Preparing for the Zombie Apocalypse

As anyone who knows me knows, I have been fascinated by the Zombie genre of books and movies [mostly books, because the movies have by and large been crap....still hoping for World War Z to be screen-written]. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I use the term Zombie Apocalypse as a catch-all for any catastrophic breakdown of society.

Unfortunately for my paranoia, I'm increasingly convinced that such a break down will occur in my lifetime. Whether it will come from civil strife, economic collapse or the walking undead is anyone's guess....but our foundation of society is appearing more tenuous with each passing day. Now, I'm not off the deep end with this paranoia as many are; I can't really be termed a "prepper" in the true sense, but I like to think I do what I can to maintain a modicum of self sufficiency should the fabric of our society come asunder.

I stock enough food and water to last a couple of months with rationing; I own firearms and continue to acquire ammunition; I try and find ways to provide for energy requirements should the power grid fail; and most importantly, I like to know the capabilities of my neighbors.

I am fortunate enough to live in a small, somewhat off the beaten path neighborhood in a small town, near a vast forested region rife with game and fresh water. I have neighbors who try to be as self sufficient as myself with varying intensity. I have a neighbor who is also my family physician. In short, I am better off than most should it come to the worst. But what about you? Take a simple inventory of your standing should the power fail, or government support collapse, or a natural or man-made catastrophe occur.

Do you have any food and water stocked? Medicine? What about those items people tend to take for granted like toilet paper or feminine hygiene products? Are you capable of defending yourself? Can you count on banding together with any neighbors or family for protection and resource sharing? Can you produce heat or power to cook and stay clean?

Something else to consider is a bug-out plan. Although I fantasize of escaping to Costa Rica and living like a king, the truth is that if society collapses, it will be sudden and dramatic. Flight canceled. We do however, live within walking distance to an enormous National Park, where one could literally lose themselves in; so I suppose Big Meadows is far more likely than Costa Rica for me.

Finally, I see a sad shift in society today, one that I suppose should be inevitable, given the leaps in technology and our reliance on it. Skills. No, not Skillz Napoleon. Skills. Can you hunt or fish? Make anything with your hands? Handy around the house? Know your way around a toolbox? If not......please don't come knocking on my door unless you're laden with beer, coffee or are able to restock my ammo supply. Too many people today are analysts, or traders, or agents, or in sales. There's nothing wrong with that per se, but if you have no useful skills outside of the contemporary job marketplace, what are you going to do if the shit hits the fan? I joke about the fat and out-of-shape being valuable because the Zombies are going to eat them first....and we can use them as bait....but the general premise applies in reality. If you cannot make any attempt at taking care of yourself, you are going to be reduced to being a leech [I do make an exception for swimsuit models of course...morale is always a consideration].

Just some random musings....if we don't become a police state, we're bound to become a failed state. Call me a pessimist, but the news isn't getting any rosier.