You Should Avoid Having This On Your Property, Unless…

Charles Bukowski famously said: “Don’t try”.

He felt so strongly about it that the phrase is engraved on his tombstone.

In one of his most famous poems, Bukowski said that unless you are prepared to go all the way, you should not even take the first step.

But, if you start, go all the way, no matter the cost.

What does this have to do with the current article? There is a shared sentiment here. One that cuts to the heart of the matter.

In this article, we will deal with a few controversial items. Things that I feel that, unless you are willing to exploit or protect these items, at all cost, you should not bother keeping them at all.

Firearms and Ammunition

When I was real young, I used to go walk in the veld. I liked taking a pocket knife and walking stick with me. My grandfather once asked me what I intend to do with the stick and knife. All kinds of answers were given, including one where I claimed that it was for protection. He just chuckled at that one and said that I should be wary of carrying anything that could be used as a weapon against me.

Unless, I know how to use my weapons, and am prepared to use them.

So what does this have to do with firearms?

The history of the world has taught us that sophisticated weaponry gives people or countries exceptional advantages in warfare. The Spanish conquistadors in South America are an example. In his book, Guns, Germs and Steel, Jared Diamond sets out how these factors changed the fates of human societies.

If you are a well-armed individual, you will be a target in an SHTF world. The reason is, that the bad guys will know where to go looking for firearms and ammunition when they run out. And I seriously doubt that they will come with a trade offer. Most likely, you will be lucky to get out of the deal alive.

The other thing about being well-armed is that you are a threat. I know this sounds pacifist and pathetic, and to the gung-ho amongst you, this will seem absurd. However, I do want to point out that history has a few interesting lessons to teach.

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Firstly, the world scuttle refers to sinking your armada, lest your warships fall into the hands of enemies. So the concept of arming your enemies is neither new nor unrealistic.

Secondly, many surveys have been done to see how many soldiers fire their weapons in times of war. This link is to one done on the Vietnam War. 70% of soldiers don’t pull the trigger. There are also some stats on the number of soldiers who join the army but fully expect never to have to fire a shot at an enemy. This and other studies lead General S.L.A Marshal to conclude, broadly that:

“The American, he concluded, comes ‘from a civilization in which aggression, connected with the taking of life, is prohibited and unacceptable… The fear of aggression has been expressed to him so strongly and absorbed by him so deeply and pervadingly — practically with his mother’s milk — that it is part of the normal man’s emotional make-up. This is his great handicap when he enters combat. It stays his trigger finger even though he is hardly conscious that it is a restraint upon him.”

So the rule is this: Unless you are pretty sure about where you fall, don’t stockpile weapons and arm your enemies or become a target. Those weapons will not be used against you only, but other innocent people.

Horses

Horses are great animals. They revolutionized agriculture. Cavalry horses revolutionized warfare and they have been providing transport for humans for thousands of years.

But, horses eat a lot. Horses injure people who do not know their way around them. Their diets are more complicated than cattle, or they lose condition. A friend once said that the thing with horses is that they bite in the front, kick in the back and are uncomfortable in the middle.

I have kept horses almost all my life and have just laughed at articles and people saying horses eat slightly more than cattle. Put two horses and two cows in a similar size paddock and see what happens to the grass. Unless you have access to a lot of grazing or are planning on eating your horses, know that they will eat all the grass in sight.

Horses could theoretically provide transport, pull ploughs etc. The thing is, if you don’t know how to be your horse’s dietitian, farrier, trainer and vet, your horse will go cripple, or lame, or get colic and be useless most of the time.

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To which many people, myself included, point toward wild ponies and say they seem to be doing fine. And yes, they are. But, catch one and break her in, and keep her in a paddock and stable and see what happens.

One other thing about horses is that besides calloused buts, most people who don’t know how to handle horses will get injured by them. If you fall off a wild horse and break your femur in an SHTF world, you are in deep trouble.

In his book, Blood Meridian, Cormack McCarthy paints a pretty realistic picture of how horses were viewed and handled in a world where necessity takes precedent over modern ideas of animal kindness etc. It’s worth the read, even if just to see how people interact with horses when sentimentality goes out the window because human survival is at stake.

So, the rule is: Don’t have horses on your property unless you know your way around them, or are willing to learn. And, are prepared to move beyond the idea of horses as pets, and into the world of horses as a means to an end.

So, there you have it, folks!

This may seem controversial, but emotional and ad hominem attacks aside. If you apply the brutal logic that survival requires, particularly in times of lawlessness or desperation, you will do well adhering to the advice above.

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