What to do if the world ends? (Black Men and Survival)

 

This weekend I watched an excellent News Expose by VICE called “A World in Disarray” (Link Here). It’s a special report aimed at showing you those regions in the world that could spark WWIII and how the U.S. is involved. Needless to say we are close to serious conflict on many fronts and shit could pop off at any moment.

What you also see in this documentary is the extreme loss of civilian life during these conflicts. You see cities and families destroyed and it made me realize something…

… If WWIII were to pop off and the conflict lands on U.S. soil I would have ZERO idea what to do. I haven’t the slighted idea how to survive during a war. I would be just as hapless as those Rwandan/Sudanese/Syrian refugee. And I would also be relying solely on the government/military to survive.

I don’t like that and you shouldn’t either.

I also came to the realization that as a whole folk don’t have the skills to survive in a post war world. What if there was a nuclear war? What if your state was besieged? What if half the population died in a year from a Virus and civilization as we know it ends?

Yeah I don’t know if id survive either. All of the skills I have are mostly only useful in a modern society where conflict doesn’t exist on the level of the Middle East for example. I imagine that most of us don’t have those old world skills of survival and that’s a problem.

Here are things you need to know in order to survive if the world ends:

Step 1: Take Everything into Consideration

1. Know the area.Is it safe for you move into a different territory? Does it have fallout shelters or reliable sources of supplies? Of course, planning ahead can be most reliable because if a person knows everything about a place, it can be an advantage point. The following are the two common environments of survival, urban and rural. Both are discussed in the following steps.

2. Be aware that urban cultures prove very difficult living conditions during prewar, wartime, and postwar times.The huge population living in a city can’t always run from war. Sickness, disease, low supplies, and no food or water make conditions terrible to live in. However, there is an advantage to being in an urban area; empty homes and buildings provide concealment and cover, and they can hold large camps for soldiers or civilians caught up in the violence. You can also build anything from materials found or recycled from homes, which can protect a city or build more camps when the area is under siege. Disadvantages include:

  • Panic is obviously an issue, and while ridiculous and unorganized, it happens. (Applies to early hours.).
  • There may be hundreds, possibly millions, of dead people; this presents a problem for health, and it smells too. (Applies all the time.).
  • The place is a magnet for survivors. (Applies after things have settled down.)
  • The debris left behind is a recipe for a very noisy day. (Applies after things have settled down.)
  • Looters are everywhere. (Applies all the time.)

3. Know what to expect in a rural environment. This is where food is made, raw materials are produced, military bases are built, and the greatest weapon mankind has made, nukes, are in the rural zone, one of the most safest places you can be (for a while). The low density makes it ideal for survival, but the skill and knowledge that people know in the rural zone makes it difficult for urban survivors, unless, you can match that. The advantages include:

  • Food is produced here, thus allowing a source of food. (Applies depending on conditions).
  • Bombs have very low chance of hitting here, unless a nuclear silo is present. (Applies rarely, depending on conditions.)
  • The raw materials are usually produced here. (Applies depending on conditions.)
  • Somebody is bound to know some sort of skill that aids survival. (Applies depending on area present.)

4. Be aware of the disadvantages of the rural situation too. These includes:

  • Living near a nuclear silo. (Just get out of there.)
  • Looters that may or may not have experience on the rural zone. (Applies depending on conditions.)
  • An ideal place for any sort of survivor. (Applies all the time.)

5. Consider the population. The population, or pop. for short, is an important factor. Start studying the people who live in your area. Are they psychopaths? Kleptomaniacs? Survivalists? Extremists? Whatever they may be, learning the nature of the people is important. You never know if they have some sort of skill you don’t know or maybe they have a history of something that can be potentially lethal.

6. Plan things out. History shows that a well thought out plan often has success. Through demonstrations, it is proven true. It holds true to this day. So start planning for the incoming war(s). Take in everything in consideration. The following are examples:

  • The resource is abundant in the pre-war phase, so you need to take this while you still can. Find as many people you trust as you can.
  • So little can be found in the war zone. You need as many supplies as possible to survive, but don’t focus on just gathering supplies; focus on finding a reliable source of supply production too.
  • Somebody needs to have a skill on something, otherwise the group can’t survive enough.
Stars and stripes on gun

Step 2: Arming Up

Good, now for some reason(s), your area is fit for survival. You need to start hiring somebody to get started. This section will help you benefit from early preparations.

Start hiring. You need people to help you survive a war. Sometimes you need someone who has a survival skill you need.

1. Adopt brand new skills. Skills that can give you invaluable survival abilities are very important. The following recommended list of skills are useful to learn:

  • For Home: Maintenance, management, first aid and construction.
  • For fighting others: Gun knowledge, close range experience, and tactics mastery.

2. Get your weapons. A weapon is essential for the war. Remember these words: Simple weapons are better than paramilitary weapons.

3. Be aware! Anything can happen, for example: Russia and U.S. have territorial disputes over the Antarctic Ocean. Even the tiniest thing can trigger a World Wide War that spans over Europe.

 

Step 3: What to do in The War

The war has just begun and you have successfully managed to put together a team of survivalists. Now, but the question is: Do you have what it takes to survive?

1. Get out of the way. The war begins, shots and screams fill the air, and death begins raining upon all like arrows shooting down to Leonidas and the 300 Spartans. The first hours of chaos shall be marked with mass looting and shooting. The best way to escape such madness is following Survival Rule 3 and eventually, you would be V.I.S. of chaos.

2. Survive! Surviving the first hours is just the beginning, the real chaos ensues when the enemy versus your country begins, and there is almost no telling if the war will end until then, survival is a must.

  • Form alliances. Whether friends, family or enemies, forming alliances will help your survival, they will help you in times of need and you must help them in times of need.
  • Keep in contact with your guys. Your country will do as much as possible to help you, and your team when they occupy the area. Take as many resources with you before they are pushed back by the enemy.
  • It is the most riskiest attempt to gather resources, it is the most likely way of you getting killed by a man/woman/child and worst of all, it can put your head on a “Wanted” poster.
  • Resistance against the enemy. The most likely way to be killed by a machine gunner of your enemy. Resistance can be deadly if you’re living in an area occupied by the enemy.

Step 4: After the War

You survived. The war has been won or lost, either way, it is the best time for you to start a new life somewhere. The aim of this section is to restore your sanity, and help you survive in a brand new harsh terrain.

1. Make sure of it.Is the enemy really gone at all? Before you raise your hopes up, try checking it first. Many people who thought the war was over often were met with death. So try to check first.

2. Restore your sanity. Restore it by doing things you did before the war. Such as reading a book you liked before the war started, limiting your stress, having some fun with the surviving members of your group, having alone time and overall, having some fun. Anything that can help you calm your nerves after long fought war.

3. Make your decision. Although you may have survived, it is not yet over. Like WW2, some soldiers of your country or your enemies are still combating the survivors (For example, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_holdout) on the destroyed terrain. You need to choose whether to stay and fight or run and hide. You could consider the benefits and problems that might/may occur but it’s your decision, and you must choose one.

  1. Make your plan, again. Depending on your choice, a plan is required to pull your action to battles. Just be careful. You’re not the only veteran.
  2. You did it! You survived the war! Rejoice! A war of a magnitude this large may never happen again, or will it?

Courtesy of Wikihow – How to Survive a War

 

Do Black Men Have PTSD?

Image result for PTSD and black men

If you are a black man over 30 and have grown up poor there is a strong chance that you have PTSD.

Dont believe me? Check this out…

PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a mental health condition that’s triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.

Most people who go through traumatic events may have temporary difficulty adjusting and coping, but with time and good self-care, they usually get better. If the symptoms get worse, last for months or even years, and interfere with your day-to-day functioning, you may have PTSD.

Here is a graphic that shows some of the events that may cause PTSD:

I don’t know about you but I have definitely suffered the effects from #3 and #4 on the list. And with all due respect to the soldiers out there I think I’ve suffered from #2 (combat exposure) as well.

Everything on this list is common in the hood.

I mean have been attacked, shot at, seen a murder, seen violence on almost every level you can think of. I know a lot of us share that experience. Everybody that I grew up with grew up in a dysfunctional household in a city filled with dysfunction. The dysfunction had become so normalized you have zero idea that the rest of America doesn’t live that way.

In order to survive these experiences a lot of us have developed these Hyper Masculine personas as a defense mechanism. We were taught that if you weren’t an Alpha then you are pussy!

Although we have survived those traumatic events and dysfunction but the effects still linger. There were things we had to do to survive and habits that we have picked up that are not very healthy.

  • For instance we all LOVE to root for the bad guy. Probably because we can relate to them (shared struggle) and our mistrust for law enforcement.
  • We don’t treat our women the best because we grew up around ratchets and rarely saw men treat them right.
  • We have carried with us archaic methods of raising our children when we know it didn’t work on most of the people we grew up with. Including ourselves!
  • We never got good at reading because we were to worried about the shooters, family members, the neighborhood bully, eating, etc… So that when we are finally get out of that environment we are far behind our counterparts
  • We never could afford nice clothes, gadgets, cars, etc.. and now that’s what we spend all of our money on.

Those are not the only effects our PTSD has on us. See graphic below:

But it is not all doom and gloom. Those who are able to recognize the trauma that they dealt with and can take the positives from their experiences and forgive and forget the past transgressions come out with the strength and determination to be great.

I always say there is not much I could go through that would trump the shit i have dealt with in the past. So now when I meet a moment of adversity i am completely un-bothered . Because of my trauma I have become adaptable, altruistic and empathetic. All valuable tools you need to become the BOSS we all like to tell ourselves we are.

This interview of Jeezy on Everyday Struggle typifies what a better black man does once he has overcome his trauma. Salute to Jeezy for being a better black man!

Do not let your past hold you from your future

Are you ready to be a better man? Fuck with me then!

#Bebetterthanthem

Black Men and Education (Bad Teachers)

This post in particular is for my YOUNG BOYS out there currently in school (Shouts out to SoLLUMINATI).

A common complaint I hear from our young boys that are struggling in school is that they are getting a bad grade in a class because the teacher is bad. They’d say, “I don’t understand what Ms. Smith is saying”, “Ms. Johnson doesn’t know what she is talking about” or my favorite; “Nobody else is passing either” (shout out to Mr. Barkers Airport Management Class).

I remember my young self-saying a lot of those same things in Mrs. Dupuy’s Spanish class (Yo no Hablo espanol). And I also remember at a young age to stop using that as an excuse for failure and that there just might also be other reasons why I couldn’t follow what was going on in those Spanish classes.

You see I know there are definitely some bad teachers out there, but most aren’t. I know for certain each and every one of those non bad teachers out there want every single one of their students to succeed. But no matter how good any teacher is someone will fall through the cracks. And that’s why teachers are taught to create lesson plans designed to make sure that those students down the middle make it through (my opinion, argue with me!). And those students at the top and the bottom have to figure something else out.

I was probably a higher level student. But I was failing Spanish class. My typical last-minute studying wasn’t working for a language class. This failure lead me to research learning styles. And as soon as I realized what my learning style was I never failed another class. I want you to do that same exercise and learn what you need to know to ensure YOU never fail again. Here is a list of the Seven Learning Styles:

The Seven Learning Styles (For more information on each individual learning style, click the styles name)

  • Visual: You prefer using pictures, images, and spatial understanding.👁👁
  • Auditory: You prefer using sound and music.🎧🎤
  • Verbal: You prefer using words, both in speech and writing.🗣✍🏿
  • Physical : You prefer using your body, hands and sense of touch.👏🏾👋🏿
  • Logical: You prefer using logic, reasoning and systems. 🤔🤔🤔
  • Social: You prefer to learn in groups or with other people.👦🏾👨🏾👦🏿👩🏿👧🏿
  • Solitary: You prefer to work alone and use self-study.👦🏿

(It’s likely that your own personal way of learning is a combination of a few of those above, so focus on which one describes your strongest attributes)

My learning style is Solitary. I would study alone the night before an exam and get an A with no problems. So I never needed a teacher to adjust to me. If your learning style is something else you may need your teacher to change-up how they relay the information to you.

My advice with that is for you to just be straight with them. Tell them that you researched learning styles and that your learning style is “fill in the blank here”. After that a GOOD teacher will do their best to adjust for you. A BAD teacher wont.

Having said that anyone interested in being a better black man will always look to help oneself. And once you understand your learning style you should be able to help yourself with just a little bit more work. Here are a few ways you can do that :

Like anything in life nothing comes from knowledge without the work! Even if you know your learning style succeeding isn’t guaranteed. But I have faith that you will do what you need to do to be better.

Are you ready to be a better man? Fuck with me then!

#Bebetterthanthem