by metallionaire, TF Metals Report:
Longtime site member “metallionaire” consistently offers great content and analysis through his regular participation in the comment sections of the daily threads. From time to time, a long form comment is worthy of promotion to the home page and this entry from last Saturday fits the bill.
Resiliency, by metallionaire
More and more people are beginning to realize the importance of being prepared for the various crises that are likely to come our way in the next few years. I wrote the following back in 2021 and have updated and modified it somewhat to reflect my current thinking on these matters.
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Many books have been written about prepping and it can seem overwhelming, even impossible, but there are things we all can do to make ourselves more resilient. There is no perfect answer and every crisis brings its own challenges. The following is meant to be a roadmap and not an exhaustive “to do” list. Please expand on them as you see fit while keeping in mind that survival often hinges on that one idea that only becomes obvious in retrospect.
A priori, we should hope for a gradual and peaceful resolution to the excesses of the past half-century but the accelerating trends we are witnessing, suggest otherwise. If we should have a complete collapse, few of us can imagine the horror it may portend. For those with the stomach for it, I suggest you watch the film Mr Jones, about a reporter trying to get the first hand story of the Ukranian Holodomor back in the 1930s. In his pursuit of the story, he witnesses endless starvation and deprivation. In one haunting scene he comes across a run-down farmhouse occupied by two young sisters. They prepare a meal for him including some meat – a rare commodity. Jones asks where they were able to get the meat – “from my brother” the oldest claims. The reporter presses and asks where her brother was able to find meat and she points to the back door – he walks to the door and there, lying in the snow, was the frozen corpse of her brother. Gruesome, but a reminder of the horror that others have endured during previous collapses – willfully enforced upon them, in the Ukrainian case, by Joseph Stalin. I hesitated to include this anecdote, as the goal here is not to be alarmist – but one must first comprehend the parameters of what a total collapse might entail before we can discuss preparations.
First up, it is important to realize that being prepared is much more a mindset than it is a “to do” list. Assembling a stock of goods may be suitable for a weekend storm or power outage, but will be of limited benefit, in and of itself, during a societal collapse.
If I were to try to encompass the idea of preparation in one succinct compendium list I would suggest the following:
LEARN: Learn skills. Learn every type of skill you can imagine! Learn how to substitute. Learn the traditional basic methods of making things. Learn to live simply. Learn how to grow, preserve and cook food. Learn how to fix things and fabricate from what is available. Collect hand-powered tools, books and materials that will provide the knowledge needed to fend for yourself. Learn to fish, hunt and butcher if your surroundings provide for such possibilities. Learn about foods that can be foraged from local sources. Add to this list.
STOCKPILE: Stock dry foods. Stock water treatment tablets. Stock household items like lightbulbs, furnace filters, tap washers, toilet repair kits and more. Stock garden seeds to last 5 years minimum (only non-pelleted, open-pollinated or heirloom seeds). Stock firewood and building materials including screws and nails. Stock medical supplies and personal care products. Stock duct tape (a very versatile thing to have). Stock board games, playing cards, paper and writing supplies that do not dry out. Buy a detailed map of your local area. Buy a set of barber scissors. Buy large pots and utensils for “canning” fruits and vegetables. Buy a working typewriter. Buy a hand-crank powered radio. Buy lots of batteries to power your devices for at least a year. Buy good quality gardening tools. Buy a hand-powered lawnmower. Stock as much gasoline as your local regulations allow – same with propane. Stock cash for short term use. Stock precious metals for longer term use. Add to this list.
PERSONAL: Get to know others that are like-minded. Get your personal affairs in order. Get your family onboard if possible. Locate and support local sources for the things you need. Get a 10 year lease on a small plot of land for a future garden. Keep a low profile. Get any outstanding legal, medical or dental issues resolved ASAP. Add to this list.
SECURITY: Appraise your home for its “resilience value” (discussed later) and make changes wherever possible. Have access to barter “chips”. Keep money out of major banks wherever possible. Buy a bicycle. Buy a generator and stock fuel for it. Acquire weapons if you are legally able and know how to use them. Add to this list.
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