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By the author of What School Should Have Taught You and The Faithful Prepper.
There’s a lot of talk within the Preppersphere about how you’re to interact with other people who are “outsiders” in a collapse type of environment. It’s the Golden Horde discussion. I want to give a bit of my two cents on some of that, particularly when it comes to diffusing heated situations. And let’s put off some of the big ticket items like an EMP or nuclear war this time and instead think about a hurricane, two-week power outage, dam rupture, or something of the like.
Let’s say one of those types of situations has happened – some type of massive natural disaster – and it has led to there being a lot of angry, hungry, desperate people around you. I don’t think this is too hard to imagine.
I don’t know if you remember this or not, but there’s a scene in James Wesley Rawles’ Patriots where two groups of people are meeting each other under these types of circumstances. Neither group knows anything about the other, they’ve both been through a lot, and neither really has much reason to trust the other.
I think this is a perfect example of what people see in disaster situations.
Consider being trapped on the interstate overnight during winter conditions. Rachel detailed how people began to get out and talk with each other. They were hungry, cold, scared, and desperate. When you combine all of this together, you have a powder keg that’s ready to explode.
People already get into fist fights on Black Friday (traditionally) because of a shortage of TVs. How will things be when there’s a shortage of food?
Because of all this, I think that one of the best things you can do is to understand a thing or two about how to resolve conflict and defuse heated situations.
I can remember once watching an older friend of mine defuse what was about to become a fist fight between two other friends when I was younger. That, I think, was the defining moment when I realized, “Wow, you can actually use words to make tense situations better.”
It’s not only a vital skill in daily life, but it’s most certainly one when you’re living in an area that’s getting pummeled by looters, is filled with hungry kids and scared dads, and where there’s a lot of pent-up anger.
One of the best resources I’ve found that I think could help the prepper in this regard is…