Paradise Lost?

[Reagans Rascals]

Hypothetical and Tin Foil Warning:

What do you consider to be the "canary in the coal mine"? Essentially, what event or action would you view as the point of no return in the collapse of society and breakdown of all basic laws and governing structures?

When would you abandon all civility and morality imposed by societal constructs and simply transition into complete survival mode?

I guess what I am attempting to ask is, in a severe SHTF situation, at what point or event would you stop being nice, and start doing what needs to be done?

This could be, perhaps taking an aircraft from the local airport (being a pilot myself) and leaving for better ground, or it could be taking food or supplies (by force if necessary). As in a Walking Dead type scenario, how long would you wait and what would make you ultimately flip the switch?

What event do you view as indication of paradise lost?
Multiple NBC attacks, World-wide contagion, zombie outbreak, or etc. occurs and so at which point do you abandon hope for stabilization and control and begin your own journey?

Personally for me, it would be the collapse of the public broadcast systems (emergency bands, TV and Radio), the closure of public transit and air traffic. In addition to wide scale CONUS military mobilization.

What do you view as the turning point?

[glocktogo]

Must we?

[R.P.]

I'll play.
1.Total economic collapse
2. massive riots in our large cities that will make Greece look like a picnic.
3. DHS checkpoints around our large cities to not let anyone in or out.

#3 is already put in place and being implemented in some areas in preparation for the unfortunate inevitability of #1 and #2.

I can envision something like Katrina and the Superdome in every major population center in the country.

Also, a massive CME or EMP would really suck and would spiral us down the toilet as quick as you can snap your fingers.

[Kfgk14]

Well, I don't go into complete survival mode until someone is coming to get me, I.e. looters make a siege of my home, death threats against me written in sheep's blood or something. That's when I get into my food stores, sleep in full battle rattle if at all, Indian shutters and blackout curtains, etc. This could happen in a regular, non-TEOTWAWKI situation (have fun getting to my house, rioters). If the economy is slumping, the stations aren't pumping, and the grid is shutting down, I'm increasingly arming up. This doesn't mean I don't talk to my neighbors, go to work when possible, etc. I'll likely transition into an under-the-table, grey-market trade (using gunsmithing knowledge, gardening skills, hunting/fishing/trapping and gear stores as a source of income). Thankfully, my area as a whole is rather well-prepared. We're all armed (me better than the rest), we're all skilled, and in a vital step, we're all on solar or private hydroelectric (totally custom job, not me) power with battery banks and such. There are sixteen (SIXTEEN) Tacoma's in driveways within 15 minutes of me, I know all the owners personally, they're all prepping. We have professional welders, machinists working out of their shops, former auto mechanics, one retired (but very capable) plumber, and an electrician in the area, as well as two budding blacksmiths (an independent high school study project, they're doing some great work in a short time learning).
So, to put a long story short, I think my community would go into a survival mode, but not in the sense that we'd all be cooped up in our homes, waiting for Armageddon.

[Moose-Knuckle]

"The calm before the storm. . . "

IMHO paradise has already been lost. . .

We are on the precipice of some calamity as I type this. What it will be, who knows? The important part is we know something is coming.

Geo-political change brought about by a myriad of economic collapse, war, totalitarian control, et al.

[The_War_Wagon]

Der Kommissar Obamassar's re-election?

[kywndg]

The answer is quite simple really.

The re-election of Barack Obama.

[camoman]

Just in....breaking news.... today President Obama makes history again by appointing himself President for life....just kidding...but I wouldn't put it past any of these crooks that we call our leaders.

[PA PATRIOT]

I would say a massive CME or EMP that puts out the lights long term.

The cities would explode with looting and violence which I think would start in the poor urban areas and spread as far as they could travel on foot.

The further out you live from such dense population centers the better off one would be.

As for going primal I highly doubt it as I deem turning to the dark side of the force as a failure of who I am and how I have lived my life.

Once mankind turns down that road I highly doubt a U-Turn would ever be possible.

[Reagans Rascals]

I would say a massive CME or EMP that puts out the lights long term.

The cities would explode with looting and violence which I think would start in the poor urban areas and spread as far as they could travel on foot.

The further out you live from such dense population centers the better off one would be.

As for going primal I highly doubt it as I deem turning to the dark side of the force as a failure of who I am and how I have lived my life.

Once mankind turns down that road I highly doubt a U-Turn would ever be possible.

While I do somewhat agree, if you and your family are part of those unfortunates to have survived the culminating event, and there was truly no return, you wouldn't resort to force to ensure your and your families survival?

I find it hard to believe that most on this forum have stated they would never resort to this type of thing, taking things by force if need be, when in reality, we all know the answer to that question.

If it comes down to a stranger, or your family, the stranger is a goner... try as you might to argue against it, in hopes of ethical and moral conduct, but we all know deep inside how events would transpire in those times.

I'm simply asking, what event would signal the point of no return for you personally. What global event would you view as the world as we know it is gone, there is no law, and there never will be again. The point at which those tough decisions, to take something you need by force or die, start to emerge.