Do You Have Enough Fear: You Must Have Fear to Survive
In today’s world like it or not, you have to prepare for, and fear the reactions of others to survive a crisis. For example, people practice defensive driving, they are prepared to overcome, and survive the mistakes of other drivers. You see someone talking on a cell phone while driving and you get ready to react because the driver may drift into your lane.
You have to look out for others to keep them from becoming a threat to you. Regardless of the situation, there will always be others, for whatever reason that will be a danger to you, you must prepare for this. People will become a danger because of incompetence, fear, greed and so on and you will have to deal with the situation.
You are on the lookout for people because you fear someone running a red light, braking out of panic, or swerving to miss another driver and the list of fears goes on. You have to account for the mistakes and reactions of others to survive. You may be able to survive the effects of the darkness but can your family, can your friends, are you ready for this?
Being afraid of the darkness thousands of years ago was a survival instinct. Early humans had a healthily respect for the darkness, because danger lurked everywhere. Humans cannot see in the dark, and nature intended it that way, because supposedly humans had superior intelligence, they could overcome the lack of night vision. Humans learned how to avoid the dangers by building shelters, and gathering in groups.
People did not venture far from the fire, because they would soon become a meal for some predator. The group as a whole could not afford to lose a productive member so it was not just about the individual, each hunter and forager had a responsibility to the group, and individuals that hid during the night helped the entire group to survive. Assets have to be protected for a society to survive.
In today’s world, the darkness is vanquished for the most part, but it can go dark in an instant. Those that are fearless of the darkness will not survive long because there will be dangers that you will not be able to see when the lights go out, dangers you may not be used to. You have to adapt and become afraid of the darkness once again to survive.
The Affects
Children will have a difficult time coping. They will long for their friends, gadgets and games and find it very restrictive to be inside once the sun goes down. Parents may not know what to do nor have the time to help.
Spouses or partners may react differently than you. Some will be in denial and will insist on living as if there is nothing wrong and there lies the dangers. Some will not be able to cope at all and depression will set in. Television and phones are gone, stores are closed, friends are gone or they have become a burden. To survive when the lights go out you need more than material things.
You may be thinking that you have enough candles and batteries, propane and oil for lights, but soon you will realize that these items are the new currency and not to be squandered. You will soon adapt and learn to do all of your tasks in the daytime hours, and candles are only to be used in dire emergencies at night because they are the only currency you have. Fuel for fires that light up the night will become scarce because everyone will be harvesting wood, it is a renewable energy source, but trees do not grow back overnight.
Your friends may have a hard time dealing with the situation, they can become a burden, and then they become dangerous. Humans are programmed to seek others but unlike thousands of years ago, people today do not have the same instincts.
People today may not think in terms of their contribution to the group. Some may instead want to know what the group can do for them, and this is when they become a threat to the group or to you as an individual. If you rely on them and they fail in their responsibilities then you too will fail.
People will refuse to see the dangers and will venture out into the night because they have been conditioned by modern technology.
Thousands of years ago, humans gathered in community shelters at night, protection in numbers and survival traits, such as a fear of the dark, were passed down to the next generation. What survival instincts have been passed down to you, not fear of the darkness you can be assured of that. You are used to flipping a switch, turning on the headlights, factories work around the clock because of technology. Lights are everywhere. You are never in complete darkness, but it is just a matter of time.
You Have to Prepare for the Way Society Will React
Whether you venture out into the darkness or not does not mean others will not. In the beginning, everyone will be out, because panicked people will be seeking answers. People will be foraging, even hunting possibly but soon the sensible ones will learn to seek shelter at night. Some however, will use the darkness as cover for their acts.
In the beginning, while society is still reeling from the crisis, only those with ill intent will be out after the sun goes down, and this, in its own way, is how you will learn to survive. Over time, you will learn that anyone coming to your door in the darkness is a threat, no guesswork, no hesitation, those out after dark are a threat.
Hesitation and not knowing the enemy is what gets people killed. Once society settles in after the crisis there will be more defined rules that naturally are put into place, and one of those rules is no wandering around in the dark, because you will be considered a threat.
Your body will adapt, and once again, you will be ruled by the rising and setting sun. You will literally go to bed when the sun goes down and awake when it rises. In the winter, you may find yourself sleeping for a few hours and then rising late, for a quick meal and back to bed because of longer periods of darkness. You will adapt to natures’ cycles, and if you do not, you have reduced your chances for surviving.