Climate change, global warming, global conflict, natural disasters and the threat of economic collapse and natural pandemics (bird flu, SARS etc) - is it any wonder there is a thriving survivalist subculture hell-bent on surviving the end of the world?
Your average survivalist is probably degree-educated, married, earning $50k or more and, naturally enough, pessimistic about the state of the world - that’s according to a 2001 survey undertaken by Queensland www.aussurvivalist.com website owner John Monico.
Most survivalists are understandably publicity shy, so that’s about as much information as you could hope to glean from people who protect their privacy as ardently as they do their ‘preps’ - that’s preparations to those not in
the know.
The preps are in anticipation of TEOTWAWKI - The End Of The World As We Know It - and with so many possibilities, your average serious survivalist has quite a stash of rice, powdered milk and potatoes. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Australian survivalists aren’t to be confused with the militia outfits of the United States who favour camouflage dress and the right to
bear arms.
Although it’s true that many survivalists Down Under are keen hunters or ex-military types, but they by no means appear to be in the majority.
So what do survivalists do in Australia?
They don’t just take stock of their larders, they monitor the world around them - their neighbourhoods, cities/towns, states, countries. They make contingency plans and constantly ask themselves “what if”.
US academic Rich Mitchell, author of Dancing at Armageddon, speculates that survivalists are creative people reacting to what he calls a ‘Planet Microsoft’ world where modern advances have in many ways left human beings feeling ‘useless’.
“Survivalists are more and less than you might think. They are more common and diverse than often depicted in the popular press. During my years of research, I met survivalist lawyers as well as loggers, movie executives and physicians as well as manual laborers,” he said.
Mitchell paints a picture of independent-minded problem solvers who enjoy tackling real-life puzzles.
“The modern survivalist is a throwback to a lost era of independence,” writes US survivalist Meg Raven on her website www.ssrsi.org.
“The true survivalist is nothing more than an individual, family, or group who believe that self-reliance equates with security.”
True enough that 100 years ago, under that broad definition, pretty much everyone was a survivalist.
They had to be, particularly if they were carving out a living on the land with a family.
However, surfing various survivalist forums it appears most survivalists are, in reality, urbanites who dream of ideal micro communities (usually involving partners and extended family and friends) living on 100-acres retreats.
‘Sally’, a seasoned Australian survivalist who doesn’t want to use her real name, largely agrees. Her family has been stocking up on supplies for several years in anticipation of a catastrophic event.
She hasn’t had to tap into her stockpile often, but says having her own ‘food bank’ has already helped in lean times.
“It’s literally been a lifesaver a couple of times when we over-reached ourselves financially and battled with the mortgage. We’ve been a lot of things, but we’ve never been cold or hungry.”
So what does she think will happen?
“My money’s on a pandemic - we’re overdue for something like that. We haven’t had an event like that since the influenza epidemic of 1918.
“A friend of mine reckons it will be something climate change-related - which could include a weather-related natural disaster like flooding, severe storms or drought. Another friend believes there’ll be an economic collapse during 2008 - he’s been busy buying and burying gold, and growing his own tobacco so that he’ll have something to trade when the banks shut.”
Sally’s family live in a large city but soon hope to downsize to a small town and live on a five-acre block: “That’s a manageable size for us to grow our own food, and it’s cheaper living outside the city. We want to get off the ‘me me me’ treadmill and have quality of life.”
‘Jeff’ doesn’t want to be lumped in with the stereotypical weirdos and fringe-dwellers either - he’s a married father of two whose partner is quite sceptical of his survivalist outlook.
However, he’s undeterred by her views.
“We’re living in a golden age right now in western civilisation, we’ve never had it better, but it just can’t last,” he said.
“Food prices are on the rise, interest rates are climbing too high too fast, forcing people into bankruptcy…our hospitals are struggling…
“I’m worried about having adequate food, water and medical supplies in the event of a disaster…hell, even the Government these days is telling everyone to prepare ‘go bags’ to tide them over in the event of a terrorist attack. Australia’s carefree golden days are over.”
Jeff says he’s not flush with cash, but what little he does have he channels into paying his mortgage and stocking additional supplies - he accompanies his wife on fortnightly shops and makes sure they always buy more than what they need.
“A few extra cans here and there…you don’t notice the outlay when you acquire items gradually,” he says. “We have enough for the family for six months at present.”
The family also keeps chickens for eggs and meat. “The price of eggs is just astronomic right now, about $5 for a dozen, there’s no way I’m paying that” he says.
Modern-day survivalists love to ‘skill up’, and the finding and sharing of knowledge online is a primary past time when they’re not tending to their preps.
Websites have sprung up all over the Internet dedicated to survival in all its forms - building temporary shelters or full-blown retreats, storing or caching food (some survivalists favour an off-site cache of food and goods in the event they cannot return to their home), and dealing with illness and serious injury.
Not every survivalist is solely motivated by nuts and bolts scenarios - many believe religion has a big role to play in any ‘end of world’ scenario.
These ‘Armageddon’ subscribers (Armageddon is the Hebrew name for the place where the last great battle will be fought, according to the Bible) believe the powers of good and evil will soon battle it out for the fate of the human race - in reality, the Bible mentions a location of the same name near Jerusalem where, it is written, two human armies will fight it out as Christ returns.
With Palestine-Israel tensions at an all-time high, some believe Armageddon isn’t too far away.
One of the best-prepared religious groups is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, who place a great deal of emphasis on food storage.
Their scripture advises ‘Organize yourselves, prepare every needful thing’… ‘if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear’.
To get a taste of Mormon preparedness, visit www.providentliving.org.
With climate change and global warming both in the news, it seems more people are sitting up and taking notice of the world around them.
An article in The Weekend Australian magazine (18/11/06) profiled several Australians taking action.
One man, Adelaide aircraft engineer Steve McReady, went so far as to sell his multiple investment properties and relocate to New Zealand, a country that fares well in climate change models.
While preparations on that scale would be beyond the grasp of most Australians, survivalists advocate long-term planning so that you and yours can survive whatever the next 10 years (or 12 months) throw at us.
And forget those ‘back to the land’ fantasies - survivalists find the idea that some think they could just ‘live off the land’ in times of crisis highly amusing.
“Live on what? Unless you have the skills, you’ll have Buckleys,” says Sally, whose father was a skilled bushmen.
“You’re better off preparing sensibly than jostling for space with every other Joe Blow who thinks he can make a meal with a rifle. Entertaining fantasies like that helps no one.”
Theories on TEOTWAWKI (The end of the world as we know it)
Climate change
Scientists say we’ve got 10 years to sort out the planet’s woes before the serious shit hits the fan - rising sea levels, a possible drop or increase in rainfall by as much as 20 per cent, and future challenges for farmers growing crops.
Natural disaster
Cyclones, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, flooding, earthquakes, fires - choose your poison. Each incident has the capability to strain our communal resources and undermine social order.
Natural pandemic
Think bird flu, SARS, the dreaded influenza and any other contagious disease that could possibly mutate and spread with dire consequences, crippling the population and the economy.
Nuclear Fallout
Seems less likely as some of the other scenarios shaping up to possibly do us all in, but there are always fingers hovering near the big red button in the US, UK, Russia, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea, China and possibly Iran, Syria and Israel.
Economic collapse
We’re spending like there’s no tomorrow - maybe we’re more prescient about our situation than some might think. If the economy collapses, war and famine can’t be too far behind. Pack your rice!
Asteroid impact
Not too much you can do about this one. We may be hit by a big rock in 2014, but nothing’s certain. The impact could result in a massive tsunami threatening Australia’s east coast.