SELCO: Why It’s Very Hard to Go It Alone When the SHTF

By Selco Begovic

I often say that survival is about being ahead of other folks around you.

If I want to “complicate” that definition a bit I would say that survival is also keeping the ability to cope with everyday tasks, stay alive, and still have the kind of life that makes you human.

What does that mean?

Survival is about staying alive of course, but to keep your self alive in an SHTF world can mean a lot of things. If you plan to live like an animal, completely without morals, it is not the kind of survival that I am talking about.

I am talking about life inside “boundaries” or a moral norm (or a religious norm, whichever suits you). That’s what actually makes us humans.

It can be a tough task. Actually, from the point of “toughness”, it is easier to refer to the most basic lower instincts in order to survive, but as I said it is not bare survival that I am talking about.

The reality of everyday life when the SHTF

One of the takeaways from students in our physical courses is that “this is complicated” or “this takes a lot of time” or “this is hard.”

Now, please note that on the physical courses we do not teach and train rocket science. It is all about finishing everyday tasks, in very different settings. That’s what SHTF life is. Students look for resources, shelter, and safety in settings that are closest to a real-life SHTF scenario.

We can say that we all do the same in our everyday life. We work in order to obtain resources, safety, and security for ourselves and our families.

The thing here is that we have a running system around us to help us with all that. When that system goes, we do the same, we want the same – but our techniques, timing, and aspirations are very different.

The easiest word to use it here is the word “harder.” Everything will be harder when the SHTF.

You will need more time, more effort, and more energy, and you’ll have much less safety and security while doing it. You’ll be under a whole set of new dangers.

You can make it easier to some extent by taking away some luxuries. I mean you can lower down the amount of time and the amount of energy and reduce your exposure to danger by taking away any unneeded luxuries from your life when the SHTF.

An example would be that once the SHTF you’ll be forced to cook your food once per week only, because it requires less fuel or exposes you to less danger. Or you’ll lower your consumption of water by 50 percent because it takes you 2 days to obtain 20 liters of water and so on and so on.

Or simply you are not gonna have your favorite chocolate anymore because it will be too expensive on the black market, or your cigarettes or whatever.

The examples are numerous, but the point is that life will be different.

Being alone or working with others

As I said, it is not rocket science. It is a simple fact that everyday life tasks will get much more complicated and you will need much more time to finish them, even the simplest one.

Test yourself and see how much water you need for one day, and then go and check how much time and effort you need to get that water, carry it from whenever, purify it, and make it ready to use.

Or see how much fuel you need to keep yourself warm and how long it takes you to acquire that fuel and prepare it for use.

Going through all of that while being alone complicates things a lot.

Yes, you can say “but I’ll need fewer resources if I am alone.” You might be right, but you are also gonna have much less manpower for it. Remember, we are not talking about normal times. Who will watch your home while you are looking for resources? Or to bring it to a higher level, who will stand watch for you while you are sleeping?

Who will take care of you if you are sick?

A misconception is that you HAVE to have a group when SHTF. While it would be great to have that, if it is impossible you may try to work on some kind of loose network of people.

For example, if it is impossible to have more manpower physically with you when the SHTF, you can try to have some trusted people in your area, some kind of network that you can look to for help when SHTF.

It is a great thing to have more people with you, but also it is also good to have trusted people that you can visit and look to for help (or vice versa) once the SHTF. If you don’t have that kind of community now, you can learn how to form a survival network.

Having a group

As the saying goes, there is strength in numbers, so if you have people with you when SHTF it is good. But remember, it is not only about the people around you. It is about what abilities those people have, too.

Yes, there is always that “husband (sister, brother, son) who is not into prepping, he is basically useless…” Yes, but he is your husband (or whatever) so you have known him for years. It is a great start if you have someone that you can trust when the SHTF.

Or there is a combination where you have a great friend with skills, but he turns into a creepy maniac once the SHTF.

To learn more about forming a group or a loose network of people you can trust, join our next live webinar, Survival Communities. Go here for more information.

Forming a group does not happen overnight. It is a process that takes time to build. More time means more trust and more skills.

Do you have a group or network? Why or why not? Let’s talk about it in the comments section.

Source: The Organic Prepper

Selco survived the Balkan war of the 90s in a city under siege, without electricity, running water, or food distribution. In his online works, he gives an inside view of the reality of survival under the harshest conditions. He reviews what works and what doesn’t, tells you the hard lessons he learned, and shares how he prepares today. He never stopped learning about survival and preparedness since the war. Regardless what happens, chances are you will never experience extreme situations as Selco did. But you have the chance to learn from him and how he faced death for months. Read more of Selco’s articles here. Buy his PDF books here. Take advantage of a deep and profound insight into his knowledge by signing up for his unrivaled online course. Real survival is not romantic or idealistic. It is brutal, hard and unfair. Let Selco take you into that world.

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