How Long Would You Last in an Apocalypse? (w/quiz)

reply to post by ChuckNasty


I don't think that quiz takes my blood pressure and access to the medication into account. Naw, I will be dead and grateful for it. I don't like to see suffering, seen too much already.

Told me 5 years... Pffff
I have a bigger gun....

Plus we are all gonna die in the event case...

reply to post by ChuckNasty


I got twenty years, which I don't disagree with. However, I didn't think much of this test. There was no questions about ability to forage for food, repair necessary machinery, firearms training, or anything else that would be important to survival.

OpinionatedB
reply to post by nenothtu

 

Just so you know, if you don't want to live 40 years alone after the Apocalypse, then its your job to keep me alive longer than 10 years.

It's a good thing I am a great wife huh?

edit on 26-1-2014 by OpinionatedB because: What would you like on your sammitch dear?

Ain't it, though?

What would be the point of going on with nothing to look forward to but endless battles and the road to Valhalla?

Besides, you know I don't like eating my own cooking! How could I survive 40 years like THAT?

Don't worry - I got ya covered.

bottleslingguy
reply to post by nenothtu

 

I agree with what you're saying and respect your attitude. Not too sure what you were saying about the toxic infrastructure thing though. All those nuke plants, chemical plants, oil storage/refineries, petro chemicals, diseases etc (the things that we must keep contained and maintained) are gonna start falling apart eventually and that could tip the food chain/healthy biosphere balance. you wouldn't be able to survive a dying planet no matter where you were so I guess the answer to this topic is- as long as you keep fighting and even then the radiation will win sooner or later.

Well, I subscribe to a different school of thought in the matter, as I said before. None of those things scare me. I don't believe it even possible for mankind to destroy an entire planet, his own high opinion of his abilities notwithstanding. It's not like any of those things were brought in form elsewhere in the universe by man to destabilize the planet - they've ALWAYS been here, or we wouldn't have them now, since we cannot have gotten them from anywhere other than Earth.

I'm sure that, due to concentrations, there are and will be decidedly unhealthy places to be on Earth, but not the entire planet. What is taken from one place and gathered to another just makes the place it's taken from safer from it. Nukes in particular concern me the least. I happen to know quite a bit about how radiation works, due to some unfortunate circumstances of fear mongering on the subject in the eighties. It doesn't scare me at all. The place I grew up had 11 times the normal background radiation, and it never hurt me. The hysteria over Fukushima simply amuses me. I wouldn't drink from the reactor pool, but eating pacific fish bothers me nary a bit. That's a big ocean, and the radiation doesn't get MORE radioactive over time - certainly not enough to fill the Pacific.

Chemical plants (I know something about them, too, since I secured one for a while), oil storage and refineries, etc, don't worry me either. Again, in concentration those things can be really nasty, but they can't increase enough to provide the same concentration to the entire planet. I just don't believe man can kill an entire planet by using what was already there and never killed it before.

Disease is the biggie. Earth seems to have a self-regulating system, and when people (or other organisms) get too numerous, they get culled. The various episodes of the Black Death and the 1917 flu pandemic are examples. Humanity got culled, but it didn't get ended, much less the entire planet. We ARE currently overdue for another pandemic. Cities (like the one I'm currently in) are death traps during pandemics. Too many people all crowded together in the same space trying to breathe the same air, passing the nasties on to one another without even trying... and a culling ensues. A "much higher population" which the planet could theoretically support probably won't happen, alien intervention or no, because that would require even MORE crowding, giving the disease nasties an even more fertile playground to do their work in. I want no part of it. That would probably be the one thing that would make me lay down and die willingly, even eagerly. There are too many people already for comfort, and the entire population of Earth could be crowded into a circle with a 32 mile radius, leaving the rest of the planet pristine.

bottleslingguy

DarksideOz
Just as there will be groups form to restart some sort of society, there will also be those that are only in it for themselves and will do whatever it takes. That's not a video game, that's a cold hard reality !

not where I live but again what's the endgame? what are you surviving for?

For the same reasons you survive now?

Interesting question for which I have no answers other than to say that life wants to live. I guess it would vary from person to person, but I can't find any catch-all reason for living now that would cover everyone. There is no all-purpose reason for existence other than to keep on existing.

What do people exist for NOW? What do they really have to show for it all in the end? What is it that they can take with them? I know a lot of people who seem to exist just to gather more material "stuff", but in the end, how are they gonna take it with them? They won't... someone else will own it, and they'll have nothing to show, making their entire existence meaningless... other than just to exist.

bottleslingguy

DarksideOz
Just as there will be groups form to restart some sort of society, there will also be those that are only in it for themselves and will do whatever it takes. That's not a video game, that's a cold hard reality !

not where I live but again what's the endgame? what are you surviving for? to repopulate the planet? that's a video game fantasy not reality and if your goal is to see how long you can maneuver through a city scape eating rats in sewers then by all means enjoy yourself. there are a million softer targets before any groups are going to be patrolling this neck of the woods so I'll have plenty of time to enjoy what's left of my life before the toxic cloud kills us all..... well except for the cockroaches.

"Not where YOU live", you say. Look at it from a global Apocalypse rather than from a small minded view of just where you live. Where you live hasn't suffered an Apocalypse. Where you live isn't in a state of lawlessness and chaos. Now add an Apocalypse and total chaos and then have a look at where you live and the behaviour being shown. YES, it WILL be like that where YOU live too !
The point you keep missing is that you are only thinking of the outcome based on how you would react. You are ignoring the behaviour of many other humans, and what their behaviour will be like in the event of an Apocalypse. Every single natural disaster on this planet is meet with 2 responses from the people that survived. One of those is to bond together to make an effort to form some sort of society and rebuild, and the other is those that will use the opportunity of the breakdown of rules and society to get and take what ever they can. This IS a reality, and while you keep dismissing it as just a video game mentality, then you will be one of the first to suffer at the hands of those you claim are just video game characters, IF you survived an Apocalypse.

Or are you one of those people that thinks a Utopia will come from an Apocalypse ? And even if by some miracle a Utopia was to be formed, how do you still explain the chaos and lawlessness in between the Apocalypse and the forming of a Utopian society ? What do you think that chaos will bring ? Just have a think for one second at just how many survivors will be lining up to be the new Messiah of the post-Apocalyptic world, and then think about the things that they will do to get there. It already happens in todays world without an Apocalypse. So add an Apocalypse to the current human behaviour and then please come back and tell me its just a video game.

You do realise that immediately after an Apocalypse, there is no official society, there is no official police or military, and there is nothing but chaos. You and I may have the best of intentions after an Apocalypse to help rebuild a sense of community or society, but the people that don't want that and only care for themselves are going to take whatever they can from you and I, and they will do whatever it takes to achieve it. No computer game, just sold hard reality. But some people don't go by reality because it ruins the little bubble they have created for themselves.

reply to post by nenothtu


You sound exactly like the type of person that I want on my side. Very similar to how my dad was. It's just good stuff to know and to pass on to our kids. It's just how we do.

nenothtu

bottleslingguy

DarksideOz
Just as there will be groups form to restart some sort of society, there will also be those that are only in it for themselves and will do whatever it takes. That's not a video game, that's a cold hard reality !

not where I live but again what's the endgame? what are you surviving for?

For the same reasons you survive now?

Interesting question for which I have no answers other than to say that life wants to live. I guess it would vary from person to person, but I can't find any catch-all reason for living now that would cover everyone. There is no all-purpose reason for existence other than to keep on existing.

What do people exist for NOW? What do they really have to show for it all in the end? What is it that they can take with them? I know a lot of people who seem to exist just to gather more material "stuff", but in the end, how are they gonna take it with them? They won't... someone else will own it, and they'll have nothing to show, making their entire existence meaningless... other than just to exist.

I'm "surviving now" because I have an awesome life and am very happy although I never forget that everything can change at the blink of an eye. I could get hit by a meteor tomorrow and if I wasn't happy then that would be a shame. I don't know why some people don't just kill themselves but hey who am I to judge? I don't expect to take anything with me but my ego. I hope there is some kind of coherent sense of an identity and a sense of where I am and what's going on because if we just fade into the background static of the universe then right, what the hell is it all about? Tends to make your time right at this moment all the more precious and worthy of enjoyment instead of suffering and misery.

reply to post by DarksideOz

please define "global apocalypse" first.

reply to post by bottleslingguy


Really, you want me to explain a Global Apocalypse ?

It's usually the same as an Apocalypse but the fallout effects the entire globe. I am aware that is what an Apocalypse usually means, but when people keep looking at it from their own current local situation, then the word Global needs to be added to show that it will be worldwide and the behaviour of people worldwide have to be taken into account.

Unless you live in a town or city that has no crime, no prisons and only law abiding citizens, then I don't see how you can't see what I'm saying being a realistic possibility when all forms of law and order are removed after an Apocalypse. You seem to of created this image in your head that all humans will instantly co-operate and all walk hand in hand in search for food and water that will then be exactly evenly divided amongst all people. For you to claim I have a video game mentality for my beliefs, would be no different to me saying that you have a fairy tale mentality to an Apocalypse. An apocalypse will bring out the best and the worst in people, but you seem to be denying the existence of the worst people and the things that they do to make them the worst people. When you think about an Apocalypse, think globally, not just from your own little home town. Hence, Global Apocalypse !

DarksideOz

bottleslingguy

DarksideOz
Just as there will be groups form to restart some sort of society, there will also be those that are only in it for themselves and will do whatever it takes. That's not a video game, that's a cold hard reality !

not where I live but again what's the endgame? what are you surviving for? to repopulate the planet? that's a video game fantasy not reality and if your goal is to see how long you can maneuver through a city scape eating rats in sewers then by all means enjoy yourself. there are a million softer targets before any groups are going to be patrolling this neck of the woods so I'll have plenty of time to enjoy what's left of my life before the toxic cloud kills us all..... well except for the cockroaches.

"Not where YOU live", you say. Look at it from a global Apocalypse rather than from a small minded view of just where you live. Where you live hasn't suffered an Apocalypse. Where you live isn't in a state of lawlessness and chaos. Now add an Apocalypse and total chaos and then have a look at where you live and the behaviour being shown. YES, it WILL be like that where YOU live too !

I believe bottleslingguy when he says this.

I've lived in places like he describes, and I don't believe they will be in the same order of disarray as the outside world. I can't really speak for where he lives, but where I lived, civilization was recognized as just a thin veneer, and we all still got along pretty well. There were organized courts and police in the area, but we rarely saw either of them, and generally handled our own problems ourselves, considering it a mark of weakness and unfitness to be forced to involve authorities in our private affairs.

We saw sheriff's deputies once or at most twice a year, and even then they were in their cars moving on through, going somewhere else.

Sure, there were rogues and "bad men" present, but not in any great numbers, or to the extent they are present where I live now, for example, in spite of the apparent lack of "law and order". "Good people" may not have been as "good" as standards in the outside world (of general 'law and order') dictate, because they put up with far less crap from 'bad guys'. Some times, perhaps, it became difficult to tell the difference between "bad guys' and 'good guys' based upon actions alone. Instead the results were the dividing line. Hurting someone for no good reason was 'bad', but the same action for cause was 'good'. You carried your own water and handled your own mud.

Not so different, really, from society out here... with the exception that responsibility for keeping your own peace fell upon the individual, rather than falling upon an established constabulary. We didn't delegate punishment to external forces nearly as much, although it did occasionally happen.

Those same people DID tend to pull together and help one another, often 'for free', because you never knew when YOU were going to be the one in need of help. I have no doubts that those same people wouldn't have a problem with dropping a bridge to isolate themselves from the chaos of a world gone mad in the event of an apocalyptic scenario, and dropping disruptive interlopers in their tracks.

reply to post by ChuckNasty


I wasn't expecting that...I got 50 years....that I'd be around to rebuild society....interesting...I'll be one old lady!! *laughing*

reply to post by ChuckNasty


My pleasure, and thanks for your response.

I do agree that a certain amount of 'brains' will definitely help. But a good brain will only take you so far if you don't have the stamina to outrun or outlast an enemy. What happens when the brain says "RUN" but the body says it can't run anymore. But good stamina and a good brain will make smarter decisions which could be something as simple as deciding to run and be chased, or maybe hide in advance and save the need to run. The ability to hide and stay hidden would be a valuable asset too.

reply to post by nenothtu


Where are these towns that you guys live in to of not seen this type of behaviour in people ? Do you have any crime at all in your town, despite having laws and enforcement ? Well unless you have NO crime at all, then that behaviour is present where you live.
And what happens to your town if it survives an Apocalypse and gets over run by groups or gangs of lawless people with their own agenda ? You may not of seen these people where you live now, but we are talking about AFTER an Apocalypse and what or who is to say that your town won't then come across these people AFTER an apocalypse ?
You might not see this behaviour where you live now, but after an Apocalypse those people WILL find you, and they WILL take from you whatever they can to help them survive. Have a look at all the footage of every natural disaster in your own country, and watch how the looters are always the first on the scene until the authorities arrive. But that's the catch, after an Apocalypse there is no police or military or authority until one maybe becomes re-established, but in the meantime it is complete lawlessness and chaos. And those creating the chaos will continue doing so due to there not being any authority. This will then lead to "vigilante groups" forming to enforce their own version or law and order, but who gives those people the authority ?

Seriously but guys, we have people killing another person for $5 change, or for their shoes, or because they looked at them the wrong way. But somehow you don't think that those people will survive an Apocalypse and then take full advantage of the new lawless world they live in. And those people will have no issue in going through your town and taking whatever they want. Look at how many people still break the law despite the law and the punishment being public knowledge. If so many people don't care about laws or consequences before an Apocalypse, then what do you honestly think will happen after an Apocalypse with no law or order ?

I don't know how much you've travelled, and I wouldn't call myself a world traveller, but I have seen enough in human behaviour to know that in the event of an Apocalypse, with no law and order, you WILL see the worst in human kind long before you see it's best. And remember, you may not have this behaviour where you live, but in the event of an Apocalypse, you will be travelling over vast areas in search of food and water and very likely to come across the people that do show the behaviour you don't see in you current town. But that's the thing with an Apocalypse, it then brings out the normal law abiding citizens who would break a law if they knew there would be no punishment. After an Apocalypse there is no immediate ruling law, and those that only feared punishment will then also become what society, pre-Apocalypse called, criminals, rebels, outlaws, savages etc. You might not of seen these people in your towns now, but they will be more than revealing themselves to you in the event of an Apocalypse.

reply to post by DarksideOz


but wait, you've said that there have been other (small "a") apocalypses in the past- so it's NOT the end of the world? see what I mean? and if you are talking about the biblical type then I'm still not sure what you mean. you keep talking about the after effects yet you aren't specific with what actually HAPPENED to make people start going crazy. CME with resulting grid collapse? partial grid collapse for a long time? totally global, total grid collapse for a short time like a year or two? massive Earth impact but not extinction level hits the Pacific? Atlantic? Antarctica? Be specific in what actually STARTS this global or even semi-global apocalypse, please. And we can go from there otherwise you just sound silly and you are putting words in my mouth.

DarksideOz
reply to post by ChuckNasty

 

I do agree that a certain amount of 'brains' will definitely help. But a good brain will only take you so far if you don't have the stamina to outrun or outlast an enemy. What happens when the brain says "RUN" but the body says it can't run anymore. But good stamina and a good brain will make smarter decisions which could be something as simple as deciding to run and be chased, or maybe hide in advance and save the need to run. The ability to hide and stay hidden would be a valuable asset too.

this is a great example of you sounding like you are in a video game

Got 20 Years, but I think I know why.

For one, I live for my 2 little girls, That is the single most important reason to stay alive.
For two, (Laugh it up) I was a Girl Scout, and my grandmother was the one teaching the nature trail, so I know plenty about plants and animals. If you don't know the answer to the moss question, you should probably get outside more.
For three, my family talks without all the social media junk. We are close (I assumed all families were?) and Do not need phones or other communications to know where to find each other.

On a side note, I choose my fights wisely and only fight when I don't have a choice. If someone wants to do something stupid, let them, unless they force their stupidity on my family, in which case I feel bad for them.

AGHAHAHAHAA!!! FORTY YEARS BIATCHES!!

forty years after the apocalypse.
And you know what? You'd probably end up as some sort of tribal god. We're sticking with you.
You're basically Kevin Costner in Waterworld.

That was awesome.

reply to post by WilsonWilson


I took it twice. The first time I joined the looters, then when it got ugly was throwing punches.
I got 10 years.

The second time, I ignored the looters and ran away. I got 20 years.

Guess that goes to show that looters are bad news....stay away from the mobs!
LOL

My other answers were: I was a Scout/Girl Guide. My husband is more like Ray Mears for hunting (I didn't know who he was until I started reading the responses here), but I've built shelters, know how to make a fire, live about two miles from a major river and have a couple of books (actual paper books) about Medicinal Plants in my area, Edible Plants in my area, and First Aid using both. So, we'd be okay on simple living off the land terms.

I COULD run about 1-2 miles, if I really had to - but it wouldn't be without stopping a few times.

Food in the pantry? Maybe a month's worth stashed away - and we'd be hungry if we rationed it out for a whole month.

Friends I could find?? I said a few. I figured we were 'walking'.
They didn't say if we had our cars still, or not. I could do "dozens" if we had personal transportation at our disposal...or could walk the 15-40 miles to my ex's/son's house, or to mom's. If I stayed in the neighborhood, I could do a "few".