Originally Posted by NW Admin
I have experienced some sad things in my life. Life altering experiences. I heard stories from my grandparents about war and depression. I knew of things going bad, but I never really thought of those things happening again. I always felt like, this is the new America. We are a healthy community and things like that couldn't happen now. Let me say... my feelings are completely different now.
When 9/11 happened, it really changed how I perceived the world and the US. I realized just how vulnerable we really are. It left me feeling insecure and unsafe. Like you just never know when or where something terrible might happen that would destroy the world we rely on.
Then there was hurricane Katrina which destroyed New Orleans. I have heard storied throughout my life of horrible storms destroying communities, but in all honesty, they never really "touched" my life... so to speak. Meaning, I felt horrible those things happened, but they didn't directly effect my life at that moment. Katrina was the first natural disaster that I truly felt "touched" me and effected my life (that I can remember anyway... not sure what all may have happened when I was really little). It amazed me how a storm all the way New Orleans could so greatly effect my life in Ohio. It had sort of a shock wave effect. It hurt our economy and so it hurt Ohioans.
I remember seeing on the news that people couldn't get gas there and in nearby states because the oil supply was cut off. Everywhere else, the gas prices shot up. That really stood out in my mind. Seeing on the news where masses of people were lined up at gas stations trying to buy fuel and then being turned away because there wasn't any. Fuel prices across the US went from $2.50 per gallon, all the way up to $6 per gallon just the following day. Of course, this also effected the cost of other items such as bottled water.
People were left without homes. New Orleans was uninhabitable. There were websites where you could volunteer to offer housing and assistance to the victims. It was a scary thought to invite a stranger and their family into your home, just because there are so many criminals out there. But I did sign up anyway. Others I know signed up and some people were just too scared to take the chance. I did get one potential phone call, but nothing came of it.
Now we are dealing with War and fuel problems. Fuel costs continue to increase while the supply continues to decrease. People are starting to steal fuel from gas stations and unsuspecting motorists. Th costs of food and supplies are increasing as well, provoking even more theft by those who either cannot afford it, or are just lazy worthless criminals.
All of these events have made me realize just how fragile our "system" is. How easilly things can rapidly fall apart. Some people say that if we were hit with more natural disasters like Katrina right now, we may not be able to recover from them. If another act of terrorism slipped through, could we recover from it?
When things get bad, the criminals come out. Survival instincts kick in and people will do whatever it takes to survive. Many people will come together and help each other, but other's will only take advantage. The sad truth of the human race is that we can be very evil and selfish.
I can promise you, that if the economy crashed and times became desparate, you better be ready to protect yourself, your family, and your property from other people. You better be prepared for the worst. People will attack you, steal from you, and try to take whatever you have that they need. The strong will survive. Those who can protect themselves will make it. Be prepared to not have access to grocery stores, gas stations, medical help, police, telephone, electricity, water, etc. Because those things can be taken away in the blink of an eye and possibly all of them at the same time depending on the situation. If you don't believe it, you better start. Hopefully that will never happen, but you just can't be sure.
I hate to say it, but I know I am not prepared. Everyone should have emergency supplies stored in a safe, accessable place. I don't have all that because I can't afford to save it all up. I am ready to protect my family if it comes down to it, but I am not armed with guns. I keep thinking that maybe we should be?
I am starting to feel like the Amish farmers have their way of living right. If the economy crashed and we lost access to fuel, groceries, electricity, etc. Not much will change for them. They will have their farm land and farm animals for food and supplies. They will have thier wells for water. They will have their horse & buggies for transportation. Those people will have what they need. Will we?
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