Posted: 12/15/2012 10:38:58 AM EDT
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In The Shadow Of A Crow :
The Dark Side Of Being Prepared There have been a lot of discussions on the topic of what we will need when the grid goes down. There are numerous thesis on how to be best prepared for the end of civilization as we know it. In this text, I will not be discussing which shoes will hit the trail running, which gun will give the smallest groups, or what knife will chop the competition. There are a thousand articles, on a thousand products, that "could" save your life. Here the "could" is the dirtiest c-word I know. Innumerable scenarios and answers to never asked questions mire the mind. This leaves us lost in the wilderness of not knowing and it is easy to become trapped in the quest for a material answer. In this lawless chaos, our problems won't stem from our lack of material objects. There will be piles of objects to pick through when society falls. The cold hard truth is that to prepare for what's to come you must strip down to necessity, not build up to convenience. After all convenience and the quest for convenience may very well bring the end. This preparedness must be morally, socially, and mentally. You must decide what it is to be alive, and what will you be willing to do to make sure you remain alive. I am alive. I will require certain resources to retain that life. Air, shelter, water, food. It sounds simple enough, but after a cataclysmic event these things become scarce especially in an urban sprawl. The ability to become adaptable will trump preparedness in most cases. The ones willing to do anything to obtain and subsequently retain resources will survive. All others will most likely fall victim to kindness, or compassion, or circumstance. A mental state of survival. A killer instinct is going to be what we need to be prepared. The average person can quickly adapt to physical struggle but the moral struggle will be a difficult adaptation. Yet "survival at all cost" is what rules the natural world and the world to be. One needs to look no further than nature to understand what an immense struggle it is to survive. A reality where the weak fall and the strong survive. Where perseverance is needed to struggle again tomorrow. It plays out the world over ,and no living thing is immune. The old adage, "kill or be killed", is the core of our condition. The strong will dominate the weak in a dance as old as time, where the fallen are forgotten as soon as hunger creeps back in. In the quest for survival, what can remain of morality, charity, compassion, or humanity? The lust for living or the fear of dying, may be the only things that drive you forward, and keeps you focused. That majestic bird of prey circling above, looking for it's next meal. An honest act, killing for survival, taking only what it requires to live. This imagery stirs emotions in us, so much that these predators have become regal symbols of freedom and kingdoms alike. Unfortunately, very few of us are so lucky as to be a top tier predator. Age, gender, and health bring real world challenges and real world shortcomings. These cannot be corrected fully by gear. Our own morals and sense of good may be a hindrance to us. If you envision a fall of humanity that is just and wholesome, I pray for you. I pray that you may be taken quickly and with honor. Justice and morality are traits punished by nature. Swiftly and harshly, the powerful of the world will fall upon the kind. The hawk gives no warning shot to the hare, it only pounces and carries it off. So what can be done? Where will our skill meet our will to survive? Let us forget about the pomp of the mighty eagle and focus instead on the lowly crow. A miscreant, a thief, and a bringer of bad tidings. The crow is hated as a pest and considered a bad omen almost the world over. A crow doesn't have a mighty arsenal, yet it eats everyday. A crow doesn't command your respect, but it might steal your supper. A creature of great intelligence and curiosity ,the crow succeeds where others fail. In the life of a crow, opportunity and resourcefulness rule the day. Why take prey when those calories can be scavenged? Why toil in the field when those calories can be liberated? The study of the natural world is a far deeper subject than I may approach here. The characteristics of the crow are not exclusive, nor are they admirable. But they get the job done. I have been recently diagnosed with A.S. which basically is two long words that mean my spine is fusing together greatly limiting my mobility. It is a genetic disease and probably began progressing in my teens. I always thought that I was a wimp or couldn't hack certain physical stresses. In my late twenties to early thirties I became focused on physical activity, and I was sure that I could "work through" whatever was wrong with me. I started mountain biking and was riding daily sometimes up to 15 miles. I also added daily walking and gym twice a month. My hard work, pushing myself, only destroyed my hip and shoulder joints. It is a hard slap in the face to learn your chosen path is destructive. In the end I am glad for the diagnosis. At least I know my limitations. My situation is as unique as any ones. My disease only afflicts seven percent of the population . Having a disability, no matter how small, will play a role in your ultimate survival. Don't be lulled into the security of your preparation. Very seldom will we see what life holds for us until it is upon us. Turning a disability into a check in the positive column, that is easier said than done, but that is the way of the crow. A crow, instead of camo, wears midnight black in all seasons and in the full light of the sun. It is a hard life to never be able to blend in with the background. Still the crow hammers out an existence that can only be described as success, and a story that can only be described as legend. A crow has thin weak talons compared to hawks or eagles, but that doesn't stop her from taking prey. From her high perch above she might notice the group of huddled sparrows below. In a charade, long thought out in her powerful mind, she launches and swoops towards her quarry. The full sun behind her. A black ghost casting a large black shadow. She may just cast the shadow of a predator over your little flock and watch her panicked thrashing quarry bounce off a brick wall. Only to pluck the fattest little sparrow for her supper. The crows intellect and persistence keep her belly full, her family safe, and the other predators at bay. I am truly left in amazement of the cunning of the crow. I have witnessed a murder of crows chasing a red tailed hawk on the wing and attacking a great horned owl upon it's perch. When walking through the woods it is the crow that make my presence known. All the while staying just out of my line of sight. Their mocking calls announcing to the rest of the wilderness that something approaches. It could be said that the people most prepared for a felled society are the fallen. Mostly because they didn't follow the rules of society anyway. I think someone said "freedom is having nothing to lose", and for practical purposes I agree. A thief will not hesitate to steal, a murderer will not blink an eye if he has to kill to survive. This is where survival turns dark. Throughout history, the survivors tell the tale over the picked bones of the not so fortunate. In our time as in times passed we do not listen to the lyrics of histories song. We will not be well served when we turn a blind eye to what people are capable of, or of the relative quickness in which man will resort to such acts. We all lie. Most of us lie and deceive on a daily basis. A mans word used to mean something, or so they say! If you can't tell a lie, you are going to be at a serious disadvantage. What is camouflage but a visual lie? Operational security (opsec) depends on a lie. When meeting a foe, it is best to project a false weakness. As in chess, an adversary that knows "your game" is at a distinct advantage over you. It is better to expose a false weakness and see if a predator strikes rather than project a false strength to keep him from striking. There are many discussions about moral dilemmas and the coming fall. If your convictions are to starve rather than compromise your morality, then so be it. Will your morality demand that you respect property rights in lieu of feeding yourself or your children. Will you watch another's child eat and yours starve? As for myself and most of the huddled masses, we will do what is necessary to see tomorrow. This includes taking what you have. "If you ever find yourself in a fair fight, you have already lost." I am not sure who said that, but it has stuck with me. No one looks good fighting, except the guys in a ring, and that is only because everyone in the fight has agreed to adhere to set rules. In this new age of limited recourses, fight dirty and take advantage of your surroundings. You must assess and attack weakness. With no hesitation and little to no remorse. If you are sitting on a hoard of "stuff", and you equate this hoard as a key to your survival than you may be unwilling to leave. This might be a fault that could very well lead to your demise. In all likelihood predators will start to view your preps as easy picking, a ready made life for a desperate foe that didn't prepare. This adversary most likely only fattened on the plenty of summer, and got strong, while you rationed and put up stores for the lean times. At best, this predator will thank your corpse for your prudent husbandry. Maybe you should cut the fat and prep your mind for anything that may come instead of filling your home with stacks of goods. a murder of crows...an unkindness of ravens.....a chattering of starlings Don't confuse that yard full of social black birds with the exclusive and matriarchal family of the crow. The crow has a small social unit and only the members of said unit matter . Our society has worked hard to indoctrinate us in the loving idea that all human life is equally valuable. One black dot in a chattering of dots. Be mentally prepped to throw that out the window. Your unit is valuable and all others must be viewed as expendable. Every morsel put into another bird's mouth is a morsel your unit wont get. You must make a decision as to which strategy you will take. Do you play the "safety in numbers" or do you keep your unit to only those people who you are willing to sacrifice for? Not to mention those who are willing to sacrifice for you. If you roll the dice on the numbers, here are a few things to consider. The larger the group, the more force that is needed to control the group. So at this point are you willing to be the enforcer or are you willing to be the enforced. If you are the strongest, fastest, and smartest of your large flock. By all means then get yourself some numbers and ride it out. If not, then my suggestion would be to take a lesson from the crow and issue loyalty based on the family tree. A carefully pruned family tree at that. In other words, keep it small, simple, and focused. The law of nature will reign supreme in a world with no law. You can not operate outside of nature, and nature is the only stress that will not fade. Be vigilant. Be decisive. Be instinctual. View every encounter as a threat, until proven otherwise. Take every advantage that today offers, for tomorrow may offer nil. In short, if you find yourself in the shadow of a crow, if you are tempted to flee, there may be no surviving, it may be too late. You can be sure the crow has seen you far before she has called out, and she will do what is necessary to see tomorrow. 2DARK2C |