds living to the cave up the hill will hunt you down take you out with their numbers to prevent you from coming anywhere near their camp in the middle of the night.

I would suggest you work to organise a small group of friends and lead them. Their support will be handy as everyone has a bad day hunting or fishing. The responsibility of their wellfare will steady your focus and determination to thrive and advance.

The chaos will have the unprepared to form loose alliances of land pirates. The dedicated and prepared groups maybe victimised from their raids but would defeat them in the long run as in fighting, despiration and greed will magnify their weaknesses.

Just to clarify here, what exactly is considered to be old/young?

I'm in my mid to late 30s and consider myself to be doing well for my age. My fitness level is considerably higher than the average guy my age. I boxed for 10 years and have done a bit of kick boxing, so I can handle myself. I can carry large weights over condiderable distances quickly. I trained as a nurse during my part-time years in the UDR/Royal Irish Home Service, and I specialised in pre-hospital care so I can care for myself and others if I had to. I have gained quite a bit of life experience from growing up in a pretty hard part of Belfast during the worst of the Troubles, combined with my military service.

Basically, I consider myself to be fairly useful when push comes to shove. However if you ask some of the people on these forums they consider a bloke who's hitting 40 soon to be old! Sorry boys and girls, but there are people on here that are quite a bit older than me who I would rather have if TSHTF than the younger more aggressive lads. Older people are more effective at putting things in perspective and not taking stupid risks. Life exerience generates a host of skills. A bunch of skilled people of around my age will put up a surprising fight when attacked. The difference is we know when to fight and when not to.

Unlike a lot of younger, testosterone-filled lads I don't go looking for a fight, but if one finds me he'd better bring a few mates.

[edit on 19-5-2007 by PaddyInf]

I posted a message here in this thread back a while ago and looking back on myself in that state. I have to say pathetic, now I'm training to become fitter and stronger but I still couldn't hunt or fight to save my life. Does anyone know any good sites where I might pick up a few tips.

As far as fighting, the best thing you can do is avoid it all costs. If you must fight without a firearm, fight with a weapon that give you a mechanical and reach advantage like a club or staff. Knives are useful tool but require training and skill to be truly effective weapons whereas a club or staff can be swung to good effect even by a small person. A trained 'bo' or staff fighter can defeat just about any unarmored opponent.
Hunting on foot takes a lot of energy. Hunting skills take a long time to master, trapping is far more effective method of meat gathering for longterm survival in terms of energy expended for food gathered. Same with fishing. Modern anthropologist now believe that once man learned fishing, he spread across the known world in the blink of an eye in biological terms.
Gathering edible wild plant foods is just as important as hunting. Get a good field guide for the plants in your planned bug out area.

As far as hunting website's, take your pick. I like the 24hourcampfire.com site.

Having older people in amongst your tribe can add a valuable morale boost. Whan all goes pear-shaped and the going seems too much in the face of societal breakdown, there is always someone who has lived through times of great adversity, war, and famine that can put the situation in perspective. Even though I have heard the tales many many times, I still listen avidly to my grandpa tell me of his life through the depression, no money to put food on the table, the Blitz, and the good old 'Dunkirk spirit'...97 years of life experience and still going strong. The elderly would be a prime resource and concern for me if TSHTF and well worth forming alliances with



[edit on 22-5-2007 by citizen smith]

It's ok with me if tinhorns like MM want to disregard my value because I'm getting a few years on. The greatest advantage an adversary can bestow on me is to underestimate me and overestimate himself. That's why the old guys will do ok. We have staying power and nothing to prove. Besides, if you kill me how will you ever find the gold?

Tribalism leads the way! Emulate our ancestors it served them well.

reply to post by MichaelMyers


I really don't want to offend you because I believe you are a valuable part of the ATS survival community, so please keep that in mind when reading this. It not meant as sarcasm it just reads that way.

do you think you were the only one raised in a bad situation? We all have our stories. I'm sure you are fit and good at what you do. However there is times (most of the time actually) ware its better to think then bash.

Has all your Marshal arts training prepared you to lay hidden in the summer heat waring a Gillie suit? Has it taught you to ignore the basic biological need of your body while laying in the summer heat in a Gillie suit? has it taught you when to shoot and when to stay your finger. has it taught you how bad it feels to take a human life. you die a little inside. We tend to talk about people as things on the survival boards. Its what we have to do to take our minds off the fact that every person out there has somebody who loves them. That knowledge comes from age and experience, not youth and strength.


These are things that can only come from experience. To be honest my money in a down right street brawl would be on the older person not you. sure if you connect its gonna hurt, but the older person is smart enough to know how to get out of the situation.

Guys like Me and PaddyInf and Doc haven't done the things we have done and made it to the age were at with out learning how to take on the young and get away with it. its brains not brawn that truly rules the world.

Sparring in a dojo and geting in a fight in the real world are two different things. In the dojo you dont have to worry about your opponent pulling a 357 on you. in the real world out side the ring you do. The great equalizer will put an end to a fight real fast.

I know this thread has been around for a while and I haven't posted in it until now because this is one of those conversations that no matter how delicately you try to say something you are most likely going to offend somebody. So if I have offended somebody please don't take it personally, it wasn't meant to offend.

After careful re-reading of MichaelMyers posts I see now that he didn't start out by threatening but by reporting. He was just the bearer of bad news. I was wrong to let it get under my skin. I detest name calling as the epitome of ignorance and am usually very careful to not stoop to that. In this case I'm guilty and I apologize for that. He showed me a chink in my armor and my reaction to what he had to say showed me another.

He's right. There's a growing attitude among young people that older people have no value. That's probably a very much overlooked survival consideration that would be best addressed now, at the safety of our keyboards.

Thanks, MM for the post that made me realize that and sorry about the tinhorn thing. Guess I've been reading too much Louis L'Amour.

I live out in the country side, i know how to use a gun, i would know how to grow certain crops, i would need further knowledge on more, i could hunt for my self and happyly live. O and im 17 years old, any one expecting that ? Old people sterotype young people to a point that we dont even care any more, if your younger than 21 thats it, you sit on street corners drinking and smoking, o and stealing. Alot of kids my age do that, the ones that live in citys, there the danger spots, come out to the contry side and you'll be fine. Worryed about food ? Fish, Berrys, Murshrooms & Rabbits are within instint sight, then if your more long term, crops are availble, If old people and young people had to work toghter, either it would work instantly or the old people would xcomplain about being 'back in my day' and the young people would leave and leave the old people for dead.

Thats just my views, sorry if i affended any one.

ProTo