The Big Three and The Little Six

It struck me today during the daily commute — and on the bus of all places — that if people were going to survive the aftermath of the apocolypse during the first few weeks and months, that they would need to know, learn how to and implement some critical measures that would significantly increase their chance of surviving. In particular, if they were on group of four or more- let’s say `adult` for the sake of the article.

My thoughts intially took me into the realm of `what are the things we need that are absolutely essential to survival?` (or at least something like that). Well, I would make the assumption that most of us know the basic three things Humans need to survive virutally any hostile situation or situation in which they find themselves living in a wilderness of sorts. These three things are, what I call, The Big Three (TBT, I suppose). They are:

– Food
– Water
– Shelter

The Food part is an obvious one: you don’t want to be trudging across improptu dunes, ruined cities, fierce jungle remains and scorched wasteland without a bite to eat- assuming you can find or make something to eat, of course. Even more important is the Water part. You can live for several days without a scrap of food, but you won’t last more than three or four days at most in survival conditions without having about bottleful of water a day at the very least. Shelter is just as important as the last two and, as we Humans are Mammals, you will need somewhere to lie down in relative safety to where you decide to sleep for the night. I would look for places like small caves and buildings (above the Ground floor, mind), provided there are no hostile entities in there.

So, that’s that done. After running that through my mind and after reading some articles in a back issue of the trade magazine New Scientist, I got to thinking about a few more things that would also be needed in a post-apocolyptic situation that would significantly help to make the long days and weeks bearable and even help to cultivate a group of people, eventually into a small community of sorts.

These things would come under the name of The Little Six (TLS, I suppose. Where do I come up with these names?) and they are:

– Medicine
– Social
– Pets
– Homesteading
– Defence
– Tools

Now, Medicine makes a lot of sense, given that it is used to try and make us better when we are ill and to keep us from becoming ill/vaccinating us, so why isn’t it added on to TBT? It’s quite simple, really. We do not `need` Medicine; it’s a luxury in survival and Humans have survived millenia without it, so enough said there.

Social is an interesting one. It sounds rather obvious, but consider that it is more likely that you will be on your own in a survival situation than with others- with death, disease and even just plain personal safety if you’re that screwed. It is not just interesting but it is also significantly important and crucial — but not exactly necessary — part of survival. Having someone else with you, whether they are travelling with you, are part of your tribe or gang (whatever your group is), or even just for the company, helps to keep you content, thinking straight and, most importantly, sane. Try as much as you can to maintain regular social contact with others and even join up with others if you feel that the people you are considering to are safe enough to.

Pets sounds rather odd in this list, doesn’t it? Actually, if the history of Hummanity, our ancient ancestor’s steps in founding civilization and the film Mad Max have taught us anything, it’s that pets are a fundamment to survival in the long run. Ok, maybe I joked about a bit there, but the sentiment still stands. You have to think a little bit about this one: since it’s quite likely that we won’t find other Humans to group up with in the short-term, pets are an acceptable substititue for Humans since at least there is another Mammal tagging along with us. Also, when and if you become part of a community (most likely hunter-gatherers at first), pets like dogs and, more than not, cats are invaluable in stalking and catching prey. If you do consider having a pet, please make sure to domesticate it first, preferably from a young age.

Homesteading (Farming on a small-scale, if it helps) is an obvious one for long-term survival, considering the fact that hunter-gatherer strategies won’t work forever, especially in dense urban environments or in vast areas of wilderness. It has to be taken into account, of course, that if the apocolypse happened due to chemical or nuclear warfare, that the vital nutrients in the soil would be lost. Therefore, at first and for quite awhile, homesteading (small-scale farming) is advisable so as not to waste any resources that could be used to grow crops and possibly even raise livestock. Be aware, that anything grown from the Earth will most likely be detrimental to one’s health, due to poisons in the Earth that will not subside for hundreds of years. In short, apply Horticultural principles and `farm` in a controlled environment- even better, in a controlled environment that can be easily protected and fortified.

Defence is an obvious one for the short-term and, in the face of immediate danger, it makes a hellva lot sense to have ready. However, the difference between having a defence and having a [i]functional[/i] defence is acute. Anyone can grab a weapon out of improv and/or put a few chairs and tables in front of doors/doorways. However, that generally only works as a last resort after the havok of the apocolyptic nightmare has ended. To have a functional defence, you need to be fairly well organised. You should be able to secure vital points (beds, food stores, water, medicine, basic tools etc…), watch over your `ground` without revealing yourself to anyone out of close proximity and have a general line of defence as well as a backup in case of a successful breakthrough. Weapons are useful to have and if it comes to fighting, generally gain you the upper hand. However, constructing fortification like pallisides, pillbox-like structures, barbed wire lines, booby traps and the like work far better as they act as a deterrent, they make your grounds harder to attack and they intimidate weaker groups as well.

And last but not least, is the factor of Tools. To be more specific, Tools encompass the general utensils and hardware that enable both individuals and groups to become more efficient at everyday tasks and maintenance. They can be anything from cooking utensils and bowls and pots, to wrenches, hammers, saws and wielding torches. Each serves it’s own purpose and each must be cared for if they are to last. It is also important to growing groups that they train and hone their skills with the tools in their possession and that they learn how craft their own as accurately as possible with resources they have. It must also be remembered that any discoveries made, whether minor or major in importance, about how a specific tool or set of tools can be used should be recorded in someway, so that techniques can be developed with them.

And that is pretty much it for The Big Three and The Little Six. While this is not a completely comprehensive list and is subject to much debate, it definitely lists at least most of the topics that should be considered when trying to survive in a harsh environment and how to help advance your community along into becoming self-sufficient and strong.

Hope that helps.