On being prepared
I worry about a number of scenarios that could leave us, as a society, in a world of hurt. Looking at the really recent past with things like Haiti and Chile's earthquakes as well as disasters of the near past like Katrina and 9/11 I wonder how well we could, as a society, pass through a long term disaster on a nation-wide basis. The numbers of people going to the energy events and sustainable living events isn't increasing that dramatically. THis means that there is a lot of complacency in the US. I substitute 2 to 4 days a week in a local school system and use my time to observe the kids, administrators and teachers (In addition to the teaching work, of course!). I figure that this particular group of people represent a good cross-section of our society...with the comparitively higher education of the faculty is, perhaps, skewed a bit, in favor of people that are more than peripherally of the problems of a technically complicated society. I see nothing in the way of more than minimal preparedness on the part of the teachers and their bosses...even in the way of emergency planning for the school in the event of a local disaster. The kids come to school in clothing that is completely inappropriate for even a short walk (I'm talking 5 miles or less). I can see sandals, shorts and t-shirts being worn by a fair number of kids, even in the middle of the winter! Many kids arrive without a coat and go from the comfort of their parent's car or the school bus with nothing in the way of winter layering.
Nowhere in any of the districts I go to have I seen long-term, simple survival being taught. One of the reasons I left teaching as a full-time career is frustration with the lack of practical instruction on any level. Shop class is down, in most cases, to fun little practical science experiments...no formal woodworking, plumbing, engine repair, welding and construction. Home Economics is not teaching anything 'from scratch'...it looks like the kids are taught how to use the microwave more than the stove (which is inevitably electric). "Nobody left behind" is really "Everybody dragged along". It dilutes the curricula for the smarter kids.
None of the cars, to my observation, have any kind of emergency equipment ready to go. I'm not talking about sleeping bags and food, just things like road flares and 'fix-a-flat'. I worry a bit about the 'golden hoard' , but only a bit. I think a lot of people will just sit in their homes during a long-term disaster waiting for the government to bring them a hand-out until it is too late. That, in a sad way, makes me feel a lot more secure. Anyone with a lick of sense IS already prepared or preparing and will be on an equal basis with me and ready to barter and trade, not to try to invade.
Enough ranting...contact me if you want to explore this issues further...jsjuczak@gisco.net
Let's prepare together!
posted by Woodhenge @ 7:25 AM
1 comments
1 Comments:
Another awesome post. I grew up in Florida in the 80s and it was a requirement that all 6th graders in our county go to "Nature's Classroom" (which is still open today) for a week. During that week we were taught about all the Florida wild life we might encounter, how to fish with minimal equipment, what things were edible, how to make a fire using moss (abundant in swampy Florida) and sticks, how to use a compass, and many other things. The last day we were put on small teams, taken into the woods and had all day to find our way back and feed ourselves. So we had to use all of our training from the week and we were given limited supplies (like 1 or 2 matches). I remember we used all our matches and didn't get the fire started but we were able to do the stick method so we could eat the hot dogs we'd brought from home. I remember that day well because it was tough! We got no help what's so ever and it was very challenging to work together with kids you'd never seen or met from other schools, and swamp looks like swamp everywhere. hahaha Then in high school (and they stopped doing this the year I got to high school) they used to have Disaster week where they took all the high schoolers to the beach and taught them how to save ppl from drowning, do splints and all kinds of disaster medical aid and rescue (and the kids loved it because they got to wear fake blood and be the victims too) but that was very important and doing it at the beach even more so since water related disasters are a very real issue in Florida.
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