Community- Then, Now, and Post SHTF

Some thoughts that have been running through my head lately. I know that YMMV on these topics and that is the beauty of it all. Each one of us will have a different take on the same subject. Where we live, size of family, “depth” of our preps, religious and political views will affect our stance on this subject and many others. It is in my pursuit to learn all I can about the important things in life that I discovered the value in other people’s views and opinions. The knowledge of others, their opinions and most importantly their experience can teach us so much… its incredible what one can learn if they listen.

Anyway… Id like to discuss Community.
Community:
What is Community to you? What is it to your friends and family? Do you know what your spouse or children expect from the community? What is the purpose of a community?

Lets talk; what is community?
Definition of community
1: a unified body of individuals: such as
a: the people with common interests living in a particular area
broadly : the area itself
the problems of a large community
b: a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society
a community of retired persons
a monastic community
c: a body of persons of common and especially professional interests scattered through a larger society
the academic community
the scientific community
d: a body of persons or nations having a common history or common social, economic, and political interests
the international community
e: a group linked by a common policy
f: an interacting population of various kinds of individuals (such as species) in a common location
g: STATE, COMMONWEALTH
2a: a social state or condition
The school encourages a sense of community in its students.
b: joint ownership or participation,
community of goods
c: common character : LIKENESS
community of interests
d: social activity : FELLOWSHIP
3: society at large,
the interests of the community

In some form or fashion, we are all part of a community. Even the most isolated of us are part of a community. We have all received/supplied goods or services in some form that has made us a part of a community. We are part of the “Monkey” community here in this board. Many of us have jobs and live in populated areas that make us part of several different communities. Some of us are members of a Church, radio club, volunteer group, Military branch or other such organization that is a community.

Its safe to say that all of us are benefitting in some way from a community whether it be large and broad or small and intimate. Some of us may also be getting the short end of the stick from our community. Things like an HOA seem to come to mind when we think of the negatives in communities. We can’t look past the Gangs, drug dealers, and general criminals (or other perceived negative contributors) that are part of the makeup of our community.

But I wondered, what have you come to expect from your current community? What have you chosen to contribute to your current community? But most of all, how will this change in the short and long term for you post SHTF?

I find community to be an essential part of our existence. I know that when I talk to others about “Prepping” it seems to be a very personal and isolationist style discussion. Its “every man for himself” and “My family is all that matters”. Now I do get those points of views to a point, don’t get me wrong. After the earthquake or EMP event the first people I will check on are my family and then my friends… but what comes next? When and how do we start to repair our community? Do you want to? Will you immediately begin to set up a structure of command in your area or will you leave your neighbors to figure it out on their own? How long will you maintain the shoot on sight at your BOL? Sounds extreme but I’ve heard that many times…

Of course, this is all very dependent on the situation at hand, earthquake vs. total economic collapse vs. civil war… so on.

But generally speaking, I wonder if Community is something we think about when we prep for these different situations. Do you possess the skills to set up a local form of “government”? will you try? Is it important to you and your family to be a part of a community or will you do better alone? Maybe your family is large enough to be its own community…

I find myself in the boat of Pro Community. I firmly believe that we are better as a unit rather than a single part. Each of us have a role to play in our communities and that is also verry important. Look back through history and you discover how all forms of society have been based off small communities that grew larger and larger to prosper. Its no mystery why… we, as human beings, thrive in communities. We progress so much more when we come together. When the individuals with skills and talents band together to form a functioning body it will outperform, out last, out survive the lone man. Looking through history I would dare say that it is simple fact.

But will we be smart enough to create or rebuild a community that serves us as well as we serve it? As important as I find community, I know it comes at a cost. It can not be rushed into with every Joe Blow you meet on the street. Some people will always try and take advantage of their community while others simply would not survive without one (elderly, disabled...).

I hope that SHTF would not change me, but depending on the situation it may, but I do plan on taking care of me and mine first (short term) and I think everyone here would do the same. Then try to become part of or create some form of community. It will undoubtedly start with my extended family and friends who are like minded and expand from there. Will I end up being the leader? Probably not, I will admit there are people in my family/community with real leadership experience under their belt that are better suited and more “people friendly” than myself. But depending on the death toll I may be the last best choice and so I must prepare myself for this eventuality.

It is in Preparing for this eventuality that I have wondered about the other Monkeys here, are you ready to lead? Will you lead? Will you participate in a post SHTF community?

Sorry for the long post and thanks for reading, I know I posed like 50 questions here but have at it, can’t wait to read your responses, ideas and criticism’s.

One last thought about community, Will the community be better with or without you? In my mind we are each a “nail” that serves a very important role.

“For the want of a nail the shoe was lost,
For the want of a shoe the horse was lost,
For the want of a horse the rider was lost,
For the want of a rider the battle was lost,
For the want of a battle the kingdom was lost,
And all for the want of a horseshoe-nail.”

 

There will be chaos and the brutal underbelly will run amuck until they killer each other off
Then good people will rise in what's left to deal with the dregs hopefully I will be long since dead

 

That is one take on it. Wouldnt it be nice if all the problems we see coming would hold off until our departure. However, I think we can all agree that most things wont. Are you prepared for the chance that you are still around? Would you take part in a community or just wait it out in hopes you die before the need for community arises? I too would like to avoid trouble, but we are here on this forum because we know we cant avoid it all. @snake6264 brings up a good point, how long do we wait to create communities that can combat the brutal underbelly?

 

Look I have NO illusions of what society at its worst will be but I am ready to do what I need to do to protect me and mine in the most mid evil manner I am well trained and prepared
And No I will not participate in my community as it is now cold but factual

 

Another name for Community is Target of Opportunity and the larger the Community the more lucrative the target and opportunities will be. Post SHTF Targets errr Communities if lucky will be able to fend off refugees and attackers but will always either be under siege or under the threat of siege. Outside of a handful of trusted people, society and community sheep will have to fend for themselves with the wolves. My participation will be limited to my little patch of land and my very small tribe.

 

The greatest strength of the community is also its greatest weakness. Forced membership, with the Star Trek borg or Stargate alien domination being some extremes that come to mind. Real examples in my lifetime have been Mao's little Red Book, joining CCP or Nazi party, etc, of this. A second membership, native American in 1800's, Jew's in Nazi dominated areas during WW2, Hutu or other tribe in various civil wars, Gypsy or Christian, etc in religious wars, etc, may in fact endanger you or severely limit you social rights..

Thus communities are always going to exist, but membership in a community alone does not always benefit an individual. We are into a period in the USA that for whatever reason, for example today was the day of the year that Brown was shot and that lead to all the riots and perhaps to BLM. NBC showed a picture of him in a cap and gown at a graduation and said killed by police, somehow neglected to mention that he actually died while trying to take a weapon away from a policeman after being stopped for a robbery. But in parts of the USA, the action of taking goods from a store is no longer a crime. Thus even our perceptions of events is dividing along social, racial, and political lines. Thus even members of the same family may belong to not only different communities, but may in the future, view that difference more important than family or other social factors.

Nothing we see, hear, smell, talk about, believe in, etc is real if we share it with others. The color red does not in itself exist, there is a certain wavelength of light that English speakers have defined as red. You learn in the US in kindergarden what color is red, if you were in a German school it would be rot, and when you grow older you learn that red may also be divided into hundreds of colors and in the printing trades they used to have a set of color sheets with 100's of different colors so that 2 printers could actually print the same color. Everything else that we do to interact with others is also based on some agreed on common concepts. In the past the family, church, society, schools, etc, have given us a common set of values. That does not always work as the Irish troubles between the two religious communities lead to generations of strife.

While as Donne said, No Man is an Island, but you might not t get a chance to choose which island you live on or be allowed to even stay on the island of your choice. TheJackBull brings up a very good point, it is fairly easy at this moment to at least be regarded as a friendly by a community and not be rejected out of hand if TSHTF, and in fact joining or creating the right group now may well be critical in the future. I would not wish to be a missionary of some Christian group in Afghanistan 100 miles away from an airport at this time, it would be much more comforting to be a member of the Marines with their tradition of not leaving a man behind.

 

I have spent a good bit of my life in the wake of major disasters. I've helped people recover in wake of hurricanes, wars, bombings, plane crashes, ships sinking, earth-quakes, and even a freaking volcano eruption and the one thing I've noticed is how the remain9ing communities pull together. My own neighborhood was devastated by Hurricane Sally, trees blocking all the exits, through houses, electric grid down for weeks. We cut our way out, scrounged generators and powered a coupe of refrigerators, cooked outdoors for the entire community, boiled water for washing and bathing, it was truly heart-warming experience brought by necessity. I have witnessed this in third world countries with poverty to a degree that we can't really comprehend here in the land of plenty. In the wake of Katrina, we raised boats and returned them to working, if a boat needed parts, we gave them access from the wreckage we removed. I still can't buy shrimps anywhere near Bienville, Ms because of the folks that helped me help themselves. People are wonderful when pushed to their limits and will without fail, find more strength and resolve than they ever anticipated. There are scrounge, there is spoil, but people as a whole will rely on community when push comes to shove. I have to believe this because I really don't care to live in a world where it is otherwise.

 

The most dangerous person in a SHTF or TEOTWAWKI situation is a community leader, you know the type, the one that wants to you to share your preps with those that didn't prepare! The best thing to do is to shoot him and and anyone with him. Community is what MIGHT happen after 90% of the people have died! I'm just hoping that me and mine aren't among the dead or enslaved!

 

Community is a concept romanticized by TV and books. While I have seen and been a part of several occasions when community comes together after flooding or hurricanes, it is short lived and most of the relationships that form soon dissolve away after the reason has passed. There is always, always at least one in the community group that feels they should be leader or be entitled to a bigger share of the community offering. Communities come together after a disaster out of need and naturally dissolve after the need has passed, as they should. It does not "take a village" to survive, just personal resolve.

 

I keep hearing this, "Me and mine" from the posts. How many is that? (generally) If I take into my little "community" the like minded Immediate family and friends I'd be pushing nearly 40 people with children included (we have big families). you cant tell me that that isnt a form of community that will have some form of leadership? When we hit the BOL with wife, kids, grandkids and the one or two friends who have helped prep along the way and thier wife and kids... you bet there will be a form of leadership for the "community". Security concerns will need adressed, inventory taken, rationing planned out, skills and chores lined up and assigned. All sorts of things would need looked after in an orginized manner so the littles ones dont eat all the food day one and the big ones dont get shot in the back day two working in the fields... A community may become a target, but from whom? a lone wolf? doubtful, but another community, probably. Reagardless of how we feal about these awful communities they will have the advantage given their numbers. i'd rather have numbers on my side. Not discounting others coments here but I feal that survival is a numbers game in more than one way. I dont mean one should "bug in" and try to fix their current community when all hell breaks loose, but like @Seacowboys said, there is a time for that as well, Ive seen the good side of community more times than not. Communities dont need to be comprised of 100's of people with the Governor from the "walking dead"... @BTPost what does community mean to you up in your neck of the woods? when I was in S.E. Alaska it was a very real need! A lot of the emegency services were performed by volenteers in the community for example. When the home was lost to the tornado when in OK. community was a real need! In my experience, its needed more often than not. and of course YMMV.

 

What a bunch of cynical old farts. I got my truck stuck in the mud last night while trying to turn my trailer around, thought I might sleep this morning until the ground dried out a bit but two of my community have shown up to help me extract it and now I've got to do my part and drag my lazy bones from this bed I swore would not be vacated until certain favors were met. All I can hear is come on let's get muddy, you can get laid any time. This simply is not true: anytime?

 

I believe that SeaCowboys is correct that in a State of Emergency people will pull together; however, I wonder if the emergency was long lasting if they could/would hold the course. I doubt it.

I don't have much faith in mankind, in fact, none, as I have found that we humans will do whatever benefits us the most even if it's not so...nice.

The other thing I have observed, after a lifetime of world travel, is Americans are the worse to cooperate or work as a group unless they are forced to by laws, necessity or 'what's in it for me.' It's that independent streak that is preached and bred into each and every one of us from birth. "He/she is not telling me what to do (even if they know better) as I'm an individual and don't have to listen", even if it's good for you. Don't get me wrong, it has value but also can be a hindrance. For example, compared to Germans who tend to think more for the 'group' (Das Volk) as oppose to the 'individual.'

I don't want to get long winded here but I don't think Americans would hold together very long if things got really bad. Anyway, I don't expect them too as would fully expect that if I had supplies and my neighbors didn't they would expect a share and kill me for it, justifying their actions as 'taking care of me and mine' even though my death would leave them one less trained gun. Hell, most do this now...doing what is best for them and the hell with others and the rest of the country.

And, I believe it would be damn difficult, if not impossible to get them to listen, never mine comply, for the benefit of the group due to their individual streak. They're all leaders or think they are and they will do as they want, when they want, whatever is good for them.

I hope I am wrong but don't think so...

 

I only got so much food, fuel, etc. to go around, so the number of people in my community will be limited... there are family members that will be turned away. Preppers have guns, ammo and other stuff for a reason, and that reason isn't hunting. As to leadership...my shit my rules! I'm planning on Bugging-In, so we will be an island!

 

@Bandit99 I dont disagree but I dont totally agree. there are definitely communities that I am not a part of now, nor will I be in the future. the Dregs of mankind are not the best, I get it. that is why I am working now, to prepare a community that will last the long haul. to seek out and find those people that will make it. sure its not an open door policy by any means @Wildbilly supplies and skills will need to be examined to benifit the community. I hope you are ready when the "earthquake" swallows your "shit" that you know it may be someone elses "rules" that you must follow. But I think we all have that same general perspective as to our supplies, and it makes sense, that is how society is. If you want a good or service you follow the owners rules and usually pay a monatary value for it. sometimes we spend our time for a peice of the business owners profit in form of a pay check. Rules are important in society, they just might not be our rules... @Seacowboys that damned generosity will get you every time.. did you tell them that just be cause your laying down doesnt mean your getting laid! haha

 

What a great example of community! Thank you sir. I think there is plenty of this sort of thing in our society or at least enough of it to give me hope in the usefulness of having a community TSHTF. We reap what we sow.

 

No earthquakes around here. Nor hurricanes, nor wildfires, nor tidal waves, nor dust storms, nor blizzards, etc., etc., etc.. We do have tornados, but that is about as exciting as it gets around here. Also, I'm NEVER gonna loose all my shit...cause I got plans for that!

 

In my experience, long-term emergencies are very rare, usually just a few days before you are able to recover enough to organize. Usually, it is several weeks before infrastructure returns but not always and sometimes, infrastructure is pushed back into the dark ages and will never return, at least to what you had become accustomed to. We found that after the second day, we had established our immediate needs and every step thereafter, was to improve upon our conditions and continued to do so until a degree of normalcy was achieved where there was comfort in going back to the old routines. Sure, there are people that can't or won't do their share, always have been and can't see that ever changing but you know the adage, those that can, do: those that can't, teach.

 

Oh quit bragging !!
Sluth