Sunday Reading - Vikings in a Vacum

Governments of one flavor or another have been waxing and waning for years beyond count. Some have survived their decline while others ceased all together, but one thing is for certain, all of them changed in some way and change by it's very nature is almost always violent.

As I read and research the various manifestations of Doomer porn to be found across the internet two things jump out at me

1. There seems to be a growing faction that want to believe the continuing upheaval is magically going to be painless and violence free. Somehow their personal lives are not going to be changed while all around them everybody else adjusts in perfect, peaceful harmony while unicorns frolic about leaving skittles for droppings where ever they go.

Good luck with that.

2. The other side of the coin are those who believe we are going to descend into pure chaos in some type of "every man for himself melee" of looting and killing.

While the first type would be called lunch by every predator out there the second type completely fails to take into account mankind's natural proclivity for order and cooperation, which I believe is stronger than his tendency towards violence and plunder. Perhaps not a whole lot stronger in general, but evolutionarily speaking cooperation  has a much better survival rate overall. The most dangerous predators out there would be those who combine cooperation within their group while looting and plundering others. Like the Vikings of old.

Yet, not even the Vikings got to plunder in a vacuum for long. Eventually their prey (see point 1. above) begins to adapt or more to the point those who refuse to become prey use the resources left behind by the others to adapt. Evolution is relatively natural.

Cause and effect. Something our Liberal friends out there rarely seem to grasp beyond their own immediate self gratification.

Over population in the Scandinavian countries produced pressure that resulted in a surplus of Men  who then turned their attention to the unprepared populations to the South. At first of course they had great success and became the equivalent of the modern day bogey man, but all the while evolution was working it's magic (and no unicorns were harmed either).

The Viking raiders spawned the first landed organized militia/small standing army the world had ever seen. Certainly there had been armies before, some vast of course, but the unique circumstances of Saxon England under threat from Viking raiders spawned a military response that formed the basis of Western defense for centuries. 

The organization of the Fyrd, Select Fyrd, Hirth or Huscarls was a direct response to the need for not only rapid response against Viking raiders but solved the issue of finance and support leveling the proper numbers against the varying size of the threat. A system that generally worked so well that it eventually took two enemies at once to defeat it and only then because of a lucky arrow shot. Lucky I guess depending on which side you were on. This system went on to effect many things dealing with land and militia/military organization for centuries as it was adopted in one form or another all across Europe and was even brought into the Americas.

My point is change always brings more change and evolution is never idle. A slide to simpler times only means the conflict between chaos and order becomes more clear. Lawlessness will not go unchallenged but it won't let an opportunity go by either. The decline and collapse we are living through will spawn many changes as it goes so be prepared for the next change as the next one comes up.

Keep Prepping Everyone!!!