When All Hell Breaks Loose (5 page)
Read When All Hell Breaks Loose Online
Authors: Cody Lundin
THE ANT
AND THE GRASSHOPPER"A little knowledge that acts is worth infinitely more than much knowledge that is idle."
—Kahlil Gibran
I've included this classic Aesop fable, albeit slightly modified, for reasons that should be obvious. Are you an ant, or a grasshopper? If you purchased this book, there's no doubt that you possess strong ant tendencies.
Remember, however, that you're not a true ant until you put these pages into action
.Are you an ant wannabe? Do you constantly talk about the brown stuff hitting the fan, but do little or nothing to address your talk, preferring instead to crank up your headphones and dance?
Due to the nature of my profession, I know plenty of ant wannabes. They wail and gripe about Armageddon, the Hopi Indian prophecies, the end of the Mayan calendar, the return of Jesus, Elvis, or the mother ship, Y
3
K, the New World Order, black holes, plague epidemics, depleting ozone, judgment day, earth changes, killer asteroids, and exploding, dying, or newly created suns. After they have talked at me, ant wannabes typically end their monologue with a coy look and the phrase, "Well, when the end comes, I know where I'm headed. . .haw-haw." Where they're really headed is straight into my stew pot, so I hope their unwanted visit brings them prefattened.Ant wannabes, be warned, your less-than-positive actions are contributing to the mass hysteria of the planet. Please shut up, calm down, and do something useful with your time instead of needlessly scaring others. In addition, nothing could be more obnoxiously insulting and arrogant than assuming you will be welcome to take shelter and eat the food of anyone who has bothered to prepare as they saw fit while you spewed negative words and did nothing. Helping those who have been trying to be self-reliant and found themselves caught in a tight spot by a twist of fate is another thing altogether. When the talking stops, people show you who they are and what they feel is important by where they devote their action, time, and money.
If you're a dyed-in-the-wool grasshopper, but a friendly ant gave you this book, and you're even skimming the pages herein, congratulations! You may be cultivating ant qualities, even if by the motivation of curiosity alone.
THE ANT
AND THE GRASSHOPPERIn a field one summer day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to his heart's content as he listened to his headphones. An Ant passed by, bearing with great toil a sack of whole wheat, a jar of honey, a container of powdered milk and a shaker of salt he was taking to the nest.
"Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling in that way?"
"I am helping to lay up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you do the same, bub."
"Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper. "We have plenty of food at present."
But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came, the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing the food supplies from the stores they had collected in the summer.
Then the Grasshopper knew: It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.
"It has been said that doubt and fear are the parents of all human habits, and the rest of the human habits are their children."
—Pearl Dorris
W
hat happens to you externally is only a reflection of what goes on internally, so all true self-reliance begins with you, how you relate to yourself and the others in your world. Sound too groovy? If deep down inside you think you're a schmuck, do you really expect others to view you in a different light?
Predator animals, of which humans are included, prey on the weakest of the species. In the realm of human nature, there are plenty of weaknesses to choose from. In the animal kingdom, if wolves gang up on a robust, healthy bull elk, the chances of them sustaining life-threatening injuries are high. Any injury threatens the wolves' survival, as injuries impede future successful hunts. Predators, whether animal or human, are masters at reading the body language and subtle nuances of their prey. The mugger on the street will mull you over as potential prey much the same that a lion does a gazelle. No words or sounds need be uttered. You're either a suitable target or you're not.
THE WART ON TREVOR
"If you can't convince 'em, confuse 'em."
—Harry S. Truman
At this writing, there's a lot of talk and attention given to fighting the Wart on Trevor. The more we talk about it, feeding our energy into it, the bigger the Wart seems to become. This in turn generates more fear and anxiety. Similar to the above-mentioned strategy for urban preparedness, in order for any plan to have lasting affects, we must deal with the root cause of the problem itself. Dealing with only the effect of an issue puts us into a defensive, reactionary position. It causes a situation of frustration and powerlessness. We can curse and swat at flies all day long but if we refuse to go after the cause, and clean the crap out of the corral, especially the one in our own backyard, we had better get used to swatting. One of the most successful ways to deal with the cause of a problem is to be honest with yourself and your situation.
After much prompting, Trevor eventually showed us his Wart, and for the first time, allowed us to illustrate a cross section of his Wart. While many over the years have tried dealing with the Wart itself, few have considered dealing with the root cause of the Wart on Trevor. Several have tried attacking the Wart on Trevor as the sole means of ridding it from the world but were shocked to find that instead the Wart simply diversified and grew bigger.
One of the reasons that the Wart on Trevor is so scary is that it's unpredictable, representing the
unknown
, which provides fertile ground for growing
variations
. Variations are the hallmark of all survival scenarios and can quickly bear the fruit of
fear
if left unchecked. Forrest Gump said it best, with my modification, "Survival situations are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get." This innate variation is what demands that you learn to realize, and the sooner the better, what you and your family truly need to live.
Predation doesn't simply happen on an individual level. It can happen to groups, organizations, or entire towns and nations. When individuals or events spread fear, whether it's based in reality or not, over time, this fear erodes personal power. Very rarely are practical solutions given to alleviate the fear, as very often nobody knows the true source of the fear. Doubt creeps in at first, causing one to question his or her support system and safety. Questioning can be a good thing if it leads to empowerment and action. But too many times the questioning gives way to the giving up of one's personal power. The end result is we'll do almost anything to feel safe again, including giving up personal freedoms and liberties. We willingly turn our lives over to others, giving them virtual power of attorney to do what they think is best for our welfare. Like cows in a slaughter-house, this is a very powerless and dangerous place to live.
One of the factors that will determine whether you become dinner for a predator is your ability to recognize the difference between your
needs
and your
wants
. This is true for an individual, a family, a tribe, a nation, and a world. Visit a developing nation anywhere on Earth and you'll quickly notice that human beings have very few true needs. But mess with those needs and all hell breaks loose. Knowing the needs to short- and long-term survival helps you to focus upon the non-negotiable items required for your safety. This makes the monumental (and impossible) task of trying to prepare for countless emergency scenarios manageable. After your basic needs are covered, everything else on your preparedness list is fluff.
Today's world seems to be filled with the hidden horrors of the unknown. Whether actualized or not, little is being done to educate people on what is needed to live through a crisis. When a person understands what is needed to live, this wisdom grants them full empowerment to then do something about their situation in order to help make sure that their needs are fulfilled. How they go about doing what they think is necessary is their business. Some needs are non-negotiable, such as safe water to drink, food to eat, and shelter to regulate body temperature. Other needs are specific to an individual, like certain medications or items that foster a psychological calmness or peace of mind. Winnowing your family's needs from its wants is arguably one of the most important tasks to be accomplished on your journey toward independence.