Thou Shalt Have a Support Network

The last commandment Jason Hartman mentions is “Thou shalt have a support network”. Rugged individualism aside, your chances of surviving a crisis go up exponentially if you have taken the time to develop a network of trusted friends and allies.

Do you live in the suburbs? Do you know your neighbors? A casual “Hello” and raised hand in the morning when you meet in the driveway on your way to work doesn’t count for our purpose today. A strong community might be required to band together to protect houses, neighborhoods, and streets in the event of a crisis.

What could happen to make this necessary? Well, lots of things but a few might be a rapid increase in crime as disenfranchised citizens start missing their government check. How about a natural disaster? Remember Indonesia last December? Just like that, a tsunami rose up out of the ocean and killed tens of thousands. From accounts, the aftermath was not very organized. It doesn’t take much for a riled up crowd to decide to loot, burn, and riot.

You need to have a network of people you can depend on. This doesn’t mean you like to tip a beer with them at the Sunday afternoon ballgame, though there’s nothing wrong with that. The critical question is have they made the same judicious preparations you have? If not, you might ought to find someone else. An unprepared neighbor is going to be nothing but a noose around your neck during hard times.

The Holistic Survival Team