Estimated reading time: 23 minutes
Sometimes the Best Escape is No Escape.
We’ve all heard of bugging-out, but there are times when staying put and hunkering down or “bugging in” makes more sense. Bugging in means staying home but keeping a low profile. You don’t go out, you don’t shop, you don’t interact with outsiders and you stay alert… sound familiar?
Many people have adopted this lifestyle as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but people have been doing it for thousands of years.
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What Causes a Bug-In?
As with a global pandemic, there are many good reasons to step out of society for a while. Here are some of the incidents and events that have caused this lifestyle to emerge based on past precedent.
Catastrophic Manmade Disasters
Catastrophic Natural Disasters
And while there are other natural disasters from tornadoes to floods, some disasters like a wildfire could require an evacuation regardless of someone’s desire to stay home. It’s unfortunate, but if a wildfire is heading for your house, you have no choice but to abandon ship.
But most disasters affect an area with only the side effects of the actual event rather than the full force of the disaster. A tsunami may ravage coastal areas but inland areas can be without power or in the case of the Fukushima reactor incident, people can be severely threatened for hundreds of miles from radiation exposure.
Why Bug-in?
People bug-in for two fundamental reasons. They either have nowhere else to go or their current location is safer than anywhere else. And to be clear, when people actually do “bug out,” it doesn’t always mean they are escaping to a remote log cabin in the mountains or a buried compound in the desert.
Some bug outs are as simple as staying with a relative or friend who lives in an area unaffected by the disaster. But even the kindness of others can be a challenge. And in the end, there’s still no place like home.
Bug-in Realities
The mixed blessing of the current pandemic is that it has acquainted us with at least some of the realities of bugging-in. It’s a scenario where there are few of the options we have come to expect with everyday living. Things like going to the movies, a concert, large get-togethers with family and friends, even going to church, weddings, funerals, school, and work.
In a violent disaster like a civil war or nuclear incident even essential services like grocery stores, pharmacies, and gas stations may be a thing of the past. It’s also quite possible that hospitals and doctors will be overwhelmed. Some parts of the world have seen that with COVID-19, people everywhere are delaying routine medical care…