The Scarey Future

When travelling this last week, I talked to people from all walks of life. Many are matter of factly discussing the future collapse of society, when the economy falls apart. I guess I wasn't surprised.

One person stated her family is building an underground room, that could double as a fall out shelter. She discussed the width and mass required of shelter walls to keep out radiation like you might discuss the weather. She talked about stocking rice and how to keep bugs out. Others joined in about what they are doing to prepare for the economic collapse of our society.

One person said the new armed militias who would be stealing, looting and killing would be the already very well organized high tech gangs already doing these activities in most cities in America. He felt they would be the the most destructive forces a family would have to contend with to survive. He felt the average law abiding citizen would be at a disadvantage from the outcome, because, to survive, one would need to drop normal values of not stealing or hurting/killing others.

It's strange in a way to listen to average people discussing these things so matter of factly. Maybe I'm grossly out of touch. Maybe I should be more concerned and start hording all sorts of commodities.

I talked to a professional woman about this, after hearing all these conversations. She said she and her family are concerned also. She felt that a global economic crises is on the horizon and when it hits over half the earths' population, mostly the poor, sick and old, will be wiped out.

Really? I know people can behave far worse than animals. But would we really turn on each other like blood thirsty monsters, if we could, if rule of law were gone? Is the only thing holding back our viciousness towards one another rule of law? Fear of consequences, i.e. prosecution?

How far would you go if you were hungry? How many of your normal values would you set aside if you were starving? Would you pillage your neighbors house, rape your neighbors daughters, kill your neighbor and steal any gas and food they had, if you feared no consequence for this action and you were hungry?

Do you have secret rooms, underground chambers and tunnels built, stored supplies, guns and ammo galore, all ready for the alleged inevitable collapse?

I don't. I have not stored up much of anything to help me survive the collapse people talk about so casually.

I have rice, sure, a five pound bag, already with some bugs in it. I use it to fill socks which I heat in the microwave to keep sick kittens and even myself warm. I could eat that and for just one person, five pounds of rice could stretch out to last a quarter of a year, I suppose. In Oregon, in the winter at least, one can catch enough water to satisfy thirst from the rain. But what then?

I've started thinking about it. I guess because so many people are talking about it. I feel negligant in a way for not spending more time thinking about it and maybe preparing.

I suppose it's been a bit on my mind since I live in Albany now. I guess here, the culture here, feels much more like everyone out for themselves mentality. I don't sense any community. I still have this feeling that in Corvallis people would band together and help one another through a huge crisis, even societal collapse. That might be just a wishful thinking sort of thought. I had a hard time of it for decades in Corvallis. There were no white knights over there sticking up for one another like I have this feeling should happen with people, like I still feel, for some reason, would be more likely to happen over there, than here, in Linn County. I don't know why I think that way, however, because, like I say, I had a really really tough time of it in Corvallis.

I still have this feeling people should help each other, that that is normal behavior. That's why I help people with their cat problems. I have been helped in return, with trades and gifts, like those Philomath people brought me a Christmas tree, like people feed me sometimes, or give me vegetables from their garden when I help them with their cat issues, like that tow truck man helped me out with tires off cars he'd towed when mine were bare and even loaned me a car, when my tires were too bare to drive mine, so I could go down to see my family on Thanksgiving (Les Schwab, you still suck). That's how things should work, is how I feel. People helping one another with whatever they can offer. I like feeling like that's how things should work. I like it when people help me back and then I help them. Makes me feel like I'm in some secure network. Protected or something from the outright viciousness of the jungle.

I haven't the resources to become truely paranoid with all this collapse talk. If you can't stock up and build tunnels under your house and secret rooms, due to finances, there's not much one can do, but forget about the whole thing and hope for the best. That's probably a very good thing.