Armageddon Ethics

When in a disaster situation, people become ghosts of their former selves, especially in regard to their ethics. Formerly decent men and women will go to the edge of humanity, even crossing it if the situation calls for it. Think of nature. When a bear cub is in danger, the mother will do anything to protect her child, even risking her life for the safety of her child. Not only mothers act this way under stress. After hurricane Katrina hit, people did crazy things just to get food and water, looting even though looters could legally be shot on sight. The limits people will go to under enormous amounts of stress to survive cannot be predicted. As a result, one wishing to survive or even thrive in such a situation must be prepared to deal with people who have abandoned normal ethical functioning. They will have no regard for your safety, and possibly not even their own. Violence very well may be necessary, but all the confidence in the world will not do a lick of good if you are unable to act to protect yourself and your loved ones, as well as the items essential to your survival, such as your shelter and food. Getting to a mental state where you are ok with injuring another person temporarily or permanently is definitely a personal choice, but it is vital to survival in disaster situations, where there are very few alternatives. Connecting with this week's post, next week's will talk about very basic self-defense that is useful in every day life, not just extreme situations.