I see a lot of survivalist nut jobs on the boards I frequent, often going on about how they are stocking up on food and guns. They often ask, “What is your game plan?” as if to flaunt what they see as their stable position in and unstable world. What it really amounts to though is saying, “Nani Nani Boo Boo, I’m more prepared than you!”
My game plan?
Brush up on my skills. I would rather be a valuable person than a person with valuable things. You can stock up on supplies and weapons all you like, but if the modern world abruptly collapses into “The Road Warrior”, those things will just make you a target for someone more powerful. Eventually, you can’t pull the trigger fast enough or you run out of ammo. Then their followers will overrun you.
People can easily take away your stuff, but it is much more difficult for them to take away your skills. Someone who can contribute to their community (a doctor who can heal the wounded, maybe an engineer who can fix the machines) will be supported and protected by those people who need them.
The other problem with the survivalist fantasies that spur this hording is belief that the New Dark Age will come suddenly. What they are not counting on is that the descent will take decades, not months. Their supplies will simply be depleted before the end.
I found a pretty good article from a couple of years ago that talks about how wrong the survivalist mentality is.
