Basic essentials will be in high-demand in a post-apocalyptic SHTF scenario, which is one of the reasons that being in a position to barter effectively is so important. However, people who have a skill that is in demand, or if they can prove to be useful and resilient will give them a greater chance of not only surviving, but thriving as well.
I remember reading a story about a man who was able to carve out a nice little niche for himself following an apocalyptic event. He built a cabin, grew small garden, improvised a decent early-warning security system, and he was able to scavenge up an array of tools and gear that made it possible for him to live relatively-well despite the circumstances. He also knew how to defend himself, engage all of his senses and maintain a high level of situational awareness. In other words, he adapted and learned how to thrive.
Relational Convenience
However, all of that changed when a mother and her teenage daughter passed through and asked him to put them up for the night. That was the start of a relationship that would last until the adults were killed as the plot unfolded. It was a mutually-beneficial relationship that was borne out of necessity as well as convenience, but there was never any real trust or friendship that was formed either.
In fact, once the homestead was in a place where the mom and daughter could make it on their own, they planned on killing the man and taking over all that he worked so hard to create. However, they decided to put it off because he was “useful”, and he could do things that would make life easier for them. Imagine that, the single thing that keeps you alive is your usefulness.
The Useful Survive
Even under the best of circumstances, society takes a dim view on those who don’t make a meaningful contribution. The sick, elderly, unemployable or addicts are just a few categories of people who are protected by the government from those who would want to either eliminate or take advantage of them if they had the chance.
Now, imagine what life would be like when those protections are not in place, and people are forced to compete for limited resources. The first victims would be those who are a drain on others, and this may be difficult to think about or accept, but this is the grim reality of living in a post-SHTF world.
It follows one of the fundamental rules of nature that only the strongest survive. While we’ve been insulated from this reality due to our national wealth and advanced stage of development, once that goes away, those who survive will be forced to revert to a more-primitive form of existence.
Soul Searching
If you were ever in that kind of situation, would you really be able to sustain yourself while also making a positive contribution to whatever society emerges? Would you be able to deter someone from taking your life solely based on your ability to fulfill a need or provide some kind of service? Even if your life isn’t on the line, the quality of the life that you have may be dependent on your level of usefulness and little else.
Most preppers focus on doing the right things in order to have options post-collapse, and this is important. However, the same could be said of many of the others who survived as well. Consequently, it is possible that we may enter into a brutally-competitive age where self-interest and self-preservation are pursued with lethal determination.
While we hope that things will never get so bad that people resort to these extremes, it is entirely possible that it can happen, because it’s happened before. Take some time to let this sink in, and really do some soul-searching to see how well you could adapt to this new way of life.
