I have a friend who is preparing for the end of civilization as we know it. A “prepper”. He’s a smart person and I must admit the world is in chaos and global warming is undeniable (see Adaptation link). So I started to ponder on how I would want to prepare. The more I researched the more I realized that living off-grid and being self-reliant makes a whole lot of sense even if the world does not collapse.
If you grow your own food and provide your own electricity you really have almost all you need.
I started collecting information on anything that would be relevant. The list grew and grew so I made it searchable and organized the information into categories.
Whether you are concerned about what will happen when the world goes dark, or you are just looking for a way of eating and living healthier and with less reliance on big corporations… the Akronos Mago Survival Guide has information to help.
We as a people have gotten soft and rely far too much on corporations to solve all our needs. Yes, it’s great to have the option to visit a big corporation and fill up your basket with all you could want. However you shouldn’t lose all skills to the point where you need these companies to survive.
What would one need to survive in a post-apocalyptic scenario? Would it be possible to actually thrive in such a situation? I think the answer is “Yes”. When you really think about it, what do you really need to thrive? A good social network, good food, protection from the elements, protection from thieves, knowledge on how to do the more difficult tasks, a good attitude, and enough extra time each week to have some fun and diversion.
It’s nice to go shopping in a mall with 50 stores selling thousands of items, then choose one of thirty nearby restaurants with 8+ page menus for dinner, and afterwards go to an IMAX to see a movie … but that’s really unnecessary luxury. An alternative and simpler night out could be visiting the local craftsman who finished making your custom recurve bow, eat in the town house the fresh venison and locally grown vegetables, then dance the night away with your close friends. If that doesn’t interest you then visit the local seamstress to get the custom outfit they crafted, feast in the town hall on fresh vegetables and local fish, then drink mead and play cards or other games with your neighbors.
The point is, depending on what the “apocalypse” entails will determine how bad it really is. Even if the government collapses, public utilities fail, internet goes down, corporations fail, and generally the world goes to hell… a small community with the proper skills can still live a good, fulfilling and fun life.
Now to get down to the nitty-gritty. There is too much information for a single person to know everything and be good at all the different skills necessary. It really requires multiple people to do all the tasks. Sure, a single person could spend years learning everything and becoming descent with the skills… but when you are doing everything 100% yourself you really don’t have much time for anything but bare necessities. Really the first thing you should do is build your team or crew and separate the tasks of who is in charge of what. That way each person can learn, practice and become expert in their duties for the tribe. The entire collective benefits and everyone still has a little time to socialize and “enjoy life”.
Here are the basic skills necessary. Each person should choose areas that interest them - working on things you enjoy and have some natural skills at is much better than just taking a task because it needs to be taken. So pick people to invite to your “tribe” wisely and choose people with some natural skills in these areas. Each person should really have at least one “Primary” skill and at least one “Secondary” skill.
