What if things went south, could you handle it?

[Marc St Louis]

I went through this phase 30 years ago and stocked up on most everything...still waiting for it to happen. 

It's nice to have a really big garden but most rely on gas powered machines to work it

[Fred Arnold]

I'm in the same boat. Don't know if I'll live to see it but I live on 26 acres in a partially finished 30 x 60 metal building, have a large garden, spring fed creek water, and a very small mortgage remaining.

My kids and grandkids concern me more than myself.

My computer, motor, and remaining body parts have seen their best days. I'll gladly put up with whatever comes my way without much complaint.

[Marks]

If things go south, i will probably follow.

You're supposed to go north. Zombies freeze.

Walking Dead never addresses one major thing that would stop most of that nonsense. Georgia has a bunch of them.........Flies. In a Georgia summer a Zombie wouldn't last a week. If you survive the initial surge things would slow down very quickly. The South would be the place to be. Humid and Hot. A maggots dream.

As far as prepping. I have a load of .22 ammo but thats I about it. I think I would be up a poop creek. Lets pray it don't happen.

[JacksonCash]

I would be up the creek. I can just about light a fire with flint and steel, but that's about it. I live in a small city, near much larger and more nefarious cities. I never used to really think much about this stuff, but once I got married, and now that we've got the boy on the way, I've been thinking about it a bit more. If I make it to Marshal this year, I need someone to show me some fire starting!

[PEARL DRUMS]

I will teach you the ways of the fire spindle if you make it. Pretty simple really.

[H Rhodes]

I think the whole "can we survive?" question gnaws at us because our way of life is so utterly dependant on high technology.  There is a generation of button pushing, gadget wielding, physically pitiful, brilliantly informed, know everything, lacking common sense, pampered into softness, guys who we all dread will be our protectors in our old age and weakness.  The primitive archer bunch will do fine.  What the future holds - who knows? For me, surviving has been something I have had to work hard and fight for since I was old enough to think straight and God knows, it has just been here lately that I could 'google' any answers.  I helped a car load of young strapping collegiate athletes the other day who couldn't figure out how to CHANGE A FLAT TIRE - one of them was on his smart phone looking for a youtube video.....  I shudder to think what would become of any of them if they were dumped out into a cold hard world without their technological safety nets.     

[JacksonCash]

One thing I've found in my admittedly limited professional work experience:
Being willing to spend the time to figure something out will get you far.

I've worked with a lot of people who are far more knowledgable than I am about a great many things, but who just give up if their first idea doesn't work. I think it's a fear of being wrong. As everyone here knows, being wrong is how you learn- but only if you try again.

[nclonghunter]

I think the movie Blazing Saddles has the best idea.....I'm going to do a "number 6"

[Ranasp]

Walking Dead never addresses one major thing that would stop most of that nonsense. Georgia has a bunch of them.........Flies. In a Georgia summer a Zombie wouldn't last a week. If you survive the initial surge things would slow down very quickly. The South would be the place to be. Humid and Hot. A maggots dream.

That ALWAYS bothered me, flesh rots and all sorts of things like rotting meat and make it decompose even faster.  Unless being a zombie changes the body chemistry and it repels insects or something.  For that matter, zombies "smelling" each other in Walking Dead is ridiculous too since their noses are rotting off as well.

I've read quite a few post apocalyptic novels, some of which were a "soft" slide where it was mostly money that was affected and that caused a social collapse,or an emp taking out modern technology and those seemed manageable especially since we have systems set up to keep electricity going like wind/solar/geothermal power as well as generators.  Another book I read had EVERYTHING that died turned into a zombie, even fish and birds.  That was such a depressing series I couldn't finish it, the people acted way too realistically in it. 

As for me?  Well I rely on vision correction to see so if I lost those I'd have a bad handicap.  I know if things went belly up a few years ago, several family members would be dead since modern medicine was the only thing that saved them.  (dad had a stroke where the artery behind his eye collapsed, doctors put a stent in to pop it back open via an artery in his leg and as soon as it was in he could talk and move around almost as well as before the stroke).

[H Rhodes]

I think the movie Blazing Saddles has the best idea.....I'm going to do a "number 6"

    You got me!  Best laugh I have had all day.

[Urufu_Shinjiro]

Ranasp, whats the name of the book where EVERYTHING turned into a zombie, I need this in my life...lol.

[Ranasp]

The first book is "The Rising" by Brian Keene, but like I said it's brutal.  I could barely handle the first one and had to stop reading the series because it was just too much, and I've been watching horror movies since I was a kid so I've got some resistance built up.    I'd get it from the library and see if it's your speed.

[Urufu_Shinjiro]

Have you read The Road? That one got me pretty good, just the bleak hopelessness of that world, there was no survival no matter your skills...