Tragically, it's the result of being uninformed and unprepared, and when the excrement hits the circular air mechanism, it results for the unprepared in becoming unplugged -- like Joe Stack and Terry Hoskins.
But
Terry and Joe are only two cases in point. Apparently, the United States
government (not Patrick Jane or Allison DuBois) is anticipating many more such
incidents. In December, 2008, the Phoenix
Business Journal reported in a story entitled "Arizona
Police Say They Are Prepared As War College Warns Military Must Prep For
Unrest; IMF Warns of Economic Riots" that "a new
report by the U.S. Army War College talks about the possibility of Pentagon
resources and troops being used should the economic crisis lead to civil
unrest, such as protests against businesses and government or runs on
beleaguered banks."
Concurrently, Military.Com cited another part of the report which stated that "Widespread civil violence inside the United States would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities ... to defend basic domestic order and human security, likewise in the case of 'unforeseen economic collapse,' 'pervasive public health emergencies,' and 'catastrophic natural and human disasters,' among other possible crises."
Fortunately, many individuals and families have awakened to the reality that what our species is confronting is nothing less than the total collapse of industrial civilization and the end of the world as we have known it. They are coming to understand that the collapse is a process, not an event, and that some aspects of it will be slow and grinding, while other aspects will be sudden, catastrophic, and traumatic. And very importantly, they are becoming prepared.
But how does one "prepare", and what is preparation anyway?
In my experience, there are three aspects. The first concerns individual and family self-sufficiency which relates to things like learning to grow one's own food, learning to store and preserve food, understanding and utilizing permaculture design principles in all aspects of life; deeply evaluating one's living situation and assessing where the most sustainable living venue might be; completely extricating oneself from the debt/credit system; learning natural, holistic healing techniques and wild, edible plant foraging skills. These are only a few of the most basic forms of logistical preparation.
And please note, this is not about becoming a camo-clad survivalist with years of food and water stored underground and protected by an arsenal of weapons. In fact, the reality of our predicament is that the lone survivalist/"apocalypse man" is precariously at risk because survival demands cooperation and coordination.
Therefore, the second aspect of preparation relates to neighborhood and community cooperation, and I believe that the Transition Handbook and Transition movement worldwide offer the most practical, sensible, and feasible model for creating local resilience and self-sufficiency. Those who are skeptical of community preparation often argue that a burgeoning police state will not allow such communities to exist let alone thrive. What they tend to overlook are the realities of energy depletion and economic unraveling which are likely to seriously curtail the functioning of all levels of law enforcement worldwide.
Finally, but in my opinion, most fundamental, is emotional and spiritual preparation for the unprecedented changes which have already begun and which will continue and intensify for many decades to come. It is perhaps the best hedge against becoming "unplugged" in the face of mindboggling chaos and transition. For this reason I published in 2009 Sacred Demise: Walking The Spiritual Path of Industrial Civilization's Collapse-- a poetic manual of emotional and spiritual preparation for navigating the daunting challenges of our uncertain future.
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