Macro Survival - Law, Order, Commerce and Community

Earlier we talked about individual and family survival in the form of stock piling v. producing. I thought this time it might be worthwhile to discuss Macro survival as opposed to individual.

It was rather fortuitous that as I was collecting my thoughts for the post this evening that I came across this article.

Trading Meat for Tires as Bartering Economy Grows in Greece

There are many out there who for one reason or another cannot see anything but a complete 'Mad Max" type scenario when discussing a decline or collapse situation. Their late night fantasies are filled with looting hordes, murdering warlords, cannibals and the Lord knows what else. While history is filled with such acts what it never really discusses is that these hot spots are never everywhere and in most cases are isolated and short lived.

Nothing living besides a virus or bacteria can thrive on a diet of only death and destruction. It isn't possible. Man kind has always needed Law, Order, Commerce and Community to survive. Now it may not always be the exact type of law or order any one particular group would like. The commerce may not always be particularly fair nor the community all it can be but no matter how bad an area gets you can count on any survivors eventually forming a group that somehow includes all four of the basic macro survival needs.

Any warlord with enough intelligence to lead people can tell you it is easier to govern even as a tyrant than it is to constantly loot and plunder. There is also much more of a future in it too even if you are the most murderous dictator that ever lived. All groups require resources or they simply vanish. If all you are doing is looting and killing eventually you run out of resources. At some point the distance to next easy meal is greater than your plunder will let you travel.

Don't believe me? Just look into the average life span of any famous Pirate captain. With only a very few exceptions (and a couple of turn coat deceptions) you could count their escapades in mere months.

No matter the circumstances commerce always returns on it's own. Often times before the other three and many times it is the commerce itself that ushers in the need for Law and Order.

In a sense you have to view any collapse as a collection of related but different organisms. The individual, the family or tribe and the community. Each one needs the other and the smaller two need some form of production either in foodstuffs or traceable skills to survive. Only the survival of the individual and the tribe allows the community to survive.

In many ways the best example of describing a post collapse society is in Kunstler's "World Made by Hand" series. Although I am not so much into the witchcraft or supernatural aspects of his writing I believe Kunstler was spot on in portraying the very need the characters in his books had for the four macro survival needs. The Law and Order parts also showed how those two may not always be the same from one group tot he next or even what any particular group really wants.

If you haven't read this series I would recommend it if for no other reason to give you more insight into the attitude, feelings and emotions of common man survival.

In a sense once again those who would recommend or champion an idea of isolated survival and hoarding are doing us a great dis-service. In the case of isolation you may not specifically be a part of the problem but you sure as hell are not going to be a part of the solution either and therefore are voluntarily ignoring a macro survival need.

Unlike individual or family survival however the Macro needs cannot really be put into place until the vacuum is apparent. You can acquire the skills, tools and mindset to help them along when the time is right though.

Keep Prepping Everyone!!!!!