Beyond the Apocalypse; Surviving in the next Dark Age

Originally posted by edgecrusher2199
I've got an important question....is this what it is coming to? Just how likely of a scenario is this?

the question is not "if" an age of civilization will end

the real question is "when"

btw awesome thread s+f

why even consider this?

2012(2013) is going to fry the surface of this planet
if you don't have your "ticket" to the masonic underground cities..

you're screwed.

all life will be fried and drowned.


give me a break..
there are OWNERS of this planet.
they're not going to let little bands of "dark agers" scuttle around trying to build back into the cancer you were once seen as.
they know what's coming and they've made their own preparations for it (with your tax dollars i might add)

natural solar extermination is coming.

forget about your luxurious days in the dark ages.. eating maggots and drinking urine while the sun bakes you alive.


-

Hygiene is incredibly underrated when it comes to these events. I reckon that'd be almost as important as food and water. Lack of hygiene standards just makes you feel crap.

Uh, yeah, or that.

What the hell?

jeez the only thing i know how to do is repair my firearm, other than im screwed.

reply to post by whatukno


Thank You.
All of the links you provided will take weeks to study.
How to make gunpowder! Aside from the urine/ manure/ 10 months thing for saltpeter, seems pretty sack.
Thanks again.

your right,,,

it hit me the other day in another thread

if there was total chaos and meltdown for some ongoing years....

i could grow a garden and some food---but not enough for sustainment
also----i don't know how to get new seeds after growing thqat first batch

you go to the garden center and get more,,,usually


i have no idea how to skin an animal for food purposes,,,,i imagine you would learn pretty quick when starving,,but still

it is a scary thought,,,i got that feeling in my stomach

and there would be mad violence because 99.9% of people are in that same boat,,, don't know sh-t!!



also----i've been meaning for months to purchase surplus gas masks and filters for my family,,, because if you wait til you need it,,,it'd be too late and they'll be gone

Originally posted by middleclasssoldier
jeez the only thing i know how to do is repair my firearm, other than im screwed.

I think you can learn other things so pick up some books and
what free time you have learn what you can.

Focus on the essentials, maybe the SAS survival guide.

Find a group near you of like minded ppl, and try to get ppl
that have different points of focus, ie. one can be a doc or an RN.

One can be a gardener, herbalist, or farmer.

One can be ex-military like yourself and know OPSEC real well.

Other areas of knowledge would be underground bldg, electrician,
mechanic if you want to try to keep vehicles going for awhile.

In any event good luck !

reply to post by shortywarn
To get more seeds you either let the plant go to seed like
carrots, or if it is a fruit bearer like tomatoes the seeds are
part of fruit.

You just pick the seeds out of the tomatoes and store them cool
and dry as possible til next season.

Also make sure you have heirloom seeds as the genetical modified
seeds have the terminator gene and will not grow so you HAVE to
go buy seeds from them.

Makes one wonder if the terminator gene was put there for reasons
other than the obvious ones.

Can you honestly believe that you would be doomed to such a bleak and hopeless existence for all eternity? Can you honestly believe that there is no hope and that the only sensible thing to do it to prepare for total annihilation and the destruction of all life as we know it? Is it really Armageddon we all face, or is the future yet unwritten, waiting for those with of honor and valor to make a difference, a change for the better? We don't have to live in a post-apocalyptic world. If you choose, you can create a golden age of prosperity and beauty and erect shining cities of crystal so beautiful, travelers would look upon them and weep. This is your world and its fate is in your hands. Do not give in to despair so soon. All is not lost, if you could open your eyes to see. Earth is undergoing a metamorphosis, as is the entire solar system. It is entirely up to you whether it be malignant or benign. The choice lies with you. You create your own reality. The real revolution is the revolution of consciousness. How this all turns out depends on you and not somebody else, because in this there is no teacher and no pupil. There's no leader. There's no guru. There's no master, no savior. You, yourself are the teacher and the pupil. You are the master, you are the guru, you are the leader. You are everything!

Excellent...the best stimulus to learning isnt necessarily to provide the correct answers but to ask the right questions (a la Socrates). Let's hope that civilization doesnt completely unravel to the point of becoming another "dark ages". However, it doesnt hurt to consider TWCS and go from there....as the Boy Scouts say, "Be Prepared." The key to rebuilding a civilization is not being able to do it all but rather the concepts of "division of labor" and communitization. That is, people need to congregate in communities and there needs to be a division of labor (animal husbandry and agriculture and other means of food production, energy production and on down the line). Barter of goods and services would be the basis for commencing a monetary system. First, there would have to be a standard and useful commodity that could be used as a 'medium of exchange' and then the 'store of value' part could come later. Along with community congregation would be the creation of an organized political structure and the re-establishment of the rule of law.
I really dont think that it will come to all of this. Our government plans for contingencies...even continuation of govt in the event of a nuclear war.
That being said....it could (potentially) get real bad though...2x worse than the Great Depression even without making the mistakes of the Hoover Administratiom (which were relatively tight monetary policy, protectionist international trade policies and a failure to protect the bank deposits). Our President and the head of the Fed seem very bright,,,,but they do need to stay ahead of the curve - kinda like riding a giant tsunami on a surf board. Holy Cowabunga, Dude!! Let's just hope it wont take another world war to get us out of this mess like it did going into the 1940s........

Like I said in the other thread, and I think this is very important to consider, IF such a scenario were around the corner, one of the MOST important things is to make sure that you have all of your books with you...
The preservation of knowledge would be absolutely critical in the long term if you are to rebuild.
I have a pretty good collection now and I wouldn't give them up for anything, right about now. In fact, I plan on reclaiming some books I have on loan.

As for the hygeine factor that an above poster mentioned, yes, it is critical also.
Especially being able to maintain healthy teeth. We take that for granted now a days because we have toothpaste. If the WORST case scenario were to present itself, after a few years a lot of people would have their teeth falling out of their faces if they don't learn how to make due... And that would suck. Risk of infection increases and is accompanied by unbearable pain. It can be lethal if a dead tooth absesses into a sinus cavity...

A lot of people already have horrible dental hygeine due to the tons of sugar people consume every day, so they would decay very quickly once you started neglecting them.
Wild mint works well.

[edit on 15-2-2009 by Jay-in-AR]

reply to post by Syrus Magistus


I agree, there is a plan for us. We just are not sure what it is.
I also agree the change needed has to come from within. I am however extremely skeptical this will ever be acheived without direct intervention, if I may say so here without stirring the caldron too much.

Heres why. We like war!
www.youtube.com...

Apart from moving to another planet anytime soon, we've got to learn to get along here, while we still have some time or we better hold on to that hope because thats about all we'll have. IMO



[edit on 15-2-2009 by dodadoom]

reply to post by whatukno


Good post man, lots of info here....

____________________________________________________________________

I will carry the torch on, for the sake of this... and state in brutal honesty:
I'm not proficient at any of these things you mentioned.
____________________________________________________________________

Here is my list:

Originally posted by whatukno

What happens when you use up the supplies you stored in your BOB?

In short, no.
I couldn't run to barnes and noble to get a copy of my reference manuals. It would be even tougher to replace the things I would be carrying on my person.

What happens when you run out of ammo?

I would hope not to, but if I did... I would be angry.

Can you take wheat and make bread?

Never tried with wheat, although I have tried other means and they weren't tasty.

Can you distill your own Biofuels?

No also, for a car at least. But I wouldn't be planning on driving around if it got that bad anyway. I would rather make a still for my own personal consumption. That much I am good at.

Can you make your own penicillin?

I can grow mold in the fridge, and do at times. Not something I would want to eat anyway. I'm allergic to it.

Do you know how to forge steel?

Not to the fullest extent, as in making pig iron from the earth... and going from there. I'm not well versed in metallurgy, but I have been experimenting in making my own blades on a hand forge that a buddy of mine has built... Just using old leaf springs as stock. It would be tough without a shop and current technology.

Do you know how to rebuild your own civilization?

I don't know how it would end up if I were to try, but if I were I would set the goals and surround myself with like-minded people, the rest would work out. I suppose.

____________________________________________________________________


And yes, surviving is enough for me at least. While it is a novel idea, ya know... being truly free as a people and living off the fat of the land now. It's harder than ever. We have grown to take a many thing for granted, and I fear you are correct..



In closing, I think:
Somehow, in the past one-hundred years we have forgotten what is truly essential to us, that skill and knowledge that had helped us to survive has been replaced by our wants of "luxury' and bigger things.

To be quite honest, OP... I am preaching to the choir here when I say... yes we aren't prepared. I know I'm not in the mindset or position to fully understand the undertaking, and I will be the first to say so. I'm all for learning, and with the content the OP provided I'm willing to sink my teeth into it and try.

Nice freaking post btw! Lets all add and keep that flame burning... lots of relevant things that we have lost along the way, methinks. Good buffer for discussion.

Big

T-Minus

[edit on 09/2/15 by telemetry]

[clarification]

[edit on 09/2/15 by telemetry]

Good post. I would also highly reccomend Holly Deyo's "Dare to Prepare". It even has a chapter on how to decipher manufacturer codes for date of origin.

Also, if you are concerned about nukes potassium iodide can be had very cheap on the net.

reply to post by seabisquit


If I'm not mistaken, the Potassium Iodide would not be of much help in the event of a nuclear blast. It is mainly meant to be used in the case of a meltdown at a plant. I'm not sure of the specifics on that, but the fallout from a blast, if I'm not mistaken, would overwhelm you.
The iodide only "coats" the thyroid to prevent thyroid cancer. While yes, it is SOME protection, it isn't enough to save you.

reply to post by telemetry


Good post.

"I don't know how it would end up if I were to try, but if I were I would set the goals and surround myself with like-minded people, the rest would work out. I suppose."

You are right, it would work in the end. However, I think that is probably something people should consider preparing for. We usually tend to think about what it takes to survive, but what happens when you have survived Situation X for one year and you're doing just fine? Well, then it is time to start rebuilding, lest we remain cavemen. We would have a lot of work to do and I think it is invaluable to at least consider the idea. It is DEFINATELY a good learning experience, regardless.

And I also agree that humanity, in general is not prepared for this, but is it ever?
To me, in my romantic mind ( as if that is ever actually used), I tend to think that THIS would be the mark of a more "enlightened" man. Being able to recover from something so drastic would give the survivors a better understanding as to why not to make the same mistakes next go around. Being able to rebuild quickly to some similance of what we have now would be absolutely remarkable.

[edit on 15-2-2009 by Jay-in-AR]

reply to post by Jay-in-AR


Nuke suits can also be had on the net for a reasonable price!
If you live close to a nuke plant or suspected military target,
it may be something to consider....

At least have a 72 hour Grab and Go bag wherever you live!
IMO

reply to post by Jay-in-AR


You may be correct in that assumption, I have never really studied what Potassium Iodide would be used for... short of like you said a direct nuclear contamination. In the real world, if you were living in the area of a direct hit from an ICBM or other nuke device... you would probably be better off with a dosimeter (sp?) to measure the rads output.

If you are in the area of an immediate blast, put your head between your legs and... anyway. lol.

Potassium Io would be near useless unless you knew for a fact that you were in a highly exposed area, or were venturing into an area of a blast and could measure rads dosage. A NBC suit and mask would be far better I would surmise. I'm not sure about the long terms of radioactive fallout, but the pot/io... it could help. Curious to hear more about that if there are any experts here.

If there were such a thing, I would guess it would be low-level depleted uranium or "dirty" so to say, but I'm curious to know... see it has been posted while I was writing...
+2 for a chem suit.

T-

[time and relevance]



[edit on 09/2/15 by telemetry]

reply to post by dodadoom


Oh, I understand, and agree.
I was just letting it be known that those pills won't save you if you are in the fallout radius of a nuclear detonation. You will need more than that. Mask, suit, the whole nine...
Yes, definately something to consider for anyone who thinks they may be faced with such a possibility.
Major cities, for sure. Or key military bases.