Originally Posted by
dmcmanus
Sorry I have replied three times in a row but this situation is something I give more thought to then anything in regards to disaster planning, and so I have a lot to say.
I have thought along the same lines as you, and you are right, looting would result in other people not getting their meds, especially in a situation with a med like insulin that needs to be kept cool, has a very short shelf life, and most likely is only kept in small sellable supply at any pharmacy.
But there are a few realities that need to also be considered. The biggest is that if Katrina or the LA riots are proof of anything it is that humans can very quickly devolve into a "Might is Right" system of governance. The actual term for it is Mobeaucracy, a system of government that is dictated by mob mentality and that is commonly seen in riots, or directly after societal collapse. A pharmacy is a location that contains intoxicants. Intoxicants = Power. Pharmacies will be hit hard, and fast, and since the average idiot doesn't know what they are looking for, they are just going to grab shit and figure it out later. That insulin is going to either be kicked to the floor, spoil with a lack of power, or be heaped into a bag with everything else. Heart Medication? All that is is a pill that looks like every other pill, and will be heaped into a pile too.
Next we have the reality of a SHTF situation, and how without government humans are just another animal on the planet. Society exists for the benefit of it's contributers. Government is an organic concept that grows while groups of people's populations increase, and thus their needs. Government acts as a way to offer protection, infrastructure, ext. This also results in comfort, and a lack of humans having to rely on their own abilities to survive. The simple reality of a SHTF situation is that people will die, especially in a complete collapse. Lots of people.
Philosophically my fiance and I are well aware of the fact that she lives the life she does because of society, and its benefits. Her life expectancy will be greatly reduced without her medicine, and that is the cold hard truth of living in a natural world. The natural world exists because of the law of Survival of the Fittest (evolution), society alters that law. We can't however ignore it if society were to collapse. Therefore, accepting the fact that "fit" individuals will loot the pharmacy anyway and most likely do it for nefarious means, and the fact that the cold hard truth of someone that can't do is that they aren't "fit" enough to accept reality, I have no issue looting a pharmacy.
Now if someone was looting the pharmacy at the same time and just wanted medicine for their family, would I shoot them and take everything? Hell no. Would I take more then what my fiance needs to live as long as possible? Hell no. Would I take all the insulin? Probably not simply because I am not going to take something others may need only to have it go bad because I took to much of it.
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