How self sufficient are you ? Honestly ?

[300UGUY]

My dad always insisted that the box stove in the house was his insurance policy, but when the Ice Storm hit in '98 it was the 5 KW generator my electrician friend brought to the farm which enabled my parents to stay in their home for the ten day emergency. From that time on my dad ignored the wood stove, but treasured his "Honda."

Last year I bought and installed a privy on the property. The hand pump on the well is set up to work in cold weather. The shops (automotive and woodworking) are insulated, with wood stoves. I have several cords of wood ahead. Root vegetables are in the cellar. Fish in the freezer. Gas stove for cooking. Generator for heat and light, as long as the gasoline holds out. Several large tanks of propane, and one of diesel.

But if the Internet goes out I'll go bonkers in a week.

Are you in Scotland?

 

[300UGUY]

NO Way, I love my wife!!
I would at least hold out for prime rib:laughing:

Prime rib and beer?

 

[madmax12]

Your all talking like the power will be off for two weeks not being self sufficient ! You really think your neighbors are going to be your allies ? and if you live close to town or close to the neighbor your just the next victim of the unprepared , bob the guy next door will only go hungry till you go to sleep and then your done ! you would not be sitting next to the fire singing Kumbaya ? and sharing the last Ramen noodles , you would be trading ANYTHING IN YOUR POSESSION TO STAY FED , don't think so ... shut down your power /water and communications and see how long you last before your trading the wife for a burger !

Grumpy Old Man?

 

[Grumpy Old Man]

Grumpy Old Man?

Yes ?

 

[Pharm]

Your all talking like the power will be off for two weeks not being self sufficient ! You really think your neighbors are going to be your allies ? and if you live close to town or close to the neighbor your just the next victim of the unprepared , bob the guy next door will only go hungry till you go to sleep and then your done ! you would not be sitting next to the fire singing Kumbaya ? and sharing the last Ramen noodles , you would be trading ANYTHING IN YOUR POSESSION TO STAY FED , don't think so ... shut down your power /water and communications and see how long you last before your trading the wife for a burger !

There's a great book called "Man's search for Meaning" by Victor Frankl who survived the concentration camps in **** Germany. Some people did indeed lose their humanity and act in the way your suggesting, but many others worked together to get thru the ordeal the best they could. I'm not naive, I know many would do anything to survive - including giving up basic human ideals ... but not all. I believe those who work together with the skill sets they have are most likely to survive. Lets hope we never have to find out.

 

[Grumpy Old Man]

There's a great book called "Man's search for Meaning" by Victor Frankl who survived the concentration camps in **** Germany. Some people did indeed lose their humanity and act in the way your suggesting, but many others worked together to get thru the ordeal the best they could. I'm not naive, I know many would do anything to survive - including giving up basic human ideals ... but not all. I believe those who work together with the skill sets they have are most likely to survive. Lets hope we never have to find out.

You can search for whatever you like and never find it , and those who survived the camps did not do it because of PAST HISTORY THEY SURVIVED BECAUSE THEY DID WHATEVER IT TOOK AND THOSE THAT DID SURVIVE WERE SEPARATED FROM FAMILY MEMBERS AT GUN POINT AND THEY WALKED AWAY RATHER THAN FIGHT AND DIE ON THE SPOT ! you can have all the skills in the world but if you can't feed yourself you will die . and relying on others rather than supporting yourself makes you weak !

 

[Rob-D]

Your all talking like the power will be off for two weeks not being self sufficient ! You really think your neighbors are going to be your allies ? and if you live close to town or close to the neighbor your just the next victim of the unprepared , bob the guy next door will only go hungry till you go to sleep and then your done ! you would not be sitting next to the fire singing Kumbaya ? and sharing the last Ramen noodles , you would be trading ANYTHING IN YOUR POSESSION TO STAY FED , don't think so ... shut down your power /water and communications and see how long you last before your trading the wife for a burger !

Sounds like you're saying how you would be acting. I remember the last big outage we had here. We were doing all we could to help neighbors, loaning out my gen set, pumping basements, etc. What good is life if we simply think of ourselves? We've talked about this and have agreed that we would do what we could to help those around us as much as we could.
I think Thomas Merton was right, "No man is an Island". A key to survival is in how we treat those around us too. I have this idea about life that it extends beyond mere human existence on this planet, that we have an accountability to ourselves at a higher level, call it what you like but I have no choice but to live introspectively with a picture of a universe greater than and beyond myself.

 

[MarkV]

You can search for whatever you like and never find it , and those who survived the camps did not do it because of PAST HISTORY THEY SURVIVED BECAUSE THEY DID WHATEVER IT TOOK AND THOSE THAT DID SURVIVE WERE SEPARATED FROM FAMILY MEMBERS AT GUN POINT AND THEY WALKED AWAY RATHER THAN FIGHT AND DIE ON THE SPOT ! you can have all the skills in the world but if you can't feed yourself you will die . and relying on others rather than supporting yourself makes you weak !

I stay out of these conversations for the most part, I really have to ask if you would trade your wife for a burger?? Under any circumstances?? Grumpy Old Man, I respect your right to do as you please and believe what you will but you are over the edge for me.

MarkV

 

[Rob-D]

You can search for whatever you like and never find it , and those who survived the camps did not do it because of PAST HISTORY THEY SURVIVED BECAUSE THEY DID WHATEVER IT TOOK AND THOSE THAT DID SURVIVE WERE SEPARATED FROM FAMILY MEMBERS AT GUN POINT AND THEY WALKED AWAY RATHER THAN FIGHT AND DIE ON THE SPOT ! you can have all the skills in the world but if you can't feed yourself you will die . and relying on others rather than supporting yourself makes you weak !

We all rely on "others". For the drugs you take that someone else designs and makes to the gas you put in your car. Relying on others is called life and it would be a barren, empty existence without those others.

There are always people who rise above themselves and it is those people who make the world a different place for the better.

"If you want to find yourself, lose yourself in the service to others."

MK Gandhi

 

[tungularafishcamp]

I think grumpy old man is probably right, if you want to survive at all costs you are probably better off alone but at least for me not sure surviving would be enough, I think I would want a life and even the semihermit that I am it still includes others.