I was deliberate in including the word “relatively” in the title of this article because surviving chaotic, dangerous times is never a cake walk. And, as the trend lines are showing, there is real danger ahead.
There is risk for all of us, and this applies not only for the urban survivor, but also for the person who, when the balloon goes up, is able to skedaddle to a “retreat” somewhere in God’s country.
A roving band of armed looters who come upon a well-hidden retreat instantly can make a very insecure place out of that which quite possibly was, only hours before, a seeming paradise.
You can’t be guaranteed everything will be as you hope it will, regardless of how long and hard you’ve worked to make it so. My wish is this fact makes you careful and cautious, and that it prompts your tenacity to reach a peak; all of this so by facing the harsh realities of survival in an urban setting, you are able to best prepare for those realities.
And, as we see it in the headlines, violence and crime in those settings is on the rise. The challenge, however, is far from being hopeless or futile. Those who insist that only those with a bug-out bag crammed with weapons, survival supplies, and other gear, who are ready to hightail it to the hills will be able to survive are dead wrong.
Long-term urban survival, even under some of the worst conditions, is a possibility – so take heart, and without demanding that perfect answers be found, satisfy yourself with the realistic solutions I intend to provide for you.
There are two main ways to protect yourself from being robbed:
- become a “hard” target,
- make yourself appear to be an “uninteresting” target.
For Hard” Targets: For those I would term to be hard targets, be equipped with unarmed and armed combat skills. Hard targets always carry a gun (perhaps even a knife as well), and move about in a state of alertness and preparedness to react instantly to aggression. They are mentally conditioned for combat, acquire the warrior’s mindset and combat spirit. They are ready, willing, and able to meet force with greater, overwhelming force of their own… and be willing to employ that force fullbore, with not a tremor of hesitation, until any who threaten your life and welfare no longer have the capacity or the will to be a further threat.
If possible, travel about with similarly skilled, armed, and equipped individuals who you can trust and who trust you, and with whom you have taken an oath to defend each other with the full, organized capacity of your group, no matter what.
Appear to be an “Uninteresting” Target: The other way, is to be so uninteresting and apparently without anything to plunder or pirate – i.e. without even middle class means – that anyone looking to victimize someone to rob, passes you over as hardly carrying enough money for coffee and a sandwich.
The way you dress suggests that you are one of those who is just getting by (no jewelry, expensive watch, or conspicuously expensive clothing.
To be “uniteresting,” if you drive then drive a vehicle that is superbly maintained inside, but that appears on the outside to be worth very little.
Never allude, when speaking with anyone but intimates and your dearest, most trusted friends, to any wealth, supplies, weapons, utilitarian goods, medicines, good clothing for severe winter weather conditions, survival foods, etc. that you and your family possess. Speak as little as possible to people you do not know, but always be exceedingly polite and considerate when and if you do speak. Commiserate with others.
The “uninteresting” don’t argue or offer opinions; just complain in kind with them, or simply listen to their complaints, and agree with them about how awful their hardships are.
One excellent idea for the “uninteresting” is to purchase a durable bicycle. It should be rugged, not beautiful. Use it whenever feasible. People who use an old bicycle to get around are normally not affluent). And whenever you’re out and about, and it is possible to do so, you want to project the appearance of a “fellow sufferer” to those around you who will be (trust me!) angry, resentful, and dangerously envious and jealous of anyone who has it better than they do.
Count on people who, under good conditions might have some semblance of civility and regard for the person and property of others, becoming potential predators when they cannot make ends meet, are frustrated, tired, hungry, out of work, possibly unable to make the rent payment, and who have just had their unemployment payments run out becoming a genuine threat – to you and to your family. YES – I mean it. YES – it can “really happen here” (wherever “here” is, for you). The history of the world does not encourage confidence in our species. I love how Gerald Celente puts it: “When people lose everything, and have nothing left to lose, they lose it!” They sure do. (Or should I say, after observing events as they transpire: They sure will?)
Now . . . which of those two strategies is the one I want you to adopt, because it is the most effective and successful?
SURPRISE! You need both!
- You want to be physically, tactically, technically, and mentally prepared. While doing every reasonable thing to avoid trouble or even mild conflict with others, you absolutely must be ready to deal with outright extreme violence from dangerous, possibly desperate individuals when the whistle blows, and your city becomes a truly hazardous place.
You and your family must possess the means of self-defense just in case. Without combat skills and weapons, and extreme situational awareness and cautions, all you can do is cope so long as no one takes an aggressive step against you. You will be at the mercy of the first gutter-monkey who decides that he can improve his condition by preying upon you if you lack the ability to resist and prevail against serious violent intervention.
- You want to become super-aware of keeping a low profile and being what we spoke of in a previous article, a “gray man”. Difficult times, when many are suffering hardship, is not the time to flaunt your comfortable situation, wealth, security and well- being, and a reasonably good quality of life, amidst a population of people, most of whom are not doing too well, to say the least.
Your total readiness to deal with any threat in a competent, decisive, and effective way does not mean that you want the opportunity to exercise such potential! However, it must be there in reserve, while at the same time you employ every available means to live healthfully, quietly, anonymously, safely, and successfully. Only the most stupid regard urban survival as little more than becoming “the toughest kid on the block”.
Wisdom, experience, and history dictates that the most successful survivors during hard, even brutal times, are those whom no one cares to bother or challenge. The uninteresting person… the guy who “also has it tough”… the fellow who nevertheless always manages a friendly word and a smile, and who “understands”, is not a likely target of looting and predation, and resentful violence. It is only to be prepared for unfortunate eventualities, should they come to him and to his family, that prompts his rigorous preparations to meet and defeat it, never any eagerness to “throw down”.
And of course, before you engage a weapon or attack, engage your heart, your soul and your brain.
by Bradley J. Steiner