In one of the mine recordings on Patreon I mentioned older member of family who still remembers times when he as a pupil weas instructed from teacher that during the lunch brake he and other pupils should go in woods and find something to eat there.
It was happening in times of great hunger here, in late 40s and early 50s.
One other interesting detail from same grandpa and same times that he mentioned to me is fact that while teacher was holding the class his rifle was hanging on wall behind him.
I asked old guy :“ What? Teacher had rifle“?
He answered to me „sure, those were unsecure and dangerous times when almost every grown up person was in military, or in some goverment militia, everyone was armed“
It was some 70-75 years back in time.
In time when there was no enough food, clean water, security, and everyone was afraid from new war and new invasion shortly after latest war ended.
Goverment was very very opressive forcing folks in villages to give their land and work to (communistic) colectives, while in the cities intelectuals were stripped from their civic rights or jailed if theey dare to speak freely.
All that was happening while danger from new war and invasion was above everyone s head.
So, 75 years later where are we?
Are we too far from finding food in woods and having rifle „on the wall“ always ready?
Full circle
I can see in last few years (since pandemic actually) up to these days that many preppers went trough their own full circle in ther lives of survival.
Trough contact with numerous preppers in person or in virtual world couple of things are clear now, things that should be clear long time ago, but it is hard to beilive into something unless you experienced it.
Things like crooked ar not prepared goverment, things like fact that your rights and freedoms might be there today and not there tomorrow , things like that all philosophies and plans go down when you punched in face.
I think by today we are all pretty sure (finally) in fact that bad things are happening, and they can happen everywhere, even in places that you took for „bastions“ of freedom or democraty.
Point is that lot of preppers are finaly realize it is all about how well you are prepared, you and you alone.
So yes, it is full circle to the start of prepping-it is about you and your preps and skills, not about help from goverment, state, freedoms, rights, democraty, free world…
It is quite sobering fact for many people, actually it is quite shocking fact for most of preppers, but once when you take it for real then it is good start for everything else.
You should took pandemic situation as a kind of trial how easily rules (or rights) can change or discontinued, and how everything that was built in relations between people can be changed very fast trough the fear and panic.
Latest events in Ukraina you should take (especially here in Europe) as a proof how far (or actually close) we all are from the fact that who had installed firewood in his home and acess to firewood become very very important.
How far we are from moment when living in apartment building in city thats is heated by gas from comodity become huge disadvantage?
Are we all by living in society where young people do not have clue to operate rifle doing huge mistake?
For me personally, full circle might be fact that I am coming back here, on this page, to write here where i started.
Shtfschool page is back.
14 Responses
I’ve been following you for a long time,and even though I have been to war and lived through crazy stuff, it’s probably nothing compared to what you’ve seen and been through. I really love many of your insights, and am always telling some of your stories to friends who are preppers/homesteaders or just worried about how bad things are getting here in the U.S., I’m glad to see that you’re back!
Thanks Steven!
Glad you are back Selco, sorry this must be feeling like bad deja vu. I think we all know we must keep moving through the issues, not stop and wait to see if gonna be OK- I don’t think it is.
Yeah, agree, we need to keep moving.
Glad to see you back, been following you at the other places you been writing in and yes fantasy zombie preparing is over (though I miss those quiet days where I could go and get a good laugh out of other preppers :). It is very serious I almost mentaly broke down myself until a YouTube channel (Prepared Homestead) had an episode about how they are trying to weaken and soften us with all the bad news, that got me back on track Had to cut some of the doom without solutions people but a lot better now. I only accept negativity here because at least it is the truth or at least judgement based on experience and not someone’s fantasies. When in doubt I always start wargaming using Selco’s type situations to figure how to prepare next. Canadian Prepper mentioned you TWICE a week or two ago in seperate shows, I hope this helps you out somehow for you are getting more and more of the recognition you deserve, just hope it does not screw with your OPSEC though 😉 Anyway I look forward to your thoughts anywhere you post as always
Great to hear from you again. Some of the mockers are now beginning to open their eyes, often a bit too late. Now we wrinkled old ladies who have grown up poor, cutting their own firewood, washing laundry by hand with water hauled from a stream, and butchering their own meat—are suddenly not the stupid expendables to be ushered into the nursing home any more LOL. God willing, we WILL survive…using our heads and our hands and our…
Hello again Wildartist, good to see you!
So glad to see you are back in action! Yes, this is very difficult time, but I feel like it happened to open as many eyes as possible, that this system we live in is very fragile, and really set up for one thing only: control. Our obedience got tested to the max with all the lockdown, testing, jabbing, firing, forcing, authoritarian display of power…God is preparing us not to be surprised or caught off guard when the next thing comes, and it is coming. I feel like spiritual prepping is super important right now. Getting right with God, finding out more about spirituality, deciding what our own moral character will be like, regardless of what happens. Thank you for your amazing insights, I love your writing style. You read like The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein. Youtube the audiobook, you will enjoy it, I have no doubt. God bless you and your family. PS: your mailing list is not active, I was hoping to get on it.
Thank you, yes aware of problem with mailing list, working on it.
Good rising to all and good rising Selco. I smile and would like to share this smile. Something told me to go and have a look at your website and blog this morning. It is good to see you are back and to connect, although you were never really gone. You inspire many and I am grateful and thankful . We never know what tomorrow brings, so let’s make sure we appreciate the people in our life and the little things that are today. The world may be in turmoil and we have to mentally be prepared, but whilst we do so, let us not forget what we are fighting for and that every day is worth living. For me it is about connections with others, like-minded individuals, continued learning and growth and the appreciation of all the little moments in life, that bring a smile to my face. I am grateful to have risen this morning, for my health, friends and family and for all the great friends I have yet to meet. Strangers have started to hug strangers ever since we were not ‘allowed’ to anymore. That surely can only be a good thing :-). Sending you all love.
good to see, you are back
History Repeats Itself
Selco, Thanks for reminding us!
Hey there, yes, we ll solve this, let me get back to you.
Sure, Selco. Thanks a lot. I will wait your return.