I’ve had an interesting week perusing the various survivalist/preparedness websites this week. The overall tone of many of the forums and blogs that I’ve read his week verge on the panic stricken, with the exception of the feudal lord wanna-bes, who are relishing the thought of breaking out the hardware to shoot down the ‘Golden Horde’. There doesn’t seem to be one single reason for this, but I’ve got some ideas on a few of the factors involved.
One of them is the recent pronouncement by a guy named Michael Ruppert that financial and societal collapse will occur in July of this year. His reasoning is that the Japan earthquake has completely messed up the global supply chain, and once the companies that depended on Japan for parts announce their quarterly earnings, all is lost. AHHHH! The sky is falling!
Maybe, but maybe not. While it is obvious that many manufacturers will face part scarcity, it is not necessarily the end of the world. I have no doubt that at this very moment, dozens of companies are racing to capitalize on Japan’s situation and fill the gap. Can they do it? Not completely, but bet on those companies doing their best to steal market share. And bet on Japan working its hardest to retain it. So supply scarcity? Sure. End of the world, not so much.
Another trigger seems to be the Fukushima situation. With TEPCO announcing it will have the radiation leaks dealt with in six to nine months, it’s not a great scenario. But realistically, for most of the planet, it means a teeny bit higher risk of some cancers. I personally feel you’re doing more harm if you breathe in some car exhaust, but radiation is a huge, over-blown boogey-man that scares people beyond rationality.
Of course, there is also the economic situation. The USA, the world’s biggest economy, still seems unable to put its house in order financially. China, in second place, has economic issues as well. Either of these countries suffering a major economic implosion is not going to leave the rest of the world untouched.
What’s it all mean? It means that like most of history, there are potential physical, political, and economic disasters waiting to happen. It also means that there are lots of people out there prophesying doom and trying to make a name or money from it. Likely, they are NO BETTER INFORMED THAN YOU.
I’m not telling you all is well, but I am saying don’t let the doomers spook you either. Keep your head and make an honest assessment of your local, national, and the world situations. Remember that newspapers and TV don’t get your attention by telling you the good news, so keep things in perspective.
If you do that, you will be better informed as to what to prepare for and how, and your preps will grow in a manner that will let you weather whatever comes your way. Stay on course with a sensible program of preps. Keep working away at getting your food, water, medical and financial preps to where you believe they should be for your peace of mind.
And ignore the Chicken Littles…