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21 September 2016

Staying Calm When The Grid Goes Down

By George Thompson


Many Americans would identify themselves as survivalists, and there are numerous online communities where they share advice on the topic. It frightens us to imagine life without the comforts of electric lights and central air. People have capitalized on this and created an industry based on food stockpiles, survival gardening, and self defense when the grid goes down.

Most of the manifestations of this fear seem harmless enough, and no one ever suffered a terrible fate from growing their own food. Unfortunately, the notion of home defense has become an ugly aspect of the need for survival in a crisis. Few people have really thought out how they might handle a situation in this scenario, and instead they prattle on about shooting trespassers in defense of their home, their food, and their own family.

There are always people who panic in a crisis, and the collapse of basic infrastructure will result in some people acting in uncharacteristic ways. However, many people will be able to remain in their homes, and with proper preparation, they can maintain their basic survival. This does not mean that the panic will be so severe that the law of the jungle will prevail.

Survivalists go on the assumption that they must be prepared to care for themselves and their loved ones in a crisis. There is nothing wrong with this notion of independent existence so long as they do not allow themselves to view every stranger as a danger. History has shown that people generally help one-another in a crisis, and this should continue to be the case.

Anyone who plans to defend their territory with firearms will be held accountable for their actions in doing so. If one is firing upon a group of people before asking them to identify themselves and state their business is committing a crime. There is no reason to commit murder just because someone happens to be traveling through your neighborhood.

There is no reason to deny food or shelter to a family group, or any other band of people who come peacefully to the door. Most emergency scenarios are only temporary collapses and come due to war or natural disasters. Very few people who approach a homesteader are likely to be willing to kill them in order to ensure their own comfort or survival, and if they did, they would likely be tried for their crimes once the situation abates.

Traveling groups of refugees are also quite likely to have armed members within their ranks as well. Should a family group begin firing upon refugees without first asking them to state their business, they may find they have made matters much worse for themselves and their loved ones. Should a group of travelers refuse to state who they are and why they are there, then deadly measures may be called for at that time, but not before.

When a group of refugees is taken in and fed, it grants an opportunity to find out what kinds of skills or assets they might be able to bring to your table. How we handle crisis situations can define us as people, and it is important what history says about us. Rather than seeing a group as an unnecessary group of refugees, one might take the perspective that they are the start of an independent community.




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