@PacificNic are there any prepper channels with a "here's what you and some friends can prepare so your community can survive x/y/z disaster" rather than a "here's how you can make sure you're the only one left alive" pitch? I'm sure there are folks doing that kind of preparation and some will be actually good at it or have seen first hand what works/doesn't, and that seems like information worth sharing
One, there is a massive emphasis on community and mutual aid. Whenever I plant veggies or raise animals, 20% goes to the local community, for example. Seeds are shared freely through the local seed library. We all go in on bulk orders on supplies so everyone saves, etc.
Also, while what we do absolutely prepares for disasters, we are currently doing it now to supplement (and ultimately replace reliance upon) capitalism. So free food, free water, free tools, free education, etc.
No need to wait for disaster and prep for it. We can make our lives better right now.
@sleepfreeparent - So I started with the local library and the community gardens. You might also look into local food pantries and similar as well.
The library is the best place to start. They have a lot of groups that will use their space, so you can get a feel for what is already built.
Pick an area you want to dive into. I picked food. But you can pick education, power generation, housing, really whatever. Then find the people that ARE ALREADY DOING the work and learn from them.
It's rare that you'll have to reinvent the wheel or build something from scratch.
From there you'll be able to see where you can contribute. Do you help projects that are already going? Do you start something that intersects with a couple of projects, finding efficiencies in connecting multiple groups? Etc., et al.
You'll probably find that community and mutual resiliency already exists around you, you just need to join them and make them stronger.
Let me know if you need any help finding groups, I can look around your area with you. Let me know if you have any questions as to what projects exist. Tell me what you're interested in and I can try and point out things that might align with your goals, expertise, and/or dopamine zones :P
I went through a phase of checking out what preppers are about, and routinely, the entire conceit is built around being the last one standing in a situation most people who ever lived prior to 'The Fall' they're prepping for would probably just kill themselves to get out of because it's so ludicrously awful and desolate. It takes a particular kind of antisocial to make it an identarian thing in the way most of them do.
I also went through a phase of peeking in on sheepdoggers and it's a similar but different engagement, around being an important surviving individual that provides some kind of psyche nourishment even if it's total farce in application and inflection.
But yeah, I am super keen on this from the 'how can a community weather disaster together' POV that isn't necessarily in lock step with State disaster planning, but at least aware enough of it to find the place to be in the capacities overlooked or unaccounted for in what The State says its gonna do when shit hits the fan.
@davep@ciggysmokebringer@sleepfreeparent It's hard for us COVID cautious people, though. How do you build community when there's nobody else who masks? I still can't come up with any answers.
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