How many people do you know that can live
without Facebook, Netflix, and Twitter? Honestly, I’m getting to the point
that it is a constant hassle to have to deal with social media. I wish
something would happen to shut up those notifications for an hour, a lifetime
seems like a glorious dream come true. These are the kind of thing I think
about sitting on my living room couch at 11:45 on a Monday night after I put my
kids to bed. (Doesn’t everyone?) In all seriousness though, our planet has seen
5 mass extinction events since life started to develop in our oceans. Many
well-known and respected scientist and experts believe we
are on track for number six.
“More than 90% of all organisms that
have ever lived on Earth are extinct,” The first line on National
Geographic states on
Mass extinction.
That being sad, it’s not all morbid as
it sounds –I promise. We have limited real estate here on Earth. That’s pretty
common knowledge. Things need to die in order for new life to grow and
flourish. But am I willing to just kick the bucket though and say, “Good try
chaps, lets die off and see if the chimps can do better?” Oh hell no, of course
not.
Everyone has their own reasons they
wake up and do what they do day in and day out. Mine, bet you’ve already
guessed, are my children. I don’t know what I would do without those, what I
affectionately call, my little turd monkeys. But the same thing that gives me
my strength, also causes some of my weaknesses. As a parent, I have a
consistent, unwavering, and unrelenting fear that something will happen to
them. It starts from the moment you hear that first cry and I’m told it never
stops. Ended are my days of racing and driving fast and being stupid. I had a
new found respect for my life. With this new take on life, I had every reason
to make sure I survived.
So with this worry thing previously
mentioned, comes my rational and irrational fear of something catastrophic
happening. I know you don’t know me so let me reassure you, I am not one of
those psycho crazy doomsday theorists. However, I do like to think of myself as
a realist. There are approximately 15,375 amount of nuclear weapons in the
world according to Ploughshare
Fund. Of course the
scariest part of that that number is always changing. Just this year Korea
successfully tested their first hydrogen bomb, a bomb according to LiveScience to be more powerful than the atomic
bombs we used on Japan just 70 years ago. It also is no big secret how our
power grid is painfully unprotected. On the West coast, we’ve been due for ‘the
big earthquake’ for a while now. I know if you’re reading this article then you
get it. Then you also know that it’s truly only a matter of time before
something strikes. How prepared are you to outlive it?
My first piece of advice, and this
should be a no brainer even without an emergency. Stock up on your medication
now as much as possible. If the world as we know it comes crashing down, say
good bye to your easy refills. My mother always said, “Better to have it and not need it than need it
and not have it.” I can’t emphasize that enough here. My youngest has Cystic
Fibrosis and takes medicine to break down his food. Without it, he can’t absorb
nutrients and would essentially waste way. In a massive event like this, people
without their medical needs met will be the first ones to go.
Next, for the love of whatever God,
Goddess, Universe, you pray to, learn to grow and hunt for your own food
people. I totally get that most high schools skimp out on home economics now,
and practically teach you nothing about how to actually survive on your own. Do
me a favor and put Youtube to some actual use. Other than endless videos of
people failing at, well—everything, please. I know, I know. That new Pokémon
game just came out. Just the thought of gardening or ending a small woodland
creature makes you want to go jump off a cliff like everyone else. I’m not
saying you need to immediately go out and butcher Bambi or grow a real life
version of Farmville. You can learn to trap small game, learn to fish for what’s
available in your area, and maintain a 4x8 garden with little to no real
effort.
You will have to depend on yourself for
everything in this new world, and that will be tough enough. You will need that
energy and a full belly to be able to accomplish other tasks for survival. If
you really want to cover all your bases, invest in some gun safety or archery
classes too. You can’t beat something that can feed you and protect you and yours
simultaneously. Certain groups are all ready to maim me, I’m sure. I’m not
condoning trophy kills or violence in any way. I condone surviving and doing
ANYTHING it takes to ensure that my children live. It is at the core of my
nature and instinct as a mother. Even in the animal world, it’s survival of the
fittest, (that also includes the smartest!)
Building
a stockpile to outlast the initial confusion if you can’t leave before it
starts is essential to your survival. There are tons of great websites that can
teach how, like this one. I live in San Diego, and San Diego is
not saturated in resources like some places. Drought most of the year, little
to no forestry, borderline desert, and worst of all it’s completely compacted
with people. All those people are going to be fighting tooth and nail for
whatever they can get. Last thing you want is to be in the middle of that.
Instead of stocking up on water you can save space if you can a nearby water
supply and buy a portable water filtration system. It will be useful no matter
where you go.
Educate yourselves on something more
than the newest movie releases and this week’s sales ads. Buy ACTUAL books on
wildlife and habitats in your area. If your safety plan includes traveling to a different location, buy books for each habitat you might cross. Anywhere you think you might go in case of an emergency, you in information on. That kindle does
not come with an unlimited battery. Even if you buy them and toss them in your
survival stash, and forget about it. That’s 100% ok. When the time comes, you
will have it. Those books could potentially save your life one day if something
happens, and if not, how much did you really waste on some old paperbacks
anyway?
Lastly, get in shape and start eating
right now. I’m sure you can guess that those who physically can’t provide for
themselves are sure to meet their end after those who run out of their
medication. About a year ago, I went from 215lb to 150lb now. I realized then
that I couldn’t carry my children for long periods. My hermit-like behavior was
keeping them from exercise they needed as well. Ultimately I realized if something
happened, and I was to out of shape to physically get my children out of harm’s
way—I had no one to blame but myself. I was not, I am not prepared to live
with that guilt. And in reality, I don’t have be the smartest or the fastest. I
just have to be able to outthink and outrun you.
Here we are,
towards the end, and if you made it this far you undoubtedly have fifty new
notifications you are dying to check. But now you have a choice; each day you get a
blessing of 24 hours. How you chose to spend it is up to you. I beseech
you, do something that could change the entire course of your future with a few
of those hours. Those electronics will do nothing for you in the wake of a diaster. Wouldn’t
you hate it if you disregarded this article and one day find yourself starving
and wishing you could go back in time and trade in that IPhone for anything
that could help? I wouldn’t know how that felt. I’ve already made my choice,
what’s yours?
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