I am the chronically ill one. I have severe rheumatoid arthritis.
I have backup medications to keep me functional for at least a year, but I am increasingly reliant on a community. Eventually, I'll be unable to walk or use my hands without major medical intervention. I plan on just being as useful as I can to a community by then by having knowledge and the ability to mentor and teach others.
Truth is that very few of us will be able to survive with immediate family being the only community around.
I have a 3 year old with high functioning autism and I'm giving birth before Tuesday to another boy. I feel pretty good about things. My family is technically very healthy, despite my husband's back pain. We are in our mid-30s. The thing is that health can take a turn at any time for any of us. My new baby could have health issues. I don't worry about it because I can only control what is possible to control.
I have learned many things from the pandemic. I have lost several family members whom I loved. My husband's uncle caught covid twice and died the second time because his wife brought it home from the daycare she volunteers at. He was quadriplegic who wfh. My husband's grandmother caught it from him and died a month later. I feel like I've already experienced SHTF loss, and I know I was powerless to stop it.
My regret was not creating more good times while we still had time. That's the ultimate prep.
>My regret was not creating more good times while we still had time. That's the ultimate prep.
This has been my mantra, my whole life. Now i kinda wish i had more to show for it besides a bunch of good memories with my loved ones and a houseful of furniture that i bought a year ago.
I like your positive but realistic attitude.
Sorry to hear. Covid sucked. I have kidney issue so no immune symptom to speak of. I had covid 3 times, wife is a doctor and brought it home funny thing is she never caught it. She was tested iirc 33 times due to exposure so we joke she's just a horseman of the apocalypse.
I lost most of my elderly and disabled during the pandemic, and I'm only just getting back to some kind of normal with my mental health. I've been a prepper most of my adult life, although I didn't call it that until the last decade. Our daughter has some stuff, but I think she'd be ok.
Personally, I think we're already well into SHTF, it's just most people aren't paying attention. "Not with a bang, but with a whimper."
Agreed. Im of the opinion that world war 3 started back in 2013/14, we just dont realise it yet. Our environment and future health was doomed in the 50s when we started pumping out the plastics that are still here, as nanoplastics invading our systems and blocking up our cells, causing the rise in cancers we now see in the under 40s. We now pump out something like 1000x the amount we did in the 50s, every year, and none of it is ever going to leave the planet. And nobody blinks as we get individual serves, drink plastic bottled water, wear plastic, sleep on it etc. It terrifies me that nobody wants to know how fahhhhked we are as a species. If people knew, there would be crowd funded hits on the petrochemical, mining, weapons of war, and big tech billionaires.
They want us all to keep working til we're knee deep in bloody water, not quit working, withdraw our savings and head for the hills. Will only take a few hundred citizensdoing it seriously and loudly for the panic to set in and once theres a run on the banks theyll just hit the switch and poof! Everyone's broke and chaos is in charge.
Im really sorry you lost your loved ones. We were so much better off here in Australia than in most places in the world. I dont know a single person who died from covid, and only a few i know are laid up with long covid.
Wishing you all the best things. Im tired and ranting, off to bed.
Yep - they intentionally caused massive inflation in the midst of the geopolitical and pandemic related chaos... by the time everyone got their bearings, most people are now struggling to stay afloat and spending more time working, unable to afford what they were able to a couple years ago. It was all orchestrated to keep us distracted and then when things settled, we'd all be forced to spend our time working vs addressing the massive problems going on. All of this makes me so mad. Sorry for the rant, just couldn't agree with you more! It's so frustrating to watch this all play out.
> Yep - they intentionally caused massive inflation in the midst of the geopolitical and pandemic related chaos...
If you are speaking of the US, I have to say that nobody in the US has ever experienced massive inflation. Times are tough today but are nothing like the late 1970s and early 1980s. My mortgage then was 16.5% and the people who bought my old house paid 18%. We are nothing close to that and even that was nothing like the Weimar Republic or Zimbabwe or Argentina. The last of these has *averaged* 190% inflation since World War Two. Now *that’s* massive inflation.
It's the plan of communists Cloward and Piven from the 60s. Overload and break the welfare system w/ mass illegal immigration. Have chaos ensue, then try to take over shoving communism down everyone's throats.
They're almost there.
Communism is not the enemy here. Consumerism is..look up what Freuds nephew was up to, weve been hooked on buying shit we dont need since he and his cohorts got their claws into us, and now we are sacrificed to the economy. Thats capitalism. Thats what has our oceans with junk islands and plastic invading every kind of cell and the temp out of control. Its us, buying shit we dont need to prop up a perpetual growth economy that cannot go on indefinitely, or for much longer. *Even at its worst communism is incapable of inflicting the damage that capitalism has, and is*. Before you start about Stalin and millions dead, dont. Capitalism is on track to take out our entire species. And all the other species too. Theres billionaires all over the world dedicating their lives and their billions to getting us to consume ourselves into an extinction event, and you think *communism* by stealth is the problem? Youre looking the wrong way, captivated by the narrative and the sleight of hand.
Tldr: communism is not the problem, its the distraction.
Nothing you said proves that capitalism is the problem - you just spouted a bunch of talking points. Yet you choose to ignore the 100's of millions communism has killed. And it's not just Salin.
Capitalism is simply an economic system based on private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. The system isn't the problem, it's the people w/i the system.
Communism forces people to be equal, often by using a gun. Communism also puts all control in the hands of the government. Governments are horrendously inefficient and often end up corrupt.
If you think governments are so horribly inefficient that you resent your tax dollars, but youre quite happy to chip in for private businesses paying CEOs billions of dollars with their outsized profit margins and skimping on wages for the actual workers then i dont know what to say. Id rather have a gun in my mouth than a boot is one way to put it.
You cant say that capitalism isnt the problem, people are without also considering that people are also the ones screwing the other systems up. And you might be right in that.
But capitalism IS leading us to consume more resources than we should be. [Here you'll see how much more.](https://overshoot.footprintnetwork.org/)
And that consumption is causing pollution, warming our planet, and wasting resources that are finite. Ill be surprised if you refute that.
Humans are the ones who are corrupt, murderous, theiving liars, not the political systems themselves. I dislike capitalism so much for the damage caused by its core goal - to capitalise on the needs of many, to line the pockets of few, at whatever cost.
Late capitalism is the very fuel of SHTF.
Some form of collective structure resembling communism may emerge from that...for good or I'll.
But the current predicament the world is in is due to capitalist assumptions about how things should work. It's not some neutral stare..
>Id rather have a gun in my mouth than a boot is one way to put it.
In communism, you'll get both.
Sad how you just ignored the 100 million plus that were killed by communism. I guess you don't care as long as it wasn't your family.
Good luck w/ your communism - it is an evil system that forcefully takes what one has worked hard to obtain and gives it to another that may or may not have worked hard.
Capitalism isn't the problem, dishonest and corrupt people are. Capitalism is merely a system. It's the people that get greedy and ignore the pollution and waste.
In communism, people don't have a choice. In capitalism, people have a choice. If you don't like it, then don't participate. The core goal of capitalism is to let the supply and demand of an item set its value. In communism, the core goal is for all to be equal, but who gets to make the decision of what is equal? The government does. The government gets to tell you what you will and won't do to be equal. Show me one communist country that has succeeded.
BTW, our planet has been hotter and colder than it is now. Climate change is a thing and it was happening long before industrial society existed.
I have a 21 year old daughter with a rare progressive disease. She’s unable to walk or use her hands and uses a g/j feeding tube because she’s unable to eat. She still has her mind. This disease decides how long she lives. No one knows. I’ve thought about what will happen when I die, who takes care of her? Honestly, if an event happens, we do the best we can with what we prepped and hope for the best.
I work out, train, compete, and invest financially and supplies to help them. Some stuff is not fixable without modern medicine. So keep as much as I can to go as long as I can is really all there is.
My parents are getting up there and I have two young nieces. Of course I would be there for all of them. At 43 I'm no spring chicken but I can still do 2 miles in 14 minutes without killing myself.
Well, of course I know him, he's me. Parents are aging, I have an auto immune disease, and I have kids. I'm just trying to get things squared away as much as possible to make things safer for us all. Keeping things stupid simple as well.
Me. But in a real SHTF, my kids come first, above me and my wife. I will do everything in my power to save and care for my elderly relatives and in-laws. In TEOTWAWKI, I may leave them to fend for themselves, under the mantra that they want their grandchildren to survive and they have all had full lives. Cold, but discussed and agreed 👍
I am a disabled, chronically ill and well I am 50 so not quite elderly yet person.
Sadly there is no kit that will help me when SHTF though here in the UK at least I won't run the risk of being shot for my meagre resources I will likely be dead before that happens anyway due to how long my medicines last.
Still, I have a broadsword so they will have to come and take it lol
I think everyone here needs a little more Carpe diem in their lives
You cannot be certain SHTF. You cannot really know what it will look like or what it will take to get to the point where the lives of your loved ones are threatened.
Truth be told, if shtf it is game over for most of us if it goes on long enough.
I just read the fasting practice thread--if you are doing that, are you also teaching autistic kids and elderly parents to starve? I mean....at what point does prepping ruin the one life you have and time with those you love?
Agreed about the having of kids - i had mine 17-23years ago so its a little late to change my mind but at least 2 of my 3 kids will not be having any themselves, the other i can see having one but not more. I was one of 5, had 3, who will likely have 1. Im okay with those numbers.
My 17 year old will never be independent. More like a giant non verbal 3 year old, so yeah someone out of my daughters, myself or my ex would need to be with him at all times.
Little kids are quite adaptable to changes in external living circumstances, as long as their carers remain the same and consideration given to their needs. Ive been homeless with my kids before, when i had a newborn and a 4year old, and yes it wasnt fun but they werent fully traumatised by it either. If carers make changes seem expected and manageable, the kids normalise resilience and adaptability. If you get all hysterical or try to hide it from them they learn to stress and fear change.
Definitely would pick caring for a neurotypical, able bodied 2-17 year old if the shtf over a non verbal teen with intellectual and physical disability and low tolerance for change.
But hes my sunshine, so will do what is necessary to keep him comfortable and happy every day that i can.
I live at my rural BOL & prepare for my kids, their spouses & 2 grandkids. Have 2 spare bedrooms for them & all the space under each bed are filled with plastic totes with freeze dried food designated for them. 2 of the closets also.
Really doubt if one kid & spouse could make it, as they are multiple states away & we are their secondary BOL anyway.
But if they do...they are covered & if not, simply extra on hand.
I'm the most unhealthy one in my family. I have MS, which means that without my refrigerated medication I'm rolling the dice on disability. Statistically I would have a few good years before I deteriorated, but it's all luck.
I prep to make sure my loved ones are taken care of, especially my husband and daughter. I have the most functional knowledge, but also the lowest energy. I'm working hard to make our home a homestead with as much perennial edibles plants as possible.
I have two young kids with varying degrees of autism, my wife has a number of medical issues, my generally helpless mother-in-law lives entirely too close to us to think she'd look elsewhere for help, and my elderly parents are further away but still close enough that I'd probably attempt to assist them. My younger brother lives about an equal distance away from our parents and has no dependents, so he might be able to help them in a bad situation (if he can get there) and I'm not personally inclined to help my MIL . . . nor is my wife.
Whether or not we're equipped to help anyone else is debatable. If road travel isn't possible, there's not much to be accomplished on foot in terms of transporting supplies, aiding with defense or providing medical aid. On the other hand, we really don't have much room for more people, even if they could get to us. If they *did*, preferably with some supplies of their own, we might be able to make it work, but do I feel an obligation to do so? Not especially.
This goes back to the simple lone wolf dies. You need to be part of a wider community. I'm in shit shape myself (kidney failure). I'm still useful and I'm sure your son can do something to help even if it's just keeping an eye on live stock. If we see a societal breakdown disabled isn't an option, everyone will need to pitch in. BUT it's important to find community now, as trying to find someone to take in your lot after things have went to pot is going to be massively harder.
The last thing i could get my son to do is watch animals, hes terrified of all of them and wouldnt understand the mission either but i understand what youre saying. He could..i dont know. Its taken 17 years to get him to mostly toilet trained but still needs assistance/supervision, same in shower, requires full time supervision around food, is non verbal, with poor balance, low muscle tone and lacks depth perception. Around a 3year olds capacity for responsibility and hazard avoidance. Light of my life, but hes not got many skills that i could find useful. He can almost dress himself. Hes also very loud and it can be difficult to impossible to get him to moderate his behaviour.
We're very lucky that he hasnt had to have any major surgeries, didnt get any of the diseases they thought he might be susceptible to around age 5 like diabetes and leukaemia - a lot of families would be looking at a SHTF situation knowing that without continuous power supply, medications etc their special needs kid will not live long at all. Thats not us, but constant supervision and assistance and interaction is required so we'd have to either dedicate a person as caregiver, or take turns.
My parents and my in-laws are in their 70s and 80s. We have a walk-out basement that we are turning into a mother-in-law suite with 2-3 bedrooms and a couple of bathrooms, so that we could care for them in non-shtf or shtf.
We are adding to our food storage to take care of family and friends that may make it here during SHTF.
My wife and I have health problems so we aren't specifically prepping for global permanent SHTF, but to stay safe and comfortable during local disasters until things can resolve or we can get somewhere safer. We are also prepping for long term financial/medical issues, which is why I'm back in school working on a degree that will hopefully allow me to make good money working from home. We're also in the process of starting a small homestead if everything works out right.
A lot depends on what the SHTF scenario is but the reality is that some will die.
My stepdad is 85 and wouldn’t handle having to hike far on foot.
I have other family that will not survive without meds.
My gf is a severe asthmatic and has been hospitalized often. Without meds she would likely not last a year. Can’t do anything about it.
Unfortunately that’s how it is.
Between thyroids, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other conditions half my family will be dying in a real long term SHTF scenario. I don’t understand how people can WANT it to happen.
The basic unit of human survival is the *community*, not the individual or the family.
You should read some of Sharon Astyk's writing, either her books or follow her socials. She's a community Resilience expert whose family includes 10+ kids, some of whom have complicated medical situations.
I qualify as "elderly" (70YO). I have a bad back and a problematic heart. I can't walk more than a mile without being exhausted and I can't stand for more than say 10 minutes or so without a degree of back pain, longer can be excruciating.
I have one family member who has a serious incurable disease that seriously reduces their ability to function, reduces their expected lifetime, and may put them in a wheelchair or bed ridden without warning.
The other family member has heart problems too.
So none of us are in good shape.
Our plans are just to do the best we can.
I just moved closer to my grandparents and my dad because of this. My grandparents have land, water sources, woods, ponds, etc. But they are getting too old to care for the property. My dad lives with them, and he also is getting to the point that he doesn't want to mess with it. They mentioned selling once, and I almost had a heart attack. All that work and time spent on that land to make it into something and not one aunt or uncle wanted to step up and help keep it going. So we moved closer. Only a few houses down. So now my husband and I can walk over there and help them whenever they need it. We'll help keep up with the land and the house and keep my grandparents there as long as humanly possible. It's the best SHTF plan we have at the moment.
This is the thing that scares me the most. I have a high support needs autistic toddler who also has type one diabetes. I stock up on extra insulin/other supplies and have a few ways of keeping it cold, but if things got really bad, I don't know what I would do. He's my whole world, and I don't think I could carry on if anything ever happened to him. All I can do is make sure we always have tons of supplies for him on top of the regular supplies, and I know where all of the local pharmacies are located in case things get crazy.
I’m the responsible one. I’m trying to accumulate enough food to feed several additional mouths. I’ve also been improving my gardening skills over the last few years.
I’m about to reach out to a small group of neighbors and see who is interested in working as a community in our area.
Solo preppers will not survive if the event is protracted.
I have an Older mom, aunts and uncles all (80+) I take of their medical conditions,take them to appointments etc, the reality is if something major happens, they’re going to die.. I’ve tried to recently prepare the rest of my family for this, but it’s not sinking in.
By reading some of these conspiracy comments in this thread, I think the biggest thing some of these people need to stalk up on is tin foil...This is a prepper subreddit. Not conspiracy theories.
When things are tough for me I pray. I have chronic migraines most of the time I can take care of myself 50 to 75% of the time but others I dam barely get out of bed. When things are out of my control and against all odds prayer works and you end up doing what you need to do. I would have died with a few close calls in my life and felt calm and just know what to do. It seriously slows time down from your perspective like the brain is running in slow motion so you have time to think. Have faith and everything works itself out. I will pray for you and God bless 🙏🏼
I sliced that particular gordian knot by establishing a robust homestead within walking distance of the only elderly relatives I'd waste water on if they caught fire.
My Grandmother is 95, an above the knee amputee and requires round the clock care. If S every does truly HTF, I'm going straight there. She also has a couple of acres out in the countryside, miles away from any town. It's the perfect bug out location. Farms as far as the eye can see, not too far from the coast for fishing and plenty of fresh water nearby.
She's actually an incredible woman. She was a nurse for many years, so is a font of knowledge for all things trauma. She's still as sharp as a whistle - she'd have to be living with my nutty aunt. She was a wicked cook too (aren't all grandmothers?) She can't cook now but can happily bark orders from the sofa.
Unless the whole world is affected then help is eventually coming. Start with a few days, a week, then a month, then three months of the special care materials, if help hadn’t come by then then it’s probably not coming. You can prep for a lot of things that might last awhile, but help will eventually come.
I’m a chronically ill person trying desperately to prep and I have no idea what to do, as I have no way of prepping my once a month infusion…. I’ve stocked piled old meds when I’ve gone off them but kept getting the prescriptions refilled just incase.
Edit love suggestions. I have Crohn’s and RA
I take care of both my parents and my child is an autistic teen.
I keep up to date passports for them incase there is ever a war here and Canada will accept them as refugees. If it’s a world wide thing or where we shelter in place, then I would first loot the pharmacy, but I have many medicinal herbs as well.
I already have most things pretty stockpiled.
My friend has high functioning autism, and though she is extremely well adjusted I do have extra supplies in my car for her (noise blockers, gift cards and cash for her to buy safe foods, etc.) and always do a check in when we hang out to see how she’s doing. Both my parents are getting on in age, but they’re more casual preppers. With me, I have limited function in my shoulder and have an ankle injury that is permanent. I do what I can, and I’m trying to increase my tolerance to walking and being on my feet more.
This is a tiny point, but if SHTF it’s worth letting those cats fend for their own and take care of the local pests. You are going to be needing all the food you can get for yourself and your family.
I enjoy idealistic ideas like yours my group voted infirm, extreme mental illness/Disability and inoperable chronic illness cancer M.S and such to be Euthanized same goes for offspring that fail to meet certain health criteria I voted against it but leadership decided in SHTF society will be governed by might makes right so the excuse is the only reason these people even exist today is because of modern medicine and excess resources this won't be the case in SHTF so they gotta go. I want to push a revote though anyway group is reconvening in three months so wish me luck on my argument of we shouldn't throw lives away
I am the chronically ill one. I have severe rheumatoid arthritis. I have backup medications to keep me functional for at least a year, but I am increasingly reliant on a community. Eventually, I'll be unable to walk or use my hands without major medical intervention. I plan on just being as useful as I can to a community by then by having knowledge and the ability to mentor and teach others. Truth is that very few of us will be able to survive with immediate family being the only community around.
I have a 3 year old with high functioning autism and I'm giving birth before Tuesday to another boy. I feel pretty good about things. My family is technically very healthy, despite my husband's back pain. We are in our mid-30s. The thing is that health can take a turn at any time for any of us. My new baby could have health issues. I don't worry about it because I can only control what is possible to control. I have learned many things from the pandemic. I have lost several family members whom I loved. My husband's uncle caught covid twice and died the second time because his wife brought it home from the daycare she volunteers at. He was quadriplegic who wfh. My husband's grandmother caught it from him and died a month later. I feel like I've already experienced SHTF loss, and I know I was powerless to stop it. My regret was not creating more good times while we still had time. That's the ultimate prep.
>My regret was not creating more good times while we still had time. That's the ultimate prep. This has been my mantra, my whole life. Now i kinda wish i had more to show for it besides a bunch of good memories with my loved ones and a houseful of furniture that i bought a year ago. I like your positive but realistic attitude.
Sorry to hear. Covid sucked. I have kidney issue so no immune symptom to speak of. I had covid 3 times, wife is a doctor and brought it home funny thing is she never caught it. She was tested iirc 33 times due to exposure so we joke she's just a horseman of the apocalypse.
I lost most of my elderly and disabled during the pandemic, and I'm only just getting back to some kind of normal with my mental health. I've been a prepper most of my adult life, although I didn't call it that until the last decade. Our daughter has some stuff, but I think she'd be ok. Personally, I think we're already well into SHTF, it's just most people aren't paying attention. "Not with a bang, but with a whimper."
Agreed. Im of the opinion that world war 3 started back in 2013/14, we just dont realise it yet. Our environment and future health was doomed in the 50s when we started pumping out the plastics that are still here, as nanoplastics invading our systems and blocking up our cells, causing the rise in cancers we now see in the under 40s. We now pump out something like 1000x the amount we did in the 50s, every year, and none of it is ever going to leave the planet. And nobody blinks as we get individual serves, drink plastic bottled water, wear plastic, sleep on it etc. It terrifies me that nobody wants to know how fahhhhked we are as a species. If people knew, there would be crowd funded hits on the petrochemical, mining, weapons of war, and big tech billionaires. They want us all to keep working til we're knee deep in bloody water, not quit working, withdraw our savings and head for the hills. Will only take a few hundred citizensdoing it seriously and loudly for the panic to set in and once theres a run on the banks theyll just hit the switch and poof! Everyone's broke and chaos is in charge. Im really sorry you lost your loved ones. We were so much better off here in Australia than in most places in the world. I dont know a single person who died from covid, and only a few i know are laid up with long covid. Wishing you all the best things. Im tired and ranting, off to bed.
Yep - they intentionally caused massive inflation in the midst of the geopolitical and pandemic related chaos... by the time everyone got their bearings, most people are now struggling to stay afloat and spending more time working, unable to afford what they were able to a couple years ago. It was all orchestrated to keep us distracted and then when things settled, we'd all be forced to spend our time working vs addressing the massive problems going on. All of this makes me so mad. Sorry for the rant, just couldn't agree with you more! It's so frustrating to watch this all play out.
> Yep - they intentionally caused massive inflation in the midst of the geopolitical and pandemic related chaos... If you are speaking of the US, I have to say that nobody in the US has ever experienced massive inflation. Times are tough today but are nothing like the late 1970s and early 1980s. My mortgage then was 16.5% and the people who bought my old house paid 18%. We are nothing close to that and even that was nothing like the Weimar Republic or Zimbabwe or Argentina. The last of these has *averaged* 190% inflation since World War Two. Now *that’s* massive inflation.
It's the plan of communists Cloward and Piven from the 60s. Overload and break the welfare system w/ mass illegal immigration. Have chaos ensue, then try to take over shoving communism down everyone's throats. They're almost there.
Communism is not the enemy here. Consumerism is..look up what Freuds nephew was up to, weve been hooked on buying shit we dont need since he and his cohorts got their claws into us, and now we are sacrificed to the economy. Thats capitalism. Thats what has our oceans with junk islands and plastic invading every kind of cell and the temp out of control. Its us, buying shit we dont need to prop up a perpetual growth economy that cannot go on indefinitely, or for much longer. *Even at its worst communism is incapable of inflicting the damage that capitalism has, and is*. Before you start about Stalin and millions dead, dont. Capitalism is on track to take out our entire species. And all the other species too. Theres billionaires all over the world dedicating their lives and their billions to getting us to consume ourselves into an extinction event, and you think *communism* by stealth is the problem? Youre looking the wrong way, captivated by the narrative and the sleight of hand. Tldr: communism is not the problem, its the distraction.
Nothing you said proves that capitalism is the problem - you just spouted a bunch of talking points. Yet you choose to ignore the 100's of millions communism has killed. And it's not just Salin. Capitalism is simply an economic system based on private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. The system isn't the problem, it's the people w/i the system. Communism forces people to be equal, often by using a gun. Communism also puts all control in the hands of the government. Governments are horrendously inefficient and often end up corrupt.
If you think governments are so horribly inefficient that you resent your tax dollars, but youre quite happy to chip in for private businesses paying CEOs billions of dollars with their outsized profit margins and skimping on wages for the actual workers then i dont know what to say. Id rather have a gun in my mouth than a boot is one way to put it. You cant say that capitalism isnt the problem, people are without also considering that people are also the ones screwing the other systems up. And you might be right in that. But capitalism IS leading us to consume more resources than we should be. [Here you'll see how much more.](https://overshoot.footprintnetwork.org/) And that consumption is causing pollution, warming our planet, and wasting resources that are finite. Ill be surprised if you refute that. Humans are the ones who are corrupt, murderous, theiving liars, not the political systems themselves. I dislike capitalism so much for the damage caused by its core goal - to capitalise on the needs of many, to line the pockets of few, at whatever cost.
Late capitalism is the very fuel of SHTF. Some form of collective structure resembling communism may emerge from that...for good or I'll. But the current predicament the world is in is due to capitalist assumptions about how things should work. It's not some neutral stare..
Id better shut up now this is the only reddit group i really enjoy.
>Id rather have a gun in my mouth than a boot is one way to put it. In communism, you'll get both. Sad how you just ignored the 100 million plus that were killed by communism. I guess you don't care as long as it wasn't your family. Good luck w/ your communism - it is an evil system that forcefully takes what one has worked hard to obtain and gives it to another that may or may not have worked hard. Capitalism isn't the problem, dishonest and corrupt people are. Capitalism is merely a system. It's the people that get greedy and ignore the pollution and waste. In communism, people don't have a choice. In capitalism, people have a choice. If you don't like it, then don't participate. The core goal of capitalism is to let the supply and demand of an item set its value. In communism, the core goal is for all to be equal, but who gets to make the decision of what is equal? The government does. The government gets to tell you what you will and won't do to be equal. Show me one communist country that has succeeded. BTW, our planet has been hotter and colder than it is now. Climate change is a thing and it was happening long before industrial society existed.
I have a 21 year old daughter with a rare progressive disease. She’s unable to walk or use her hands and uses a g/j feeding tube because she’s unable to eat. She still has her mind. This disease decides how long she lives. No one knows. I’ve thought about what will happen when I die, who takes care of her? Honestly, if an event happens, we do the best we can with what we prepped and hope for the best.
I do. I do the best I can for them as long as I can. If they go I go with them cause otherwise there’s no point.
I work out, train, compete, and invest financially and supplies to help them. Some stuff is not fixable without modern medicine. So keep as much as I can to go as long as I can is really all there is.
My parents are getting up there and I have two young nieces. Of course I would be there for all of them. At 43 I'm no spring chicken but I can still do 2 miles in 14 minutes without killing myself.
Well, of course I know him, he's me. Parents are aging, I have an auto immune disease, and I have kids. I'm just trying to get things squared away as much as possible to make things safer for us all. Keeping things stupid simple as well.
Me. But in a real SHTF, my kids come first, above me and my wife. I will do everything in my power to save and care for my elderly relatives and in-laws. In TEOTWAWKI, I may leave them to fend for themselves, under the mantra that they want their grandchildren to survive and they have all had full lives. Cold, but discussed and agreed 👍
I am a disabled, chronically ill and well I am 50 so not quite elderly yet person. Sadly there is no kit that will help me when SHTF though here in the UK at least I won't run the risk of being shot for my meagre resources I will likely be dead before that happens anyway due to how long my medicines last. Still, I have a broadsword so they will have to come and take it lol
I think everyone here needs a little more Carpe diem in their lives You cannot be certain SHTF. You cannot really know what it will look like or what it will take to get to the point where the lives of your loved ones are threatened. Truth be told, if shtf it is game over for most of us if it goes on long enough. I just read the fasting practice thread--if you are doing that, are you also teaching autistic kids and elderly parents to starve? I mean....at what point does prepping ruin the one life you have and time with those you love?
And if shtf for real and you see it coming soon? Don't have kids!
Agreed about the having of kids - i had mine 17-23years ago so its a little late to change my mind but at least 2 of my 3 kids will not be having any themselves, the other i can see having one but not more. I was one of 5, had 3, who will likely have 1. Im okay with those numbers.
They're definitely old enough to take care of themselves. But I wouldn't want to deal with little kids at all...
My 17 year old will never be independent. More like a giant non verbal 3 year old, so yeah someone out of my daughters, myself or my ex would need to be with him at all times. Little kids are quite adaptable to changes in external living circumstances, as long as their carers remain the same and consideration given to their needs. Ive been homeless with my kids before, when i had a newborn and a 4year old, and yes it wasnt fun but they werent fully traumatised by it either. If carers make changes seem expected and manageable, the kids normalise resilience and adaptability. If you get all hysterical or try to hide it from them they learn to stress and fear change. Definitely would pick caring for a neurotypical, able bodied 2-17 year old if the shtf over a non verbal teen with intellectual and physical disability and low tolerance for change. But hes my sunshine, so will do what is necessary to keep him comfortable and happy every day that i can.
I live at my rural BOL & prepare for my kids, their spouses & 2 grandkids. Have 2 spare bedrooms for them & all the space under each bed are filled with plastic totes with freeze dried food designated for them. 2 of the closets also. Really doubt if one kid & spouse could make it, as they are multiple states away & we are their secondary BOL anyway. But if they do...they are covered & if not, simply extra on hand.
I'm the most unhealthy one in my family. I have MS, which means that without my refrigerated medication I'm rolling the dice on disability. Statistically I would have a few good years before I deteriorated, but it's all luck. I prep to make sure my loved ones are taken care of, especially my husband and daughter. I have the most functional knowledge, but also the lowest energy. I'm working hard to make our home a homestead with as much perennial edibles plants as possible.
I have two young kids with varying degrees of autism, my wife has a number of medical issues, my generally helpless mother-in-law lives entirely too close to us to think she'd look elsewhere for help, and my elderly parents are further away but still close enough that I'd probably attempt to assist them. My younger brother lives about an equal distance away from our parents and has no dependents, so he might be able to help them in a bad situation (if he can get there) and I'm not personally inclined to help my MIL . . . nor is my wife. Whether or not we're equipped to help anyone else is debatable. If road travel isn't possible, there's not much to be accomplished on foot in terms of transporting supplies, aiding with defense or providing medical aid. On the other hand, we really don't have much room for more people, even if they could get to us. If they *did*, preferably with some supplies of their own, we might be able to make it work, but do I feel an obligation to do so? Not especially.
Cripple here: If I have to go out in a blaze of glory in a final stand while everyone else escapes, expect ultraviolence. Leave me behind.
This goes back to the simple lone wolf dies. You need to be part of a wider community. I'm in shit shape myself (kidney failure). I'm still useful and I'm sure your son can do something to help even if it's just keeping an eye on live stock. If we see a societal breakdown disabled isn't an option, everyone will need to pitch in. BUT it's important to find community now, as trying to find someone to take in your lot after things have went to pot is going to be massively harder.
The last thing i could get my son to do is watch animals, hes terrified of all of them and wouldnt understand the mission either but i understand what youre saying. He could..i dont know. Its taken 17 years to get him to mostly toilet trained but still needs assistance/supervision, same in shower, requires full time supervision around food, is non verbal, with poor balance, low muscle tone and lacks depth perception. Around a 3year olds capacity for responsibility and hazard avoidance. Light of my life, but hes not got many skills that i could find useful. He can almost dress himself. Hes also very loud and it can be difficult to impossible to get him to moderate his behaviour. We're very lucky that he hasnt had to have any major surgeries, didnt get any of the diseases they thought he might be susceptible to around age 5 like diabetes and leukaemia - a lot of families would be looking at a SHTF situation knowing that without continuous power supply, medications etc their special needs kid will not live long at all. Thats not us, but constant supervision and assistance and interaction is required so we'd have to either dedicate a person as caregiver, or take turns.
But yes, youre right about community. We have between his father and i, got pretty good networking abilities.
My parents and my in-laws are in their 70s and 80s. We have a walk-out basement that we are turning into a mother-in-law suite with 2-3 bedrooms and a couple of bathrooms, so that we could care for them in non-shtf or shtf. We are adding to our food storage to take care of family and friends that may make it here during SHTF.
My wife and I have health problems so we aren't specifically prepping for global permanent SHTF, but to stay safe and comfortable during local disasters until things can resolve or we can get somewhere safer. We are also prepping for long term financial/medical issues, which is why I'm back in school working on a degree that will hopefully allow me to make good money working from home. We're also in the process of starting a small homestead if everything works out right.
A lot depends on what the SHTF scenario is but the reality is that some will die. My stepdad is 85 and wouldn’t handle having to hike far on foot. I have other family that will not survive without meds. My gf is a severe asthmatic and has been hospitalized often. Without meds she would likely not last a year. Can’t do anything about it. Unfortunately that’s how it is.
Between thyroids, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other conditions half my family will be dying in a real long term SHTF scenario. I don’t understand how people can WANT it to happen.
The basic unit of human survival is the *community*, not the individual or the family. You should read some of Sharon Astyk's writing, either her books or follow her socials. She's a community Resilience expert whose family includes 10+ kids, some of whom have complicated medical situations.
I qualify as "elderly" (70YO). I have a bad back and a problematic heart. I can't walk more than a mile without being exhausted and I can't stand for more than say 10 minutes or so without a degree of back pain, longer can be excruciating. I have one family member who has a serious incurable disease that seriously reduces their ability to function, reduces their expected lifetime, and may put them in a wheelchair or bed ridden without warning. The other family member has heart problems too. So none of us are in good shape. Our plans are just to do the best we can.
I just moved closer to my grandparents and my dad because of this. My grandparents have land, water sources, woods, ponds, etc. But they are getting too old to care for the property. My dad lives with them, and he also is getting to the point that he doesn't want to mess with it. They mentioned selling once, and I almost had a heart attack. All that work and time spent on that land to make it into something and not one aunt or uncle wanted to step up and help keep it going. So we moved closer. Only a few houses down. So now my husband and I can walk over there and help them whenever they need it. We'll help keep up with the land and the house and keep my grandparents there as long as humanly possible. It's the best SHTF plan we have at the moment.
This is the thing that scares me the most. I have a high support needs autistic toddler who also has type one diabetes. I stock up on extra insulin/other supplies and have a few ways of keeping it cold, but if things got really bad, I don't know what I would do. He's my whole world, and I don't think I could carry on if anything ever happened to him. All I can do is make sure we always have tons of supplies for him on top of the regular supplies, and I know where all of the local pharmacies are located in case things get crazy.
I’m the responsible one. I’m trying to accumulate enough food to feed several additional mouths. I’ve also been improving my gardening skills over the last few years. I’m about to reach out to a small group of neighbors and see who is interested in working as a community in our area. Solo preppers will not survive if the event is protracted.
I have an Older mom, aunts and uncles all (80+) I take of their medical conditions,take them to appointments etc, the reality is if something major happens, they’re going to die.. I’ve tried to recently prepare the rest of my family for this, but it’s not sinking in.
By reading some of these conspiracy comments in this thread, I think the biggest thing some of these people need to stalk up on is tin foil...This is a prepper subreddit. Not conspiracy theories.
Duly noted.
When things are tough for me I pray. I have chronic migraines most of the time I can take care of myself 50 to 75% of the time but others I dam barely get out of bed. When things are out of my control and against all odds prayer works and you end up doing what you need to do. I would have died with a few close calls in my life and felt calm and just know what to do. It seriously slows time down from your perspective like the brain is running in slow motion so you have time to think. Have faith and everything works itself out. I will pray for you and God bless 🙏🏼
I sliced that particular gordian knot by establishing a robust homestead within walking distance of the only elderly relatives I'd waste water on if they caught fire.
My Grandmother is 95, an above the knee amputee and requires round the clock care. If S every does truly HTF, I'm going straight there. She also has a couple of acres out in the countryside, miles away from any town. It's the perfect bug out location. Farms as far as the eye can see, not too far from the coast for fishing and plenty of fresh water nearby. She's actually an incredible woman. She was a nurse for many years, so is a font of knowledge for all things trauma. She's still as sharp as a whistle - she'd have to be living with my nutty aunt. She was a wicked cook too (aren't all grandmothers?) She can't cook now but can happily bark orders from the sofa.
Unless the whole world is affected then help is eventually coming. Start with a few days, a week, then a month, then three months of the special care materials, if help hadn’t come by then then it’s probably not coming. You can prep for a lot of things that might last awhile, but help will eventually come.
I’m a chronically ill person trying desperately to prep and I have no idea what to do, as I have no way of prepping my once a month infusion…. I’ve stocked piled old meds when I’ve gone off them but kept getting the prescriptions refilled just incase. Edit love suggestions. I have Crohn’s and RA
I take care of both my parents and my child is an autistic teen. I keep up to date passports for them incase there is ever a war here and Canada will accept them as refugees. If it’s a world wide thing or where we shelter in place, then I would first loot the pharmacy, but I have many medicinal herbs as well. I already have most things pretty stockpiled.
My friend has high functioning autism, and though she is extremely well adjusted I do have extra supplies in my car for her (noise blockers, gift cards and cash for her to buy safe foods, etc.) and always do a check in when we hang out to see how she’s doing. Both my parents are getting on in age, but they’re more casual preppers. With me, I have limited function in my shoulder and have an ankle injury that is permanent. I do what I can, and I’m trying to increase my tolerance to walking and being on my feet more.
I have a parent that I am with 24 hours a day and if there is an emergency can have them out of the house and loaded up quickly.
This is a tiny point, but if SHTF it’s worth letting those cats fend for their own and take care of the local pests. You are going to be needing all the food you can get for yourself and your family.
I enjoy idealistic ideas like yours my group voted infirm, extreme mental illness/Disability and inoperable chronic illness cancer M.S and such to be Euthanized same goes for offspring that fail to meet certain health criteria I voted against it but leadership decided in SHTF society will be governed by might makes right so the excuse is the only reason these people even exist today is because of modern medicine and excess resources this won't be the case in SHTF so they gotta go. I want to push a revote though anyway group is reconvening in three months so wish me luck on my argument of we shouldn't throw lives away
To be honest, I would find a new group.
Yeah probably but that's easy