The Here and Now, by Mark M.

Like
many
of
you,
I’ve
read
many
articles
on
what
to
do
when
the
SHTF
or

TEOTWAWKI.
With
the
fear
being
put
out
by
the
media
and
politicians
regarding
Covid,
many
people
who
had
never
heard
of
prepping,
survivalists,
or
even
the
acronym
SHTF,
are
now
getting
quickly
up
to
date.

For
all
the
articles
out
there,
once
you
sort
the
wheat
from
the
chaff,
there
are
usually
some
great
pieces
of
advice
regarding
what
to
do
when
the
SHTF,
what
to
include
in
prepping,
building
a
bugout
plan,
etc.
But,
what
about

the
here
and
now?
The
time
before
everything
goes
south.
What
can
you
do?
As
it
turns
out,
there
is
a
lot
of
things
that
you
can
do,
but
will
you
choose
to
do
them?
Remember
that
at
the
end
of
the
day,

your
life
is
in

your
hands.

Where
Am
I?

Let
me
be
perfectly
clear.
Where
you
live
is
as
important
as
breathing.
Don’t
think
so?
Let’s
review
history.
During
the
end
of
World
War
2,
when
the
United
States,
Canada,
Britain,
and
the
Soviet
Union
invaded
Germany,
the
country
was
divided
between
them.
Yes,
it’s
a
very
generalization
of
a
complex
subject,
but
the
end
result
was
West
Germany,
East
Germany,
and
a
wall
between
them.
While
those
in
West
Germany
found
economic
freedom,
those
in
East
Germany
found
suppression
and
communism.
While
no
one
in
Germany
at
the
time
could
have
predicted
those
outcomes,
it
is
an
excellent
historical
example
of
the
importance
of
choosing
where
one
lives.

Looking
at
the
years
2019,
2020,
and
2021,
we
find
current
times
not
only
showing
but
upholding
this
idea.
Democrat-controlled
cities
were
allowed
to
riot,
burn,
loot,
and
pillage.
Police
departments
in
Democrat
cities
were
defunded
and
crime
spiked.
Rioters
were
allowed
to
take
over
portions
of
cities
and
businesses
were
either
shut
down
or
severely
interrupted.
If
you
were
that
business
owner,
then
that
was
your
livelihood.
If
you
lived
there,
you
found
yourself
wondering
if
you
would
survive.
In
2020,
a
retired
St.
Louis
police
captain
was
shot
and
killed
by
looters.

The
response
to
Covid
has
also
been
an
extreme
example
of
why
where
one
lives
is
as
important
as
oxygen.
If
you
had
loved
ones
in
nursing
homes
in
the
New
York
City
area,
they
were
given
far
different
treatment
than
those
in
Florida.
Even
now,
the
treatments
remain
different.

You
have
to
treat
where
you
live
as
important
as
Oxygen.
It
matters
greatly.
No
Oxygen,
no
life.
The
here
and
now
is
the
time
to
start
taking
stock
of
where
you
are
living
and
determining
if
it’s
somewhere
that
will
remain

free.

How
do
you
start
making
that
decision?
Start
taking
things
in
stages
and
break
them
down.
Are
you
in
a
city
controlled
by
Democrats?
This
is
not
a
political
article.
It’s
reality.
Every
major
city
controlled
by
Democrats
is
not
a
place
of

freedom.
Is
it
a
city
controlled
by
a
Globalist
Republican?
If
so,
then
they’re
going
to
be
just
as
bad.
Failed
policies
from
both
sides
of
the
political
spectrum
can
be
found
in
many
places.
If
you’re
in
one
of
these
cities,
are
you
truly
going
to
remain

free?
How
many
died
in
the
NYC
area
from
failed
Covid
policies?
How
many
in
East
Germany
died
from
or
were
opressed
by
communism?
Start
making
the
changes
to
allow
a
move
to
a
place
that
is

free.

Not
in
the
city?
Are
you
in
an
area
with
draconian
lockdowns
from
those
in
charge?
School
boards
teaching
things
that
have
no
place
in
the
education
system?
Unfortunately,
these
can
be
found
in
many
places.
The
choice
here
is
a
bit
tougher.
Do
you
stay
and
fight
to
make
it
freer,
or
do
you
move?
Do
you
know
the
community?
Is
there
a
group
standing
up
for
Freedom
already?
Are
the
people
in
charge
popular,
even
with
the
draconian
policies?
Take
stock
of
the
area,
the
people,
the
groups,
those
in
charge,
and
then
make
a
decision
to
stay
or
move.

Moving
Isn’t
Easy

It
isn’t
an
easy
thing
to
move,
especially
for
families.
To
compound
things
even
more,
if
you’re
in
a
city
and
have
managed
to
adapt
to
the
lockdowns
and
riots,
then
you
might
think
you’re
going
to
be
safe.
You’ve
made
it
through
the
worst.
Maybe
that’s
true.
Until
the
violence
comes
to
your
area.
Or
those
in
charge
decree
that
you
must
have
a
vaccine
passport,
or
some
sort
of
electronic
passport,
to
shop
and
live.

The
Cons
to
moving
to
a
place
that’s
free?
You
have
to
move.
It’s
a
big
commitment
that
takes
time,
money,
and
energy.
It’s
not
something
to
decide
lightly,
but
it
is
something
that
should
be
seen
as
a
critical
decision.

The
Pros
to
moving
to
a
place
that’s
free?
Freedom.
Less
worry.
Less
stress.

Here’s
a
link
to
an
article
about
a
family
that
made
the
move.
It’s
a
quick
read
but
worth
it
to
see
the
perspective
from
someone
who
moved.

Family,
Friends,
and
Community

Stop
looking
at
when
the
SHTF
as
being
a
solo
endeavor.
Survival
is
rarely
ever
a
solo
situation.
In
fact,
if
you’re
alone
when
the
SHTF
or
TEOTWAWKI
happens,
then
your
odds
of
survival
go
down.
If
you
don’t
have
to
go
it
alone,
then
don’t.
Try
to
keep
close
family
together.
Keep
the
bonds
strong.
Keep
relying
on
each
other.
With
each
family
member,
you
gain
various
skills
and
abilities
that
just
one
person
won’t
have.
You
get
a
support
system.
You
get
more
eyes,
ears,
hands,
and
brains
to
work
through
the
tough
times.

If
you
are
in
a
city
and
have
decided
to
move,
where
is
your
family
located?
Are
they
in
a

free
area?
Can
you
rekindle
any
lost
connections?
Are
they
worth
rekindling?
Don’t
have
family
or
maybe
you’ve
been
estranged
far
too
long?
Do
you
have
close
friends
in
a

free
area?
Do
you
have
friends
that
would
make
the
move
with
you?
Overall,
look
for
family
or
friends
to
create
a
group
that
can
provide
reliability,
support,
and
help.
Look
out
for
each
other.
Help
each
other
out
over
the
days,
weeks,
and
months.
Does
a
neighbor
need
help
planting
a
garden?
Does
a
family
member
need
help
canning
a
bunch
of
food?
A
friend
working
on
their
vehicle?
Learn
to
rely
on
each
other.
Find
the
strengths
and
weaknesses
of
the
group.

Community

The
next
step
is
the
local
community.
These
are
people
in
the
area
where
you
live.
Get
to
know
them.
Find
out
what
they’re
like.
Learn
whether
or
not
you
can
count
on
them.
Not
count
on
them
in
a
close,
personal
manner,
but
count
on
them
to
watch
out
for
your
property
and
alert
you
if
“something
doesn’t
seem
right”
kind
of
way.
Start
building
that
kind
of
relationship.
If
you
can
build
something
stronger,
that’s
great.
Everyone
that
helps
to
look
out
for
each
other
makes
a
much
stronger
local
community
and
your
chances
of
surviving
go
up.

The
extended
community
is
the
nearest
town.
Will
they
hold
true
to
the
values
of
Freedom?
Can
you
get
involved
and
help
instill,
or
bolster
those
values?
What
are
the
Mayor,
Chief
of
Police,
and
Sheriff
like?
Once
you
have
chosen
to
move,
these
things
become
important
in
choosing
where
to
go.
Sometimes,
families
move
together
as
shown
in
the
article
that
I
cited.
Sometimes
you
may
decide
to
move
back
to
where
your
family
lives.
Just
make
sure
that
where
you
move
is
one
of
the

free
places
and
not
another
strict
non-free
area.
Does
it
require
a
bit
of
research
to
determine
all
of
these
things?
Yes.
The
whole
point
of
this
article
is
what
you
can
do
in
the
here
and
now,
rather
than
waiting
on
when
the
SHTF.

The
Cons
are
that
things
change,
people
change,
and
the
situation
with
friends,
family,
and
community
can
become
strained.
But,
then
again,
that
can
happen
anywhere.

The
Pros
are
that
if
you
build
a
bond
with
friends,
family,
and
community,
you
have
all
kinds
of
help
and
support
even
when
nothing
happens
and
the
world
stays
sane.

What
Can
I
Do?

It’s
a
great
question.
What
can
you
do?
Do
you
really
want
to
wait
for
the
SHTF
to
find
out?
What
aptitudes
do
you
have?
What
interests
do
you
have?
What
have
you
dabbled
in?
No
matter
how
old
you
are,
there
is
always
time
to
learn
something
new.

Can
you
work
on
automotive
engines?
Diesel
generators?
Welding?
Living
in
the
arctic
wilderness
with
just
a
screwdriver
and
dental
floss?
Okay,
that
last
part
was
humor.
But,
reading
some
of
the
SHTF
articles
makes
you
feel
like
you
have
to
know
some
specific
complex
skills
to
survive.
If
you
have
those
skills
already,
then
that’s
great.
But
for
most
of
us,
we
don’t
have
them.
One
easy
way
of
overcoming
deficiencies
in
what
you
can
do
is
with
friends,
family,
and
community.
If
you
have
people
in
your
support
group
that
have
a
multitude
of
skills
that’s
awesome.
But,
what
about
just
from
a
personal
perspective?
Having
a
new
skill,
or
improving
on
a
skill
can
be
a
rewarding
accomplishment.
Just
pick
something
that
interests
you
so
that
it
never
becomes
a
chore
that
you’d
rather
not
do.

For
example,
have
you
ever
tried
sewing?
It
can
be
a
relatively
simple
skill
to
pick
up.
You
also
don’t
need
a
large
expensive
sewing
machine
to
start.
You
can
pick
up
a
second-hand
one
at
a
garage
sale
or
estate
sale
or
you
can
buy
a
new
one
that’s
inexpensive.
Get
a
simple
pattern,
some
material,
and
have
some
fun.
You
don’t
have
to
make
something
perfect.
That’s
part
of
the
charm.
You
get
to
have
fun
while
learning.
If
it
didn’t
turn
out
well,
just
undo
the
seams
and
start
over.
Work
your
way
up
to
more
complex
designs.
Sewing
a
button
back
on
and
making
a
simple
T-shirt
are
relatively
easy.
They
might
not
look
great
on
the
first
few
attempts,
but
practice
makes
perfect.

How
about
a
solar
power
system?
Think
it’s
overly
complex?
Yes,
it
can
be.
But,
if
you
break
things
down
and
start
small,
then
it
can
become
an
achievable
object.
You
don’t
have
to
build
a
fully
functional
system
that
runs
a
four-bedroom,
two-bathroom
house.
Look
for
a
starter
solar
kit
in
stores.
Harbor
Freight
has
a
few.
They’re
small
and
not
too
complex.
Build
one
to
power
a
small
lamp
and
a
battery
charger.
Keep
it
simple
in
the
beginning.
Build
on
your
knowledge
as
you
get
more
comfortable
in
your
skills.

The
key
to
all
this
is
to
start
learning
something
new
by
starting
small
or
simple
to
make
sure
you
get
a
strong
step
towards
success.
Other
examples
are
cooking/canning
and
home
security
systems.
Trying
to
do
something
overly
complex
in
an
attempt
to
learn
something
new
is
just
a
recipe
for
disaster.
You
can
use
the
Internet
for
instructions,
community
college
classes,
books,
or
if
you
know
someone
that
has
the
skill,
they
might
be
happy
to
pass
on
their
knowledge.

There
are
many
skills
that
can
be
learned
in
the
here
and
now
that
will
apply
to
when
the
SHTF
or
TEOTWAWKI
comes.

The
Cons
are
that
some
skills
can
become
expensive
and
build
towards
complexity.
They
may
take
more
time,
energy,
and
money
than
someone
would
really
want
to
spend.

The
Pros
are
that
even
if
the
SHTF
doesn’t
happen,
you
will
still
have
an
interesting
hobby
that
might
give
you
some
extra
income,
no
matter
how
small.

In
conclusion,
preparing
for
when
the
SHTF
doesn’t
have
to
be
burdensome
or
useless.
You
can
accomplish
a
lot
of
things
in
the

here
and
now
that
will
not
only
make
your
life
better
but
also
add
to
your
chances
of
making
it
through
disasters.

Original Source