Hard Choices: Site Location & The Morality of Survival
The Morality
of survival? This is
one area of survivalism that few people ever touch upon. It isn't so much a
question of whether it is "right" to survive - we all have the right
to defend and facilitate our continued individual existence - but at what cost?
The morality of survival concerns the method(s) chosen to ensure and sustain
survival and the effect it has upon others.
In a catastrophic situation, how far
are you willing to go to ensure your survival? To what extremes are you willing
to subject yourself, your family, your friends, and strangers for this right of
continued existence? To what degree are you willing to apply or deny (towards
others) what we commonly refer to as "humanity" - which is the
quality or state of being human & humane, marked by compassion, empathy,
sympathy and consideration for others?
I am reminded of an old
"Twilight Zone" or "Outer Limits" episode in which a
neighborhood man built a secure shelter in his basement. His friends and
neighbors knew he'd built it, and most of them actually ridiculed him for it.
Then one night the worst came to pass - the Emergency Broadcast System announced
that nuclear missiles were enroute and would obliterate the town in less than an
hour. The man was prepared, but his friends and neighbors were not. They flocked
to his home and begged, pleaded and threatened to tear the shelter apart if they
were not let in. Bad things happened. People died. Others were betrayed. The
shelter and the lives of all involved were ruined. And the missiles never came.
Apparently, some visiting aliens were simply conducting an experiment on
mankind's ability to remain human & humane in periods of great stress.
Now, we may never have to deal with
curious alien life forms conducting judgmental psychological experiments on us
(except, perhaps, for T.V. advertisers & political speech writers), but the
scenario illustrates a very serious aspect of survivalism. Survivalists are a
very small percentage of any technological population. Technology has cushioned
and sustained us for so long that few have any idea of the enormity of suffering
and despair that awaits us should this technology suddenly fail for any length
of time. If it happens, there will be thousands of unprepared
"neighbors" for every survivalist out there. How we think and act
during such a crisis will reveal the degree to which mankind is entitled to the
self defined term "Humanity."
Survival preparations must
incorporate a plan of action regarding those unfortunates who have never given
survival or self-reliance a second thought. Simply stockpiling food, water,
medicine, fuel and firearms is not going to be enough. Even planning a remote
retreat in the event of an extended survival situation will not be enough.
Sooner or later you will have to deal with unprepared refugees, be they friends
& neighbors or total strangers.
For short-term emergencies, the
course of action is plain enough - you help as many people as possible, as much
as possible, until the emergency is over, and then rebuild your supplies.
Short-term emergencies are generally localized in nature and outside help is
forthcoming. It's in your best interest to do as much as possible to alleviate
the situation - or plan on finding a new town to live in after things settle
down. Apathetic displays and hoarding just isn't neighborly, and you'll find
yourself a pariah if you don't help out. Being a hermit and remaining at an arms
distance is fine as long as the power is on and everyone has a McDonald's to go
to. Barricading yourself behind fortified walls with all the essentials while
your neighbors are hungry, homeless, or needing medical attention simply won't
work.
Our nation has suffered several
serious localized emergencies over the last few years, and this gives us a
window into what to expect. The Oakland earthquake, the MidWest floods, the
Northeast Blizzards, and the Southern hurricanes all set the stage for proper
and improper action. Eventually, these emergencies were over and things got back
to normal. In many cases, the citizens of these communities were drawn closer by
their concerted actions to help each other. There were other reports, however,
of violence, greed, larceny, looting and hoarding. Some low life types even
tried to make a buck off of other people's misery! Imagine what would happen if
these short-term emergencies became frequent, extended, and widespread. Imagine
what would happen if these emergencies became nationwide or global. Imagine what
would happen if transportation, communication, and outside relief were not
forthcoming - and would not be forthcoming.
Impossible, you say? Perhaps. Yet,
over the last decade or so we have been witness to a strange (but confirmable)
increase in natural disasters. Volcanic activity, earthquakes, weather
anomalies, floods & droughts, new & resistant diseases, wildfires and
crop failures - even hordes of locusts! Who can say what will befall us next,
with what frequency and severity? In the last year or so several films have been
released regarding comet impacts with the earth. The latest theory is that a
comet impact was responsible for eradicating the dinosaurs and paving the way
for human expansion. If it happened once, who can say that it will not happen
again? And then there is the Y2K problem.
The severity and impact of the Y2k
problem, at the moment, is anybody's guess. It could be a flash-in-the-pan,
minor annoyance - or it could conceivable bring the world's technological
societies to a grinding halt in a matter of months. We just don't know, and
there are too many conflicting reports as to what may happen in the next 2
years. What we can count on, however, is that the Y2k problem will initiate any
number of minor emergencies on a global scale. These minor emergencies, in
concert with each other, have the dire potential for stimulating ever greater
emergencies. The world is filled with dissatisfied factions of society. If it is
assumed that the world's superpower nations are no longer in a position to
intervene locally, who can say what advantage might be taken by these factions?
And who can say where that may lead?
We are indeed living in interesting
times, and if the world goes to hell-in-a-hand basket, how are you going to
react? Survival communities, networks, and associations are beginning to become
more prevalent. Over the last ten years militia groups have formed all over the
nation. Most of these groups have no clear design beyond the use of force in
paramilitary fashion - and a great many of them are little more than bands of
hate mongers led by anarchistic morons with a hunger for power and money. These
people feed on chaos, destruction and despair. They hunger for it, they wish for
it, they want it - and in the event of a societal collapse they will do
everything in their power to destroy it completely so that they may create their
own little kingdoms of fear. It wouldn't take much to set these groups loose. A
month without power, disrupted food supplies and a disorganized government
response. Chaos is a perfect breeding ground for tyrannical democracy. A
desperate majority of heavily dependent civilians will latch on to any group
promising a return to some semblance of normality and security, provided they
have the power to assert and maintain their self-assumed authority. With very
little effort and the smallest amount of intelligent action, heavily armed gangs
and militia units could easily find themselves the new provisional government in
their areas.
Now let us suppose that the worst
has come to pass. The world is in upheaval, but you and your fellow survivalists
have managed to escape to your retreat site where you are relatively comfortable
and prepared for hard times. Gangs and militias have taken over the cities,
despite a declaration of martial law by the government. Military installations
and their immediate surrounding communities are the only government strongholds,
and they are being overwhelmed by the millions of refugees flocking to these
areas. You can expect no help from the government in the near future, but you
have a secure site and adequate supplies for some time. You're in a fairly
remote site which is easily defended, and you have enough people to maintain
your position for a year or more. And then the refugees start showing up at your
doorstep. What are you going to do?
These refugees are carrying
everything they own (if anything) on their backs. They are hungry and sick and
requiring medical attention. They've lost their homes and their livelihoods, and
many have lost their families. Most of them have little or nothing to add to the
group, but they all want and need your help. Some of them even resent you for
having had the good sense to prepare for bad times. What are you going to do
with these people? What are you going to do with the people that follow them as
word gets out that your group exists? Where do you draw the line and what is the
decision process? Do you send them packing? What if they have kids and old folks
with them that you know will not survive if you don't help them? Do you give
them a meal and medical aid, and then send them packing? Do you invite them to
stay? What if they won't leave? What if they demand that you help them? And if
you send them away, do you think they are going to forget all about you and not
talk about your group, it's location, size and defenses - and make up whatever
tales their imagination allows regarding the supplies you may or may not be
keeping to yourselves?
All survival groups plan for the
immediate survival of their members. Most have some plan for continued existence
which entails crop farming and rebuilding some aspects of technology and
civilization - but these things take time. Few groups ever consider the
consequences of helpless refugees. Most are prepared for violent attempts to
overtake the retreat and justify the use of force in their defense. But how do
you keep these desperate helpless masses from becoming the force
you need to defend against?
It's a difficult question. You
either incorporate them into the group - forcefully, if necessary - or send them
packing, or eliminate them. This last is definitely a bad option guaranteed to
splinter your group and result in your own demise. Sending them packing means
there will be a resentful individual out among the rest of a desperate
population. This is guaranteed to send more refugees your way and continued
efforts to turn them away must eventually require the use of force. Perhaps even
deadly force. Sitting in front of your computer with the heat or air
conditioning on, sipping your favorite beverage, and munching from a bag of
chips, it may be easy to say, "So what?"
It won't be that easy when you're
faced with the reality of the situation.
The only "moral" and
viable solution is to incorporate them into the group. This isn't as simple a
solution as it sounds. Your survival group consists of hand-picked folks with a
similar purpose and foundation of beliefs and ideas. The refugees who show up at
your door obviously will not share your point of view, in the majority of cases,
or they wouldn't be refugees. Circumstances may have forced some of them to come
around to your point of view, to some extent, but you can be sure that the
majority of them will just want to live and expect you to provide them with a
way to do so. These people are going to be problems in more ways than one.
Our society has bred a class of
individuals that expect to be taken care of. They don't know how to work and
they don't want to know how to work - they just want to be taken care of. Many
of these people will show up at your doorstep, demand to be taken in, and then
balk and want to leave the moment you put them to work for the sustenance you
are providing them. You can't let them leave. If you let them leave, they will
find more of their kind and return in force, and attempt to take what you have
for themselves. They'll take it all, use it up, and blame you for not having
more. And chances are, they'll kill you to get it. Your life and your work and
your preparations have no meaning to them.
This is the best argument for
locating your retreat site in the most inhospitable, difficult to reach area
still conducive to supplying the natural resources for continued survival. If
your site is difficult to find and reach, you'll have fewer difficult refugees
to deal with. Like it or not, you're going to have to "hide" from the
collapsing society until natural selection alleviates the problem. None of us
has the resources to save the world, especially when the majority of the world
isn't prepared to work at saving itself.
Intellectually I know that you
cannot afford to turn a refugee away and expect that to be the end of it.
Personally, I haven't the stomach to turn someone away who truly cannot help
themselves - whether it's their own fault or not. But once these people are
taken care of, they must be taught - or forced - to contribute their share to
the rest of the group. Since you cannot afford to turn them away or let them go,
you need to reduce the probability of refugees finding your site. You will also
need to prepare for the likelihood of refugees with surpluses of food, water,
shelter, medical supplies - and security personnel. The refugees who do stumble
upon your site will need to be voluntarily trained - or detained and forced to
contribute.
This might appear harsh and amoral,
but it is my opinion that anyone capable of reaching a remote location and
remaining intact has the potential to become a self-reliant individual without
too much coercion. The more a person learns to do for themselves, the better
they feel about themselves and the more they want to learn. Ordinarily, starting
them along this process - even by force - is all it takes to convert a useless
and selfish consumer into a valuable, responsible, self-respecting producer. I
believe this is the moral high ground in an extremely difficult situation. I
further believe that this is the only solution to the refugee problem for a
survival group hoping to exist on limited resources.
The detainment of "involuntary
members" need not be overly cruel or harsh - merely determined and stern.
It isn't necessary to lord over them with whips and keep them in chains, but
they should be kept in a secured and guarded location until they come around.
Clean, warm facilities, enforced exercise and mandatory self-reliance classes
(based on ability and progress) should be provided. As their physical and
survival abilities increase, you should notice a pronounced shift in their
attitudes. Sooner or later they will come to the realization that, despite being
forced, what you are teaching them is for their own good - and actually is
helping them feel better about themselves and their situation. Frequent reports
on the situation in the outside world and how other unprepared citizens are
faring may help reduce their resentment and desire to "escape."
Treating them with common courtesy and respect throughout their training and
using the least amount of force necessary to compel compliance (while
maintaining a visible excess of available force), will aid in the reduction of
belligerent attitudes and aggressiveness.
All of this may seem a bit much, but
what we are discussing here is survival in a catastrophe which is doing it's
best to eradicate civilization from the face of the earth. With the collapse of
societal norms, certain measures must be taken to ensure survival. The measures
discussed in this article, after much thought, are indeed harsh - but in a
realistic frame of mind, the least of several much greater evils. For those
recalcitrant individuals who absolutely refuse to better themselves, I would
suggest a high security confinement and minimal rations. Eventually the world
will stabilize and your group will strengthen and these nutcases can be released
to sink or swim on their own - preferably somewhere far away from you. Hopefully
this type of individual will not present themselves with any frequency.
To aid in reducing large numbers of
refugees, careful consideration must be made in the selection of survival sites.
As mentioned earlier, the site should be remote and difficult to reach,
preferably in an area which is considered inhospitable by the general
population. The problem with this is that you must also be able to ensure that
you and your fellow members are able to reach the site and that, once there,
sufficient resources are available at or near the site to facilitate your
survival.
Once a suitable location is selected
the group must decide whether or not to develop the site. A preexisting,
prepared, site has far greater potential for survival, yet also provides the
opportunity for discovery by non-members. An established site should be kept
low-keyed and all efforts should be taken to dispel curiosity about the goings
on at the site. It should be disguised as a working farm or ranch, or perhaps a
resort or dude ranch. DO NOT ADVERTISE IT AS A SURVIVAL RETREAT!!!
Forget the no trespassing signs and
barbed wire fences, as this will only attract unwanted attention and alienate
you from your neighbors. Keep the traffic to and from the site in conformity
with whatever cover you are using for the site, and make sure that anyone
visiting or living on the site acts and dresses and speaks like they belong
there. Avoid camouflage and open displays of firearms, and purchase your major
supplies in moderate amounts in towns that are not local to the site. Be sure to
utilize the local area businesses as you would if you were any other resident.
The lack of patronism in small towns is as obvious as overdoing it.
In selecting your site, take note of
all routes to and from the site - including fire trails, utility roads, forest
service roads, major waterways, hiking and 4x4 trails, and railways. Take
further notice of any bridges and tunnels leading into the area. All of these
ingresses will need to be covered and patrolled or blocked off in the event of a
major catastrophe.
Keep in mind that the catastrophe
had better be extremely threatening before altering these pathways in any
manner. But bridges and tunnels can be collapsed or otherwise made impassable if
necessary, thus reducing the influx of unwanted refugees. Keep a stock of
quarantine signs on hand for such fun-loving diseases like hantavirus, cholera,
plague, and anthrax. A red sign with a skull & crossbones stating "Now
entering Anthrax Quarantine Zone - Medical Personnel Only, by order of the
Center for Infectious Diseases" placed at trailheads, and a few dead birds
and assorted small mammals scattered along the trail is an effective deterrent
for most individuals.
An appropriate site need not be
developed, however. Having located a decent site with all the necessary elements
and resources, you might simply designate the area to your members as the
rendezvous point in the event of a major catastrophe. Renting out secured
storage space near the rendezvous point and storing your survival goods in boxes
marked "old books & papers" or "baby clothes & toys"
(and making sure that the rental clerk notices the markings) or as any other
relatively worthless goods, is a fairly cheap but efficient method of ensuring
that your supplies will be there when you bug out.
Your site should have surface &
subsurface water supplies, arable land, and a variety of wild game and flora.
Caves and old mine shafts make good temporary shelter, provided there aren't
bears or volatile and toxic gases already inhabiting them. These should be
explored and mapped by experienced spelunkers and/or mining engineers before
they are needed. Dangerous areas should be marked and blocked off. The animals
and plants in the area should be catalogued and researched for beneficial usage
and the weather patterns and seasonal shifts should be studied for future
reference. Likewise, potential salvage locations should be highlighted on a
small scale (detailed) local map covering 30-50 miles in each direction from
your site. If all hell breaks loose, these sites are likely to be abandoned and
raw materials may be salvaged from them to produce the things your group may
need.
Never situate your site near a major
crossroads, a large waterway, downriver from a dam or series of dams, in an
avalanche zone, on an earthquake fault, beneath commercial flight paths, or
nearer than 30 miles from the outer boundary of a major city (500,000+). Keep in
mind, also, tornado and hurricane pathways, flood plains and average rainfall
(or snowfall) levels, and proximity to military bases and potential military
targets. You might also consider the prevalent wind patterns over any potential
military targets. The world still has an awful lot of NBC weapons out there and
plenty of people just weird enough to use them.
You might also undertake a detailed,
but low-keyed, search of any other "survival," militia, and religious
groups operating in the area. If there are other groups in the area, you will
have to determine whether or not you will be able to coexist effectively.
Sometimes the best place is somewhere else, regardless of how ideal the natural
location you've found may be. The bad groups have a weird affinity for bragging
about themselves and often advertise or recruit members openly. Spend some time
in your selected area and keep your eyes and ears peeled, while keeping your
mouth shut. Be friendly and mildly conversational without appearing inquisitive
or overly curious. You'll be surprised at how much you can learn about a town by
simply sitting over coffee in a cafe or a beer in the town pub, and listening to
the locals discuss daily events.
In the end, we can only prepare as
best we can for an unknown event. With any luck, all of our preparations will be
as ridiculous as the non-survivalists profess. Hopefully neither of us will ever
have to find out.
meg.
04 June 1998
Please Read The Website Disclaimer!
Copyright 2006, The Survival & Self-Reliance Studies Institute (SSRsi), All
Rights Reserved
Site conceptualized, designed, created & maintained by MEG Raven
Snail Mail: SSRsi, PO Box 2572 Dillon, CO. 80435-2572