We have established the 3 personalities that you will see in any survivor after the 72 hour mark.
In case you missed it, we have covered 2 Stages of Preparedness thus far:
The Immediate
The Short Term
We have identified that life gets a little different at this point. When you look past the first 72 hours and towards the first year, we see the 3 different personalities. Those different routes a person is, can take, must take, or fit in to. Sometimes a persons upbringing defines that roll. Sometimes it's situational. After all, being a Jeremiah Mountain Man doesn't do you any good if you are stuck in downtown Detroit. Nor does being a Mad Max scavenger in the foothills of Middle Tennessee.
So, it's important to note that the EOTWAWKI is a dynamic environment that one must adapt quickly to and establish routines. Nor should one think to themselves: "My personality doesn't fit here, I guess I am done for".
It's important to note that surviving for 1 year is possible for anyone, regardless of personality type, as long as they adapt and establish logical routines in almost any environment. Major cities will be scraping the bottom of can goods in a year, but it's possible. A person can find enough food in the wild. And, while I don't recommend it, it is fairly cheap to buy enough prepackaged food for your bunker for a year.
Look at some of the worst situations in history. The first European settlers, while most colonies did die out, managed to routinely live through the first year. Was it painful? Yes. Did they starve? Yes. Did they die starving, cold, and destitute? Sure. But they did live for a year. They just didn't adapt fast enough.
There are plenty of situations very similar to these throughout history. Ship wrecked people in as far reaching conditions as possible from the Caribbean islands to the Arctic circle. Did most of them die? Sure. But many of them lived for a year. Look at other stranded situations like the Donner party. Am I implying that you should eat your friends? No, of course not. But they survived for a long time. And they are just one of the scarier versions. Plenty of settler were trapped in the Rockies or other mountain ranges over long winters and made it a long time.
The fact is, the human body with it's natural reserves (especial us fat 'Mericans) can survive with meager sustenance for up to a year. It doesn't matter what personality you are, if you are smart and resourceful, you will find a way to get calories and water in most any situation.
It comes down to establsihing those routines, excercising discipline, foreward thinkging, and shrewdness. If you know you cannot survive forever in your current situation with your current skillset, but are limited in what you can do in the Intermediate Stage, then you have to bide your time and durvive, all while being ready to strike when the iron is hot. How many times have we seen this happen in history: a person survives long enough to make a move, but is too weak, too injured, or otherwise incapable of making the required move? All that time. We've all heard stories of people dying in the desert one dune short of the oasis. Or dying in the wilderness hours before help found them. Sure, sometimes there isn't much that could have been done...right?
I contest that there is always a way to do it. When you are dying and think to yourself...if only I would have saved that 1 sip of water from a month ago....or ......If i would have broken down and eaten beetles, maybe I could have stuck it out for just 1 more day....is that justification? Not for me.
With all of these personalities, you must identify that you are on your own and you must take care of yourself (and family, if applicable). You must treat every decision a vitally important and take nothing for granted.
So, while we say that any personality can survive any situation for the first year...it's important to know that fighting against the current is always a loosing battle. You can fight for awhile, but the river always has more energy than you. So, when the time presents itself, you should get out of dodge.
Of course, I want to point out that we talked about this in the first two stages...namely, that a prudent person sees the end coming and goes directly to the environment in which he or she is best suited. We haven't talked much about it, but here is the truth:
Of the 3 different personalities listed, Exactly ZERO of them have a long-term chance at survival past 1 year. I know, I know. You are asking yourself..."so why are you writing about each one". Well, simply put, you must adapt to 1 (or a combination of) these 3 for that first year. Then...it's just another evolutionary step.
But...
Scavenging for life over a year isn't feasible. Why? Because it only takes a small injury or dry spell to keep you from eating. That's a bad thing. Plus, the exposure to the elements (both nature and forces of evil) while scavenging pretty much assures that you will eventually meet something meaner than yourself. Hey, if you are outside all day everyday...your gonna get sunburned, right? Jeremiah Mountain Man is very similar. It takes one tree falling on you. Or falling into a hornets nest. And that's it. Anyone who has ever worked on a farm will tell you that an accident is a part of life. Doomsday dwellers are a little different because they are almost assured that they will be ok as long as Again, if you are supplies holds out. But, what then? Chances are, they will be out of shape and practice when they emerge from their bunker. What if they have no skills to speak of, other than spending their money on a fancy shelter?
And that's why we said there were 5 Stages of Preparedness. That's right. Just like the other milestones, survival in the next Stage is a different animal. You have done what you needed to do. Now, you most continue to adapt.
Check back soon!
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