KnowledgeOne thing to remember is that any thing can be taken away from you. Any preparation which is highly dependent on things
is doomed to fail. Most things are not mobile and so can be found. Once found they can be taken or destroyed in battle or
for spite. Things tend to stand out from the background. A windmill will be visible for quite some distance if it is to be
effective at capturing wind. A solar panel will cause glint at certain times of day and angles of view. Firearms will cause
sounds that can be tracked for miles. Even the smoke from a camp fire can be seen for miles. The only thing that can never
be taken from you is knowledge. As far as the "love and light" folks, while I appreciate the sentiment, I'd rather have
someone around who has read the US Army survival manual and has a clue how to make a rabbit trap out of sticks and
weeds even if he is cranky. To paraphrase the Beatles: "all you need is love" (and the ability to feed yourself and find clean
water, first aid knowledge, how to defend against predation, manufacture of simple shelters, start a fire etc). OK, so the
Beatles were completely wrong, you need a lot more than love.
It is worthwhile noting that the original pilgrim settlers to America came with iron tools, guns and a serious attitude
problem. They starved to death. The very first Virginia colony simply dissappeared without a trace. The native peoples had
knowledge and were able to not only feed themselves but were able to take pity on these moronic foreigners who did not
have a clue as to how to care for themselves and feed them as well. (Much to their eventual dismay.) It was only after the
settlers achieved a certain critical mass that the situation was self-sustaining, and this was only achieved with considerable
and constant subsidy from outside. In a situation where our civilization is in a state of collapse, such a subsidy is
impossible and so the inevitible scenario will play out. The most effective plan would be to simply wait it out and allow
"them thar furiners" to go away by themselves. A parasite, by definition, feeds off of others, and the best way to deal with a
parasite is to take away its food. This is simply an avoidance tactic.
But in the mean time, this requires knowledge, not things.
Offered by Kahuna.
