Real story not a conspiracy!

The other day I was on ATS reading threads when the power went out.
It was about 7:00pm when something happened at the local substation.
Though not uncommon and happens a couple of times per year
(I've heard and it is a bit older), I have been gone awhile and noticed
something that I hadn't really noticed before, People! Not just "The" people,
but that day I saw my local community or at least a part of it. It was as if
something deeper happened, something.... GOOD.

People started to walk outside (myself included), It was as if waking from a
nap or sleep and I saw my neighbors talking to one another, I saw cars
(Much more than usual) in the streets so I decided to drive around and see
what was going on. I was running low on smokes and decided to take a look at
a local gas station to see if they had power which they did (I guess they had a
generator or something although others did not), so I pulled in and saw people
that also had the same idea, they were buying drinks, food, snacks no panic, no
hysterics just my local community. Driving around I saw people coming out of
their homes, Neighbors leaning on fences that separate their yards talking to each
other like you sometimes see on TV.

I smelled Barbeque cooking in the air I saw children playing outside even though it
was already starting to get dark (like we used to do when I was little), I saw a father
playing basketball with his children, things I haven't seen in a long, long time. Granted
it only lasted an hour and a half two hours at most. So what does this have to do with
the Global meltdown you might ask? I think, it doesn't have to be as bad as the doom
and gloomers want it to be. If a community pulls together and were to help each other out,
plant local gardens have more farmers markets, Provide local safety and security, barter,
trade and above all.........Keep our wits about us, it wouldn't have to be that bad at all

reply to post by Mr. D


i am reminded of a story i heard when the volcano in iceland stopped air traffic
people noticed the air
it smelled clean
the air was clear
the sun set was beautiful
the world was peiceful
what your describing is our humanity
what we lost returning albeit for a short time

xploder

Exactly. This is why I've said that a temporary interruption via solar flare may not be that bad. So long as there's a way to keep those dependent on life support machines, and everything like such as, , it may not be so bad to return to older ways.

So we might lose electricity, phones, gps, etc., but we gotta remember, people lived without this stuff for thousands of years before. Of course, today's people are softened greatly because of technology, but some of us would be able to do what we still needed to do.

I would be a bit happier, to be honest, as I know I could still provide for my family, even moreso if this were to happen on a global scale. I learned the fine art of bartering on a reservation in Minnesota. . .in fact, when we were there. . .no one needed money. Money was a hinderance there.

Or things could turn out like this...







Not to be a pessimist, but you never know exactly how people are going to react when (even minor) disaster(s) strike.

Good story, though. Glad to hear things turned out pleasantly for you and not how Mr. Serling envisioned such a scenario playing out.


-TheAssoc.

Originally posted by XPLodER
reply to post by Mr. D

 

i am reminded of a story i heard when the volcano in iceland stopped air traffic
people noticed the air
it smelled clean
the air was clear
the sun set was beautiful
the world was peiceful
what your describing is our humanity
what we lost returning albeit for a short time

xploder

Yeah, peaceful. It is a feeling I have not had in a very long time. I think
it kinda took me by surprise to see how calm people really were, I thought
there would be looting (like in LA during the Rodney King episode) but no
wasn't like that. Gives me hope that if TSHTF mankind won't turn on each
other but on the truely evil ones.

Originally posted by Divine Strake
Exactly. This is why I've said that a temporary interruption via solar flare may not be that bad. So long as there's a way to keep those dependent on life support machines, and everything like such as,

, it may not be so bad to return to older ways.

So we might lose electricity, phones, gps, etc., but we gotta remember, people lived without this stuff for thousands of years before. Of course, today's people are softened greatly because of technology, but some of us would be able to do what we still needed to do.

I would be a bit happier, to be honest, as I know I could still provide for my family, even moreso if this were to happen on a global scale. I learned the fine art of bartering on a reservation in Minnesota. . .in fact, when we were there. . .no one needed money. Money was a hinderance there.

Must have been nice I can see you had a great experience there, prepared you for one of many possible
futures eh?

Your post reminds me of the movie the "Perfect Storm" when they are stuck in a nightmare of storm. They almost break out, the skies part, sunlight comes in, life is good than all of a sudden the storm returns to swallow them whole. Glad you got to see the sun again.

reply to post by Divine Strake


The process of returning to the "older ways" will kill almost 90% of the world's population, and it won't be a pretty way of dying either.

During the days when people lived the "older ways", life was brutal and short for most people. I like my 21st century lifestyle, even in stable 3rd world countries, life is much better than it was back before electricity.

Even "prepared" communities filled with extreme survivalists will struggle with armed raids, disease, drought, floods, lack of medical supplies, or whatever bad luck that always strikes. Back in the days when people lived the "older ways" life was aboriginal and most of ones waking hours were for the obtaining and protection of food. Larger communities where people had the luxury to develop philosophy or science were exceedingly rare in were located in the best strategic and fertile locations. Even these communities were dirty and disease filled and the lives of most people (except the elite) were brutish.

I like my modern society very much and I really do hope that we don't take it for granted.

reply to post by Mr. D


More or less. If S ever hits the fan. . .that's exactly where I will go. The people there really have things "together", and we've all worked together for common goals before, and to be honest, I've never been to a place that seemed more like home. Actually, we went there for work related reasons. That sort of ended before we expected it to, and we were stranded. Had it not been for two of the Rez's people, I may not even be alive now. I had never experienced temps in the -30s before, and I became very sick. My wife and I have decided that this is where we will retire.

reply to post by wutone


I see your point. . .and I have to admit that sitting here in this century typing this, it's easy to just say that those medieval times were better. . .that's just simply because I'm not experiencing them. If I were to "jump" from "this time" to then, I'd grasp the full extent of that big picture.

Originally posted by wutone
reply to post by Divine Strake

 

The process of returning to the "older ways" will kill almost 90% of the world's population, and it won't be a pretty way of dying either.

During the days when people lived the "older ways", life was brutal and short for most people. I like my 21st century lifestyle, even in stable 3rd world countries, life is much better than it was back before electricity.

Even "prepared" communities filled with extreme survivalists will struggle with armed raids, disease, drought, floods, lack of medical supplies, or whatever bad luck that always strikes. Back in the days when people lived the "older ways" life was aboriginal and most of ones waking hours were for the obtaining and protection of food. Larger communities where people had the luxury to develop philosophy or science were exceedingly rare in were located in the best strategic and fertile locations. Even these communities were dirty and disease filled and the lives of most people (except the elite) were brutish.

I like my modern society very much and I really do hope that we don't take it for granted.

Don't get me wrong, I also like the "modern world" however 90% of the modern world you
describe are slaves to others. I'd like to see a World like Star Trek or after the Empire falls
in Star Wars. If we had a society like that, now that would be a "Modern World" where our
greatest concern is trying to improve ourselves because we want to not because someone
is forcing us to do something we really don't want to do.

Imagine if we didn't have to worry about Energy, food, water, clothing, housing? What would
you all do? What would you do with so much time on your hands? If we all had the resources
and transportation we needed there would be no need to steal, kill , murder, rape or anything
else that plauges mankind now. One of the biggest problems we have now is that mankind
doesn't have any common goals as a species. We live day to day, our longest term goal
is probably individual retirements and maybe leaving something behind for our children.
(That probably applies to about 90% of the population don't you think)? How many actually
achieve those goals?

Sadly, look what happens to people who even dare THINK that way....the get ostracized,
fired from their jobs, mocked, riddiculed at best. No my friend It ain't going to happen
without a global reset of some kind and I have a feeling we are on the precipice of that
time and place. I think we might not make it without starting in caves again if we are
lucky. TPTB have the resources and technology to at least get us on that road however
they will not risk losing control of their status, at least not willingly.

I saw the same thing in 2003 when the whole northeast was blacked out. No power so I figured I'd go down to the local peir to do some fishing. Half the city was down there. My buddys deep freezer started to thaw so we bbq'd up a bunch of venisin and fed the whole neighborhood. It was like living in the stone age.Couldn't even get gas for my truck.

Originally posted by wantsome
I saw the same thing in 2003 when the whole northeast was blacked out. No power so I figured I'd go down to the local peir to do some fishing. Half the city was down there. My buddys deep freezer started to thaw so we bbq'd up a bunch of venisin and fed the whole neighborhood. It was like living in the stone age.Couldn't even get gas for my truck.

edit on 15-10-2010 by wantsome because: (no reason given)

Yeah, I like the part where you guy's shared your food with everyone else.
I believe there are more good people than bad and I think good people are
sometimes forced to bad things out of desperation. Let's see what the future
brings eh?

Originally posted by Mr. D
If a community pulls together and were to help each other out,
plant local gardens have more farmers markets, Provide local safety and security, barter,
trade and above all.........Keep our wits about us, it wouldn't have to be that bad at all

BUT, the federal government would move in quickly to shut down all of this, and they have laws made to back them up. It has to be federally controlled and taxed, anything else is seen as criminal activity, tax evasion etc.

The good old days are gone for good. While it may seem nice what you witnessed in this brief power outage, assuming that everything is going to be fine following a collapse would be wrong, especially in the long term.

Go ahead and try to create your own little barter and trade community and see what happens!

Freedom is an illusion in this country, if you think you are free, try to collectively live outside of the current system as a community, grow, raise your own food and watch the FDA shut that down, try to provide all of your own life sustaining essentials without any federal oversight and control and watch as agencies move in to shut it all down, they can even take control of the available water around you.

There is no going back now, they own you! ... Don't believe it, test the theory, I dare you.

They will not give up their control over your lives, even, and especially during an economic melt down.

But it was a nice thought.

Originally posted by Fractured.Facade

Originally posted by Mr. D
If a community pulls together and were to help each other out,
plant local gardens have more farmers markets, Provide local safety and security, barter,
trade and above all.........Keep our wits about us, it wouldn't have to be that bad at all

BUT, the federal government would move in quickly to shut down all of this, and they have laws made to back them up. It has to be federally controlled and taxed, anything else is seen as criminal activity, tax evasion etc.

The good old days are gone for good. While it may seem nice what you witnessed in this brief power outage, assuming that everything is going to be fine following a collapse would be wrong, especially in the long term.

Go ahead and try to create your own little barter and trade community and see what happens!

Freedom is an illusion in this country, if you think you are free, try to collectively live outside of the current system as a community, grow, raise your own food and watch the FDA shut that down, try to provide all of your own life sustaining essentials without any federal oversight and control and watch as agencies move in to shut it all down, they can even take control of the available water around you.

There is no going back now, they own you! ... Don't believe it, test the theory, I dare you.

They will not give up their control over your lives, even, and especially during an economic melt down.

But it was a nice thought.

There are differences between thinking, believing and knowing. I am no mans slave. I'd rather
die on my feet than live on my knees having to pray to men who claim to be gods. If my fate
is to die fighting for real freedom then so be it, I'm no stranger to that situation. I have fought
for my Country, I have already lost all of my worldly material goods for testing that very theory
you describe. Do you really think that a handful of people at the very top will control everyone
if TSHTF? Chaos, Anarchy and Murphy's law will reign and TPTB will eventually fall just like
everyone else. Problem, Reaction Solution ain't got jack on Chaos, Anarchy and Murphy's Law.
We've been here before a long time ago, we hav not learned from our mistakes and so history
is about to repeat itself without outside intervention I think, believe and know that I know nothing.

I don't think we're talking medieval times, just more like the 50's.
2nd...

reply to post by Mr. D


I know exactly what you mean like when we had the flood in UK everyone was talking helping each over it felt way so different just like it was when i was young.
Why do we always need disaster to bring people together its just amazing what happens when the power goes out.

Thanks

Originally posted by realeyes
I don't think we're talking medieval times, just more like the 50's.
2nd...

I think that from the initial "bang" we will slowly start to regress something like....
example: Year 2015+- 10% then Bang=TSHTF 1900's, mid 1800, 1700's 1600's...
if nothing is done to halt the decline of civilization, there just might be a point
of no return and we will end up in caves again. Sure there might be islands of
civilizations that might still have some forms of technology but they will be
constantly defending the onslaught of hungry masses of people trying to survive.
(If diseases don't get them first). I hope this scenerio doesn't play out like that,
that's why we all need to work together and not against each other.

reply to post by TheAssociate
is that the twilight zone?its one of my favorites,I believe the people would pull together,we are survivors, of course there would be some rogue gangs that would have to be put in their place but isn't it like that now?NO FEAR! I have faith in the people of the world.

Originally posted by mars1
reply to post by Mr. D

 

I know exactly what you mean like when we had the flood in UK everyone was talking helping each over it felt way so different just like it was when i was young.
Why do we always need disaster to bring people together its just amazing what happens when the power goes out.

Thanks

Good question, I've asked myself that before with no good answer, at least not one that makes
sense. Maybe the power is dirty, you know corrupt somehow that messes with our mind ?