I know we have all talked about what TSHTF would look like and if it will happen in our life time. I believe it is happening right now but because there is no loud bang it is being missed.
Take a look around you at global warming it is really happening right now!
All the different species and plant life we are killing off that is putting the planets natural systems out of wack. For example we have seen what happens when we kill off a species like the wolf and have the natural cycle altered so we have to reintroduce them to bring the balance back. What if we didn't have any more of them to reintroduce? Why do we think we know it all when the planet has been evolving for billions of years and have naturally created the balance that works....we're the one out of balance in this system with our thinking. We are doing great damage, a lot we don't even realize.
The believe that this planet is here for our own use and abuse and not taking into considerations all the other creatures we share this world with.
The many countries that are going bankrupt how are the poor and disabled and aged going to eat, stay warm, have a roof over their heads if their countries is unable to help them with social programs.
In our own country we are selling off our natural resources so that our social programs, health care, education, inter structures can be maintained and new ones built. Plus we are willing to transport them in a fashion that will damage our coast line....yes I'm talking about Northern Gateway.
The vast amount of good drinking water that is being polluted when used for fracking looking for natural gas.
Over population, just how many people can this planet really support.
Where and how and what is going into that 'stuff' we buy. Just look at the pollution in countries like India and China, child labour and deplorable conditions the people have to work in.
Our own health and obesity, we are killing ourselves with our life style and the drain in health care costs as we get older is more that the system can support.
Short sighted politicians that are only looking into the next 4 years so they can get re-elected and not generations ahead.
A great many people are so far in debt that they will be retiring while still not owning their home and as well having other consumer debt still outstanding. How will they live on a small pension from the gov't and no retirement savings. Especially with the family unit broken down and families scattered all over.
Most of our food is over processed and filled with pesticides and chemicals which is affecting the children being born. Did you know that it used to be that 1 in 1000 children born with Autism but now it's 1 in 50! Also that most of our packed food isn't food any more it's some chemical mixture from a lab to create a food like substance that hits our 'bliss' point.
The way animals are being abused in factory production farms do you really want feeling creatures treated that way and what to eat that.
And the list goes on......
We still have it within our control to change all of this but with our "ME" and consumer mentality about keeping up with the Jones having to have the latest new fad even though we don't need it we have lost focused on what is really important to living a good full life.
Instead of taking and killing, think growing, nurturing, sharing, kindness.
Getting back to the family, the whole extended family, instead of both parents going out to work so they can purchase "stuff" have one stay home to teach good values and skills to the children. They want more of you not the stuff you purchase.
Doing activities that doesn't cost money. Turn off the TV, computer etc and actually talk and find out what is going on in your families life and do things together. Even if it's like going out and getting firewood, make a day of it pack a lunch those are the memories the children think are the best.
Get involved in global issues...take a stand don't just wall yourself up in a small little world, the big world will come knocking. When your drinking water is no longer drinkable it is too late to take a stand.
Get to know where your food is coming from or grow your own. Protect your clean water.
Make your health and your family health #1 not going on some trip or .......
Teach your children to have a good work ethic and not just give them "stuff". Children think they are entitled to everything and don't understand about have to work to get it. Or just simply being told "No". Teach them manners!!!
There are many more examples and I'm know there are people that can see and understand what is going on and making changes but there are a vast number that aren't. Those are the ones that are putting us into TSHTF. There is only one way to turn this around and it starts with me and you. When we start standing up and saying Enough and we aren't going to purchase stuff that doesn't reflect our beliefs or allow poor decision that is not in the best interest of this planet then the manufacturer, the politician, the leaders will have to change to meet the public and consumer demands.
Hi enuff,
I completely agree with your thoughts. A little less WWZ / Walking Dead and a little more like Children of Men. Thoughts?
M
Yur girlfriend is cute but isn't she a little old for ya?
I thought she was your sister Knuckle! We didn't hit it off anyways - just a bunch of nonsense and dead air... 🙂
Allegro
I think she may have gingivitis....
One would think the CDN government putting in a 'bail-in' clause to their 2013 budget would be a wake up call as well.
And how much further into debt can the US economy to before people stop buying their bonds?
Something will give.
Check out Canadian Prepper Podcast on iTunes!
One is none, two is one.
I agree with the concept that things will go to pot more(no big bang) slowly for a duration of time. Economic collapse is a probable event as we can see countries already facing this fact. The US economy is undoubtedly to face the same demise as many already predict.
Brazil, Russia , India, China and South Africa signed a deal to form a new bank called BRICS(Geez, I wonder how they come up with this name?) 😉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVSGGcyXQDA This was officially done on 14 July and is to create a means of trading without using the US dollar any more. This will likely take a big bite out of the future strength of the US currency, even though the collapse of the US dollar would affect every country in the world, including them. Seems Ron Paul had predicted countries would do this if the US kept printing more money to subsidize overspending. He now mentions these countries are proceeding with their plan anyway as they likely are tired of helping pay the interest on the US debt which in turn now supports further threats from the US.
But the US dollar won't instantly fail unless the US government allows it to. But a failing economy can fail quicker when the debt load is no longer shared amongst the many as it has been. At some point people who are receiving benefits will no longer even have a meager income. Then crime truly goes thru the roof as these people run out of other options. Therefore many folks will face personal bankruptcy long before their country does. Reducing ones debt load by selling off low priority items while they still have a decent value is wiser then having to do so at a time when many others have those same things selling for far less. Start downsizing as a prepper option will allow you to sleep better by just knowing you have more breathing room if and when such bad times come. The world won't come to an end, but many countries will have to slowly dig out just as Russia did when their economy took a dump.
Hi Knuckle,
I also noticed the BRICS summit held a few days ago. This is big news in for geopolitics and represent a shift in attitudes towards both Europe and North America from the worlds future powerhouse countries. We cannot ignore the fact that China and India have massive populations and what they can achieve through man-power alone is astounding. Whether we like what they choose to do is another thing but we can't ignore their prominence. Russia is posed to benefit immensely from this agreement since their have a lot of experience in dealing with the west. Change is happening right now and not all of it is a bad thing.
My greatest concern is in the reaction to all of this change from the traditional power centres of Washington, London, Paris, and Berlin (to name a few). Canada is conveniently tucked away on a northern frontier and separated by ocean on three sides. This helps to lessen the toll but we also hold a huge amount of resources other countries are going to desperately need in the coming decades. In spite of the remote nature of Canada, its in our nature that we will see the greatest impact and plundering take place. Water, wood, and oil are a couple examples. Land grabs and a surveillance society are examples of how things might shape up.
For these reasons, I've decided to become more self-sufficient, remove myself a little from the daily grind, and become aware of my own place in a future where BRICS calls the shots.
Allegro
You have some astute observations there Alegro. I too think that this will create a massive power struggle and that this latest blaming of Russia might be the start of a new power struggle with monetary influence at the core to many new upcoming events. The US doesn't want the world trading elsewhere and creating global condemnation over this latest tragedy towards dealing with Russia would also benefit the US dollar if BRICS is off to a bad start.
Canada already has many grabbing for our resources. Another fellow pointed out that maybe our government gave this new win to the native population in hopes of staving off massive extraction of these resources by industries be thwarted by native blockades. Natives are less apt to allow strip mining and frac extractions to damage the Eco-system and bribery doesn't work as easily with them. Maybe they are the best caretakers in these times....who knows? Canada has been selling off it's resources at a faster rate then ever before but we have done far less than many other countries as we are still a young nation.
For these reasons, I've decided to become more self-sufficient, remove myself a little from the daily grind, and become aware of my own place in a future where BRICS calls the shots.
Allegro
Amen to that Allegro...There is not a heck of a lot we can do about international situations, but there is a lot we can do in our own lives to prepare for tough times and to hopefully live comfortably no matter what. I'm on the same path and am just quietly working my way to self sufficiency. Better to learn now while there is a back up grocery store when your home grown food plans don't work out. 😀 😉
To both Knuckle and Tinfoilhats,
Canada as a world influence has a fair amount of respect in the world. This was achieved during The Great War, WW2, '51-'53 in Korea, and more recently through peacekeeping missions like the Balkans War, relief in Haiti, and other humanitarian efforts. Our role in the Afghan conflict has also been regarded with esteem. The 2010 Olympics were also a huge PR boost for Canada in displaying the country as a top-shelf advanced society. We even figured out our finances through 2008's market collapse far better than our southern big brothers and even our European forefathers!
My point is: with all of this prestige, Canada's population is a mere 35million citizens. With over 7billion people alive today, our population is only 1/2 of 1% of global figures. Thats staggering! The concept that 0.5% of the earth's people are among the most wealthy, healthy, and well-respected nations just blows me away. Thank god I'm Canadian!
Moreover, we also have more wood, more fish, more water, and more minerals per capita than just about anywhere else. Its a wonder and a shame that we're all not millionaires ! Canada hasso much to offer. Sadly corporations have taken the oil, drained the aquafers, and are trawling the fish indiscriminately. I appreciate the capitalist ideals behind it but I also recognize that there's a consequence and a limit to the exploitation our land can withstand before ecosystems fail and species disappear. I'm not a tree hugger by any means either. I just bought a vintage Hults Bruks axe on Thursday! In fact I think loggers and timber framers are excellent advocates for the forests and the proper management of the land. My ideals are rooted in homesteading, using technology to make like easier, and in earning the freedom I was born with. By using the opportunities we as Canadians have been afforded, I can build a life for myself that can truly be independent, rewarding, and responsible. What good is freedom if we're all still tied to the fate of the markets? What good is it to rely on the grocery store receiving their deliveries?
My aim is to unplug a little from the current paradigm of one-use plastics and over processed foods and recognize that older ways - though rugged and unforgiving - may in fact provide a richer experience in my life. There's something pretty neat in knowing that your own acres of land has everything you need. Takes some pressure off, or least dependance on, the routine reliance of others. Tinfoilhats says it best when its great to have the store up the road for the odds and ends or a luxury item. The bacon should be my neighbours and the breakfast eggs from my coup. Takes a lot of hard work to create that kind of lifestyle but the rewards and trade-off can end up becoming a fulfilling achievement.
I appreciate your feedback guys and from all of you. Remember that everyone on this site sought it out for a personal reason. I'd like to think that everyone here is a lot like me - looking for a better way. I also feel that many of you also don't like with how things are going on the world's stage. We're all smart enough to know that changing things globally might be next to impossible. I feel taking care of myself, my family, my neighbours, and my local community will be the best I will be able to do. I can't do anything about trouble in Ukraine or whether or not citizens in other areas of the world pollute/recycle (as examples). All I can do is leave things better than how I found them and to teach others what I've learned.
Allegro
Like you read my mind....except I bought a couple gransfors bruks instead. 😉
I've got a few axes and a half dozen hatchets and I can't ever recollect who made even one of them! I doubt there would be any label left to read if I were to go look because most are on their 2 or 3rd handle by now and even the newest is likely 30 years old. When they get really rough looking, you convert the head to a 1 side sharp scaper and use it to scrape hides instead after mounting it in the middle of a 24" stick.(a good trick for those who hunt)
I think that many here would like to achieve that state of Nirvana where we could be totally self sufficient but sadly one would have to start with a really fat wallet to do it right. Just to live in a region where taxes were next to none, one would have to live in the middle of nowhere. And now the Ontario government wants to tax those who do to remove even that possibility. There are expenses to pay no matter how far you think you can get off the grid. But leaving a smaller footprint is still a better option. I've tried to mention some of the disadvantages of small town living(like gossip) so those who attempt it won't pack up and leave before really learning to find a balance between the two. I think that many will have to leave the city when times get hard , so to be settled in already when an exodus occurs would be a great advantage over the masses. Definitely the more independent one becomes, the easier they will have it later. Also the further one lives away from larger population, the easier life will be too. This should be a major concern to most of you as even areas with little population will grow in a crisis. Therefore the more adept you are at living off the grid, the further back one is capable of going to avoid things like over fishing and over hunting, etc. The downfall even today where i live is that advanced medical help is far enough away that those who were unhealthy don't receive fast enough service and they often die. Isolation is only for the healthy!
Even though we are far from the cities, they still impose their crappy laws to us from afar....Those who participate in the Farmer's Market have to jump hoops to even sell one item legally as their products must pass the health and safety codes first. Seems natural grown isn't as safe as genetically modified these days! Now your kids have to be immunized with some dangerous shots to go to school these days and home schooling is another taboo that can have child welfare services knocking daily (according to my daughter). My neighbors are quitting the laying chickens because they cannot afford the feed prices and disposal of their waste is drawing attention too.
I read an article awhile back that stated a black market can pop up overnight due to too many rules during tough times. This in turn further destroys the local economy and further promotes hyper inflation to strengthen the existence of black market. Wish someone in our government read that piece before they created the College of Trades in Ontario. Ontario's government requires every tradesmen with a ticket to pay $180 annually to legally work.... a heck of a money grab, yes? Then they go around and threaten businesses who don't jump every hoop they place in front of them with fines. This is our governments way of shutting down every man trying to make some extra money on the side during tough times. Unless you work for a big business who does the ISO 9000 crap and has insurance on his insurance, their attempting to shut down the back alley mechanic or any other home run business, etc. I wonder if they are starting this crap in preparation for hard times coming. This will only strengthen the Black Market, don't they see this?