Making Connections and More

The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.

I've made two discoveries this month: one that's been brewing for a year, and one right after the small earthquake that rattled my area.

 

Close To Home

For a well over a year, a reader of this blog and I have been talking about meeting and getting acquainted. It turned out we live about five miles from each other, and it seemed reasonable to talk face-to-face, share info, and just make new friends. We already knew we have some things in common from our connection to Blue Collar Prepping, and now after sharing wine and pizza there's even more. 

I never had any doubt that this connection would be solid. From where we live to what was discussed online, I felt there were good people here. What slowed down and stopped our plans was what slowed down everything else down for the last 18 months, but we finally did it!

I have a good group of long-time friends, but adding to the list is easy when the "get acquainted" steps are already over. It was mentioned before the wine was finished how nice it would be to get together outdoors and make some noise at various distances like 10, 15, 25, 50 and 100 yards if and when consumables come down in price, the weather cooperates, and a suitable location is found. If any Northern California folks are interested, send me a note!

 

After the little earthquake last week I discovered another online friend that is even closer to me than my newest addition, a reader (I hope) who lives maybe a mile from me, depending on how you measure or travel. I have always wanted to build a list of people close by who could check in on each other if there was a need: major local fire, the Big Earthquake or everyone's favorite, Zombie Apocalypse! 

 

Get Home Bag Challenge

In the BCP Facebook group, a reader with health issues commented on the bag I have, saying words to the effect "I'm not sure I could carry that very far, it seems a bit heavy for me."  I haven't forgotten this; work, life and home projects have eaten up my free time to the point where I put everything back into my GHB and The Purple Pack Of Carrying for the third time and stopped thinking about it. However, with the Holiday giving me an extra day off this week, I promise to do the actual build and write-up on a Get Home Bag Under 20lbs, with pictures and detailed options. Stay tuned. 

 

Shopping Reminder 

If you do any Amazon shopping this year, please consider using the Amazon Referral link at the bottom of this and every post I make. It doesn't cost you anything, but Amazon sends us a portion of the sale to keep this site running.

Thank you, and Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Recap And Takeaway

• Having like-minded and prepared friends in the area added to your group/tribe is a Good Thing. Discovering exactly how close those new friends are is a bonus!
  
• I'm not young, but with no major health issues I can carry more weight than some. Tailoring gear and equipment for the Purple Pack Lady has reminded me to think bigger and pack smaller.

* * *

Just a reminder: if you plan on buying anything through Amazon, please consider using our referral link. When you do, a portion of the sale comes back here to help keep this site running!

If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!

NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.

Division

We do not cover political topics here for a good reason: they're divisive. Politics, religion, and sports are all good ways to cause friction in any group, and that's not what we're here to do. All of these topics are tribal (groups that identify with others based on a shared history or interest) in nature, and tribal issues tend to become polarizing, with anyone not of the tribe seen as the “other” and often treated as an outsider at best and an enemy at worst. Human history is full of examples of tribal issues, and they can create very bad results.

Politics
Politics is a major issue currently. With a very polarized election between the two major parties that is still unresolved as of this writing, I've seen a lot of division created between friends and families based upon which politician gets to sit in a nice chair in Washington DC. Local politics isn't much better; down to the county Sheriff election, people are getting nasty with each other over the support of one candidate over the other. The lure of power over others is a primary driver of most politics, and it can be a very powerful attraction, even vicariously by the election of a surrogate.

Religion
Religion can be a touchy subject depending on the depth of difference between the people involved. The “One True Church” types are intolerant and often dismissive of anyone not of their denomination; many atheists consider any religious beliefs nothing more than superstitions and will belittle people of faith. Add in the various religions' views on sexuality and there are even more opportunities for conflict. Wars have been, and will be, fought over differences in religion.

Sports
Sports and other fairly minor tribal differences have led to riots, murders, and quite often assault. It doesn't matter if you're looking at the Ford/Chevy, 9mm/45ACP, or any of hundreds of other tribal identifiers; once passions get inflamed, violence is a predictable outcome. Let's face it, people can be assholes for any reason, or for no reason whatsoever.

The Benefits of Division
Division is not always a bad thing. For example, separating yourself from those who mean you ill is self-preservation. The loss of contact with family and friends, should they decide that our views are too different from their own, is yet another thing for which we should prepare.

• Minimize reliance on others so that you can cut ties if needed. 
• Keep looking for others that share your views, to build or join a new tribe.
• Be wary of anyone that seeks to reestablish broken bonds. Some folks enjoy the fighting and won't like it if their favorite punching bag goes missing.
• Forgive transgressors if you're able, but never forget what they did. People don't change that much over time, and given a chance they'll repeat old actions.
• Some bridges need to be burned, but others require high explosives. Watch out for flying debris if you choose the second option.

Here at BCP, we don't care what your tribe is. We are here to spread information and ideas so everyone has a better chance of getting through bad times.

More Reasons to Have a Tribe

Most prepper sites emphasize the TEOTWAWKI side of being or getting prepared, but we like to leaven our posts with a healthy dose of common sense and “every day” preps. Yes, it would be nice to have a fully stocked bunker in a remote location that could supply our every need for the rest of our natural lives, but that is less likely to be useful (or even attainable) for 99% of the emergencies that life will throw at us. For the mundane, boring crises that we're most likely to encounter, I've found that having a “tribe” is one of the best ways to get through them.

I've written about tribe before, but here's a quick recap for our newer readers:

• Your Tribe is the collection of trusted friends that you can rely on.
• Tribe falls between Team (your closest support, usually 2-5 people) and Township (a collection of tribes).
• Tribes tend to cross family boundaries, but can include family members beyond your immediate family (your team).
• A tribe is usually made up of a collection of teams, but not always.

Having a tribe that you can fall back on for help is vital to being a prepper. Specialist knowledge is handy in a tribe, and I'm lucky to have several specialists in my tribe, because I'm more of a generalist. They can help me with specific issues in detail, while I can help them with a wide array of issues well enough.

No one person can do everything, even though some of us try, so you're going to eventually run into a problem that is bigger than you or your team can handle. I've run into several such times over the years, mostly medical issues. Here are a few examples:

• My friend of 40 years had to have surgery, and his wife was out of town and couldn't stay with him for the first 24 hours after he came home. I went over to his place and kept him company and comfortable while watching for any signs of complications from the surgery. Nothing ground-shaking or difficult, but he needed someone to stay with him for safety reasons. Staying awake for 24-36 hours isn't that hard for me, but I've had to do it more times in my life than I care to count.
• Another close friend had surgery that left him incapacitated for a few weeks. His wife was able to take care of his immediate needs, but I went over and made sure the grass got cut, the fences stayed fixed (horses can be hard on fences), and did other little things around the house.
• A sister-in-law has a foster child that has special medical needs. She works full-time, so getting him to his appointments and treatments is a challenge. My wife happily helps out as much as she can, playing taxi driver and shepherd. This counts as family but also tribe, because they live about a half-hour away from us and they don't fall under the “immediate” support of a team. How many people can you trust with your children?
• One of my tribe members had a death in the family several states away. The funeral and various legal entanglements meant they needed to spend a week away from home, so the tribe got together and we figured out a plan to make sure their animals and home were tended to while they were gone. How many people do you have that you trust with your pets? How many are you comfortable giving your house keys?

Since I live in an area of mostly farmland, the examples of town or township pop up more often than most urban dwellers will encounter. Families tend to be more interconnected, and everybody knows (or is related to) their neighbors. Tribes get muddled when you start looking at the divorce/remarriage and “blended” families that are common today, but when you put enough of them together you get a township. Every year we'll have some old farmer pass away or wind up in the hospital before he can get his crops in, and every year the neighbors will take time out of their own harvest schedule to help the family. It's odd seeing six different teams of harvest equipment clearing a field where you usually only see one, but people set aside petty differences and work together in times of need around here. 

There are exceptions, too. We do have a few idiots who have managed to piss off every neighbor within 30 miles and have done so for several decades. Those people don't get much help when TSHTF, because they've never helped anyone other than themselves.

Nurture your tribe, while keeping in mind that they can be fluid. People move around and your tribe will change over time, so always keep an eye open for new members. Trust is the main ingredient in a tribe and that takes time to develop.

The Monkeysphere

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

The Monkeysphere. That's a heck of a word, isn't it? But despite how silly it sounds, it's actually a very important concept that helps explain why humans are callous to some people and care deeply about others. If you're a prepper you need to understand what it is and how it works, because not only does it inform us how society as a whole works, but also explains how our own prepper group dynamics operate.

What It Means
The term "monkeysphere" was coined in 2007 by David Wong of Cracked magazine, and as much as it pains me to give Cracked credit for anything, it's actually a very meaningful and catchy way to describe the concept known as Dunbar's Number. In the 1990s, anthropologist Robin Dunbar was studying how primates interacted with each other and found that average social group size corresponded to brain size. On a lark, Dunbar applied this number to humans (who are also primates) and found that the correlation remained true. Dunbar's Number, aka the monkeysphere, describes the number of social relationships a primate can indefinitely maintain.

What we call Dunbar's Number is actually a series of them, with a variation of plus or minus 50% due to some humans being more social than others. As explained in The Limits of Friendship, these groups are:

• 5: the Close Support Group. These are your best friends (and often family members) and you care deeply about them. 
• 15: the Circle. These are the friends that you can turn to for sympathy when you need it, and the ones you can confide in about most things.
• 150: Casual Friends. This is the baseline of Dunbar's Number and the most well-known of the series. Some people can only manage 100 casual friends, and the very social can handle up to 200, but either way this represents the number of people who you like being around and whom you would invite to a large party. 
• 500: Acquaintances. These are the people you sort of know, but not very well, like co-workers, neighbors down the street, and so forth. 
• 1,500: Tribe.  This is the absolute limit of the human brain, and it represents the people whose faces you can recognize on a regular basis. 

What's interesting about the monkeysphere is that the number shows up as the optimum size for many large units. For example, the average group size of modern Hunter-Gatherer societies is 148 people, and so we can postulate that our ancient ancestors used groups this size as well. What's more, militaries from as far back as the Roman Empire to as recently as today use units within Dunbar's number: the U.S. Army's operational unit diagram lists a company as being between 100 and 200 soldiers.

Why Do We Have One?
Our brains are just wired like this to prevent us from mental exhaustion. Here's an analogy to help explain.

My Daisy Girl

• I have a dog named Daisy. She's my adorable puppy and I love her lots, and I take her for walks and I play with her. 
• If I add another dog to the family, I don't love Daisy any less, but now I have to exert energy to maintain a relationship with this new dog, and I probably have to exert more energy with Daisy so she doesn't feel left out.
• Add another dog. 
• Add two. 
• Add a dozen. 
• Eventually, I will hit my limit where I say "No more dogs. I can't take care of any more, and the ones I have are driving me crazy with all their demands!" The dogs have finally exceeded my monkeysphere, and I simply can't care about any more of them because it is literally making me crazy. 

The same goes for humans. This is why we care deeply when a friend breaks an arm or gets a divorce, and why we only care on an abstract level, if at all, that people we don't know and will never meet are starving or dying of a disease or being slaughtered. And further, this explains why so many human actions look like tribalism: it's because they are. Outside of our monkeysphere, people stop feeling like people to us because we don't interact with them socially. Instead, they're either things we have to interact with to give what we want, like fast food servers or bank tellers or shop cashiers; or they're competitors for resources, like all of those people who take up space on the road and prevent you from getting where you want to go because they're in your way. Rush hour frustration is a perfect example of our brains' relational capabilities being overwhelmed.

In summary, the monkeysphere is a good explanation for humanity's "Us vs. Them" attitude, and the reasons for this lie within another social characteristic known as Groupness. I will explain groupness next week, and you'll see why it's such a pervasive influence in how cultures think and act.

Social Distancing Week 3: Online Socialization & Learning

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

Hello preppers! I'd ask how you are all holding up, but I've seen your Facebook posts. Those of us who are introverts are likely doing well, but our extroverted friends are likely not okay with all this.

But fear not! There are ways that extroverts can get their "people fix" without breaking quarantine. Additionally, if you're tired of reading books or watching Netflix, there are online courses you can take which will not only keep you entertained but also teach you useful prepping skills.

Online Socialization
Because I'm a nerd I play a weekly game of Dungeons & Dragons. Because I'm an introvert, I know more fellow D&D nerds online than I do in real life, so for the past 8 years I've been playing with friends across the country. Now some of you are using Zoom for telework and school, but I have no experience with that; I use Discord, which is a free chat service which works in both a browser tab and as a downloadable app. With Discord, a speaker and a microphone you can have group calls; you can also type in chat as if it were an old-school IRC channel or chatroom, drop in links to webpages, post pictures, etc. You can even have video chats, although the last time I tried that it was still awkward and limited. Still, I feel that Discord is best combination of voice and text conversation I've ever seen, and if it works for hosting a game of D&D then it'll work for chatting with your friends.

If you're playing an online game like D&D, then there are still some hurdles to be overcome: dice rolls, character sheets, and mapping with tokens. While it's tru that Discord has various dice-themed programs (called bots) which you can invite to your channel, I've found that I get my best results with another online service called Roll20. This is completely free to join and use, although there are subscription tiers which unlock additional features (I use the $5/mo service and have found no need for anything greater) and you can purchase things like maps and token in their Marketplace.  Using Discord for voice and text and Roll20 for maps, dice, tokens and character sheets meets all my needs as a D&D Dungeon Master.

If you aren't interested in role-playing games, there are still ways to have fun with friends:

• Board Game Arena, like the name suggests, allows you to play board games online. 
• Similarly, Playing Cards allows you to play, you guessed it, card games like poker, Go Fish, etc with your friends. If you're a fan of Cards Against Humanity, then check out Remote Insensitivity, which is an online version of CAH using a Creative Commons license. 
• If you're more skilled with a computer and have a Steam account, check out Tabletop Simulator, which is a 3D physics engine that allows you to do whatever you want. If you hate playing online chess because you can't flip the board in anger, then this is the game for you!

Online Learning
If you want to make your time in isolation more productive then I recommend Outdoor Core, and online learning hub where professionals teach you skills in the following topics:

• Archery & Bow Making
• Blacksmithing, Knives, & Metalwork
• Disaster Preparedness
• Leatherworking
• Navigation & Orienteering
• Outdoor Business
• Plants/Trees Uses & Identification
• Ropework & Knots
• Slingshots & Slingshot Shooting
• Throwing Sports
• Wild Crafting
• Wilderness Survival

You can find course listing here. Not only are these classes very affordable, once you've bought a course it's yours forever and you can go back and re-watch it any time.

What's more, Outdoor Core is offering a 14-Day Quarantine Outdoor Skills Summit which has 14 separate 30-minute courses on such topics as

1. Urban Net Weaving: How to Make a Bottle Sling [Instructor, Joel Graves]
2. How to Back a Wooden Bow [Instructor, Dave Mead]
3. Eating Wild: How to Make Tough Cuts of Game (Venison) Tender [Instructor, Stacy Lyn Harris]
4. Stone Tools: How to Make a Slate Arrowhead [Instructor, Creek Stewart]
5. Animal Track Casting & Track Identification [Instructor, Craig Caudill]
6. Urban Cordage: How to make a drop spindle and spin cord from plastic bags [Instructor, Hank Gevedon]
7. Black Nail Knots Ashley Book of Knots (ABOK) #785 Knife Lanyard [Instructor, Mandy Clinnch]
8. How to Make a Leather Altoids' Tin Belt Pouch [Instructor, Kevin Luebke]
9. Knife Etiquette & Knife Handling Skills [Instructor, Maximilian Neukäufler]
10. 3 Tips to Draw from Observation [Instructor, Brandy Klindworth]
11. Nails to Knives: How to make a knife from a nail [Instructor, Nathan Summers]
12. How to Make a Wooden Burn Bowl + Rock Boiling [Instructor, Hutch Hutchings]
13. Foolproof First Bow Drill Fire Kit - How to Make a Bow Drill Kit at Home from Junk and a Shot Glass [Instructor, David Polczynski]
14. Painting with Pencils [Instructor, Andra Jensen]
15. FREE BONUS COURSE! Rescue: 2-Pole Flip Winch [Instructor, Creek Stewart]

All for a discounted price of $43.

Note: Neither I nor Blue Collar Prepping are at all affiliated with Outdoor Core and we have received no compensation for this. I am just a big fan of Creek Stewart and anything he teaches. 

Hang in there, everyone. We can get through this!

Social Distancing: Week 1

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

Hello, preppers! How is everyone doing after this crazy week? That's a question I asked yesterday in our Facebook group and there have been quite a number of replies to that. A lot of our newer preppers are quite worried, and so that post has become a place where people can ask questions or express concerns without judgement, and they've been getting excellent replies by our more experienced members. I invite you all to drop by, join if you aren't members, and make use of this resource.

I'm actually doing quite well. I'm an introvert and rarely leave the house more than once a week (I have a designated "chore day" where I put on pants and brace myself to deal with people), so this is barely affecting me. When I did go outside this week, I found myself enjoying the lack of congestion. I know this can't last forever and that businesses can't prosper if everyone stays away, but at this moment I find myself really enjoying all the extra space and wishing that social distancing were something we could adopt year-round.

When I was done with my errands, I wiped down with  a Lysol disinfecting sheet everything in the car which I'd touched with my hands -- don't forget both sides of the car door handle! -- then went inside the house, wiped down the doorknob with the same sheet, and went to the bathroom to wash my hands.

I don't worry about getting sick with COVID-19. I'm healthy enough that I don't think catching it will put me in the hospital, and I'm still young enough that even if it happens I have a near-certain chance of survival. My main concern is bringing it home to my parents, who are both in their 80s. My mother has no underlying conditions to make her more vulnerable, but my father has cardiac problems, hypertension, pre-diabetes, and a persistent hacking cough which he's had for decades (probably as a result of smoking in the 1960s), which means that if he contracts the disease it's practically a death sentence for him.

And yet, both my parents decided to go to church last Sunday and went grocery shopping last weekend, last Wednesday, and will go again tomorrow. I think it's foolish of them, but they're adults who know the risks, and I've learned through repeated hurricane evacuations that they won't listen to me when it comes to things like this. So if they do end up catching the disease, it's more likely that they caught it themselves rather than catching it from me. (I know that mom wipes car surfaces with a Lysol wipes but I don't know what precautions dad takes, if any.)

It's always strange to be living through a moment which I know is historical, a moment where I realize "This is a point where we will measure things as being before or after this." I felt this on 9/11, and I'm feeling it now; our society will definitely change as a result of this weeks-long lockdown, if not outright from deaths. I just hope we learn the right lessons from this, such as "Everyone should have at least a month's worth of supplies in their home" and "First responders may not always respond, so have the tools and skills necessary" and "Home schooling isn't a bad idea".  Alternatively, we could learn the wrong lessons from this and end up losing more freedom as government exerts more control over our lives to prevent things like this from happening again. At this point, I don't know which is more likely.

Finally, I'm going to give everyone a recipe for what to do when you run out of  toilet paper.

1. Gather up clean but unusable cotton fabric, like old t-shirts and torn bedsheets.
2. Give them all a good washing. 
3. Cut them into toilet squares (4"x4").
4. Use these as you would toilet paper to wipe after urination. 
5. Placed used fabric squares into a lidded container until laundry day. 
6. Launder the squares with soap and water to remove the urine from them. 

For cleaning yourself after defecating:

1. Find a washcloth that you won't use on your face. 
2. Wet the washcloth under a running faucet. 
3. Wipe until you are clean. This may require you to rinse the cloth under running water. 
4. When you are fully wiped, get the washcloth soapy to kill any bacteria, then wring it out and let it hang dry. 
5. Wash your hands as normal. 

I hope you find this information useful. Stay strong, and remember that there's no shame in asking for help or seeking reassurance. Depend on your preps, maintain a positive attitude, and we will all get through this. 

Social Distancing and Flattening the Curve

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

By this point we've all heard about social distancing and flattening the curve. We know that events are being cancelled and schools are telling students not to leave for spring break, or to go home and do their learning online.  We've heard about the travel bans and we're all watching Italy. It's safe to say that a lot of people are scared and even more people are concerned.

I'm here to tell you that concern is warranted but fear is not. We are preppers, and we are ready for this. We all ought to have at least a month's worth of food, water and other supplies in our homes, which means we don't have to engage in panic buying. This is a bug-in event, and despite fears of "social disruption" it appears that there will be no disruption or loss of critical resources like water pressure, electricity, communications or emergency services, which will make this a lot easier than some of the disasters for which you've practiced. Unless you or a family member is immunocompromised or otherwise in a high-risk group, this is no worse than hunkering down for a Category 2 hurricane, or taking shelter in your basement during a tornado warning. It may be a little bumpy, but we'll all get through this as long as we follow appropriate recommendations.

If you or a loved one is at higher risk for infection, then things are a bit more complicated, but you can handle this. You know what you need to do to keep from infecting them/yourself, and social distancing right now is actually the best thing for them and for you. It is a drastic action that will hopefully be seen as an overreaction in later months, but a scenario where people go "This was all a big nothing" is actually our best case. To put it another way, think of this like carrying a gun for self-defense: you aren't afraid of being attacked or victimized, but you acknowledge the possibility exists and so you take adequate precautions.

Flattening the Curve
For sake of completeness, here are things you can do to minimize infection of yourself and others:

• Wash your hands before touching your face, eating food, or interacting with the at-risk. Wash your hands after sneezing in them, using the toilet, or interacting with strangers. 

• Practice social distancing by staying out of areas where a lot of people go (unless those areas are being cleaned regularly), avoiding mass gatherings (more than 10 people) and maintaining distance (approximately 6 feet) from others when possible.
• Use disinfectant wipes on things you must touch, such as door knobs, grocery carts, etc. If you're opening a package, either wipe it down or spray it with an aerosol before touching it, or wash your hands afterwards. (Or both.)
• Sneeze or cough into the elbow of your non-dominant arm.
• Avoid being around people who have been out of the country, or who are sneezing and/or coughing, or who have been in areas where COVID-19 is present. (As COVID-19 is highly contagious with a long incubation period, the answer to that last category could very well be "everywhere", which is why social distancing has been implemented.)
• Wear masks if and only if you are sick (to prevent transmitting your illness to others) or if you are interacting with the immunocompromised or at-risk (to prevent infecting them if you are in the incubation period). 

Social Distancing
(Special thanks to my friend Cathy Madsen who wrote this for her Facebook wall earlier and who gave me permission to include this.)

If you are frustrated at the thought of social distancing -- not in the sense of  "How will I get access to essential services?" but rather " How long am I going to be stuck in this house?", here are a few ideas to help you get through it with your sanity intact:

1. Downsize events and move them to your place. I guarantee that you can sanitize your house better than harried staff can sanitize a restaurant or event space. Your house could probably use a good cleaning anyway -- mine certainly does. 
2. Take events outside if weather permits. Sunshine and fresh air will not cure you if you're sick, but it's harder for the viral particles to survive on surfaces exposed to the elements, especially ultraviolet light. As a bonus, movement outdoors is good for you and will help those feeling cooped-up (especially children) burn off some energy. 
3. Order groceries and supplies to be delivered to your door or car-side pickup rather than shopping onsite. If you must shop onsite, try to pick less crowded times; many chain grocery stores are open until after 10 PM, and they are pretty sparsely attended at that hour. The same goes for Walmart and drug stores (CVS, Walgreens, etc). 
4. Make a deal with another parent to swap days if you're stuck at home with young children. In an ideal situation they can entertain each other while you get some work done, and then the next day is your chance for peace and quiet.
5. If you need restaurant food, call it in and go pick it up. Tip anyway, so that the employees can keep their jobs.
6. The same goes for any businesses you want to support. The larger ones like Walmart or Home Depot have "find online and pickup in store" options, and smaller ones will be delighted to take your phone call and set stuff aside for pickup.
7. If you are spiritually inclined, practice doing your devotions at home. Most traditions say you should be doing this anyway in addition to attending whatever service; now's the time to demonstrate your paying-attention skills.

Don't Forget Your Tribe
Just because we are distancing ourselves socially doesn't mean this is "everyone for themselves". We are an incredibly connected society, so check in on people by telephone or email or Facebook to see if they're all right. If you're healthy and they aren't, ask of there is something you can do for them. The last thing we need right now is societal breakdown, so check on your neighbors and help them out. There's plenty that you can do for them without risking infection, and there might be a time when you're sick and they're healthy and you can ask them to return the favor.

Final Words
I won't lie, we do have concerns ahead of us. There is a very real possibility that we will experience an economic downturn due to lost revenue from social distancing; however, that is in the future and not a matter for immediate worry. I'm not an expert on finances so I can't tell you what you should do, but now would be a good time to consult with a financial expert about how to reduce expenses and maximize savings and investments.

Again, we are preppers: we have this covered. Rely on your preps and use your best judgement to avoid risky situations -- in other words, keep doing what we always do when events or the environment act outside the norm -- and we ought to get through this with little difficulty.

Prudent Prepping: Sharing What You Have

The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping. 

It shouldn't be a surprise that the current news is filled with videos (some faked) of not-quite empty shelves at Costco, Sam's Club and grocery stores. Many people don't have a week's worth of groceries in their house. Now, since this current excitement is fairly slow-moving, most people will have time to get enough to see them through a couple weeks if their job or the kids school decides to close up for a bit.. but what about people that get a little behind the curve and miss out on really necessary supplies? What do they do?

To Share or Not to Share: 
There is no Question
I have a friend that has a child with Cystic Fibrosis. If you don't know what that is, here is a short explanation from Medical News Today:

Fast facts on cystic fibrosis

• Cystic fibrosis (CF) involves the production of mucus that is much thicker and more sticky than usual.
• It mainly affects the lungs and digestive system.
• CF is a hereditary condition that occurs in a child when both parents have the defective gene.
• All newborns in the U.S. are screened for CF.
• There is no cure, but good nutrition and taking steps to thin mucus and improve mucus expectoration can help.

So the child is susceptible to lung problems, some of them potentially life-threatening. This isn't a good place to be with a virus that causes lung problems, and my friend was blindsided by all the crazy buying and missed out on masks for his family. (Not N95 but N100, to keep the rest of his family as far from infecting the kid as possible.) They also didn't have disinfectant spray, but they did have plenty of bleach, gloves and food for a couple weeks, and plans to Bug Out to an isolated area, if conditions get stupid. 

Now, I don't see what's happening now as anything close to an apocalyptic event, so I chose to share information and gear with them. I gave them my extra spray disinfectant as well as a lead on where to get masks. 

How likely are you to have anyone this close to what I call A Very Bad Thing happening? I hope the answer is "Not likely at all."

What To Do

• Check in on your friends and family. My parents are quite elderly, and I'm telling them to stay in, don't go out unless absolutely necessary, and don't let anyone visit or drop in. I'm setting them up with food, and if they need anything I'll shop and leave a box on the porch.
• Check in on any widows/widowers, especially the men. My dad can do things for himself, but my mom has taken care of him forever that I don't know what he'd do without her.
• Do you know any single parents? Look in on them to see how they are doing and if they are set for keeping themselves protected. 
• Have any single young people at work or that you know? They may be in the same boat as the older folks, not knowing what to do or having the cash to do much.
• To be honest, I've had people check on me this past week. They don't know what I do in my spare time, they just know I'm single and want to know I'm doing okay. It's really nice to have friends.

Recap And Takeaway

• Be smart with what you have, both knowledge and equipment. You never know who might be able to return the favor in the future.
• Nothing was purchased this week, but my stores are being gone over to see what might be extra or able to be shared with out doing with less here.

* * *

Just a reminder: if you plan on buying anything through Amazon, please consider using our referral link. When you do, a portion of the sale comes back here to help keep this site running!

If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!

NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.

Region Reconnoiter -OR- We were going to elope but did a 200 mile pub crawl instead

Intelligence gathering = discovering new resources and allies.

This is the Way.



Godspeed to you all.

Local Sources

In times of chaos like hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, and civil unrest, many people rely on “the government” to provide for them. As preppers, I feel we should look at “the government” as one of many sources for aid and not to rely on their assistance for much of anything; after all, our own federal government tells us to have a minimum of three days' food and water on hand because it will take them at least that long to respond to a disaster. When disasters happen too close to each other, even the bloated bureaucracy get stretched beyond its limits and they start to ration aid. This is one good reason of many to prepare ahead of time.

I know we cover a lot of online information and sources for gear, but how many of you are building your local connections? If it's going to take days or weeks for outside help to arrive and start putting things back together, it may be time to take a look around and see who and what you have locally that can alleviate some of the chaos. I've learned that most people have a fair memory and will repay kindness as they can. Making friends with your local sources might come in handy someday. Here are a few worth noting:

Local Medical Staff

My sister-in-law is a nurse and her neighbor is also an RN. The doctors that run the local clinics all live in the local communities and we have several more that commute to the city every day for work. Knowing where the closest medical assistance is can be vital, even if they aren't at work. They have skills and training that could literally save your life. Don't forget the local veterinarians! They're more likely to be familiar with improvising than a medical doctor.

Local Power Company

After major storms, local power companies will get assistance from other companies -- they have a form of “mutual aid” agreement for situations that require more manpower than they can supply. I've also seen them help each other find parts that aren't in the normal supply chains. The linemen and underground crews will have electricians that can answer a lot of your household sized questions, so they're a good source to know.

Water/Wastewater Technicians

This aren't very glorious jobs, but everyone will notice if they aren't done right. These are the people with access to the lab tests that can tell you if a water source is safe to drink from, and the ones who will be working overtime to make sure the contents of your toilet ends up in the right place after you flush it. Laugh at them all you want as you Google dysentery and typhus.

Road Crews

When flooding knocks out a bridge and you don't know a way around, the men and women who maintain the roads will be able to tell you what's still passable and will be the ones repairing the damage afterwards most likely. If nothing else, they'll have access to some heavy equipment that could make cleanup a lot quicker.

Law Enforcement

Small towns are easier than large cities when it comes to getting to know your local LEOs, because we don't have the turnover rate (sheriffs around here tend to stay in office for decades) or constant reassignments that a large city will. This allows us to get to know the good ones from the bad ones, and take steps towards each accordingly. I have very little official interaction with law enforcement, but I know several of them on a personal level. They're people like the rest of us, so there are some I would gladly help and others I wouldn't piss on if they were on fire.

Fire/Rescue

We don't have paid fire/rescue crews in my home county; they're all volunteer. That means that some of the folks who will show up to a house fire or auto accident will know the victims quite well, and in many cases will be related to them. These are good people to know and make friends with, because they will know more about the local area than anyone outside of law enforcement. They also have access to some nifty tools for extraction and entry into buildings and vehicles, which could be useful.

Construction Workers

Smaller sub-contractors tend to be mom-and-pop operations. Once you find someone who does good work at a fair price, keep in contact with them. They might be more willing to help you repair or rebuild if they have a favorable opinion of you.

Fabricators

In times past we called them blacksmiths, but most towns and cities have small businesses that take on small repair or fabrication jobs. Farming communities will always have someone who can weld together a broken part that is no longer made, and the cities will have machine shops that serve the same purpose. Getting to know these people might give you options for repairing or repurposing things that you wouldn't have thought of. If you have local artists that deal in metal or wood, they may be a suitable replacement if you can keep them on task.

Local Gun Shop Owners

I saved the best for last. Get to know the local gun shops around you. You'll soon figure out which are there for the customers and which are just there to make a buck, but either will be a source for supplies and ammunition. Finding a good shop run by good people is a prize to be treasured. Mine closed when the family running it retired and I'm still looking for a suitable replacement. The new local shop isn't as friendly and the staff isn't as helpful, so I'm looking further away.

It's always good to know someone who knows more about a subject than you do or who can do things that you can't. They're a source to learn from and a resource to call upon in times of need, but you have to make the connections before the disaster for best results. Follow your instincts when dealing with people; if something strikes you as odd or wrong, it is best to walk away and look for a different source.

The Super Bowl and Preppers

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

If you are watching the Super Bowl tonight, odds are excellent that you're watching it with friends or family. If so, take a moment to appreciate these people, for they are your tribe.

We've talked about the importance of Tribe, of having a close-knit group of people upon whom you can depend when things get messy. But your tribe should be more than a circle of preppers; they should be your family of choice, if not by blood, and that means you ought to spend time bonding with them by having fun.

Prepping is more about being ready for emergencies; it also means having supplies laid in so that when your friends come over, you will have what you need and not need to make a late run to the store for food, beverages, or charcoal.

So as you enjoy this most American of holidays, realize that you are also affirming what it is to be a prepper by surrounding yourselves with your chosen kin and digging into your supplies while enjoying yourselves.

Just don't forget to restock your pantry tomorrow.

GunBlog VarietyCast #162 - South Florida Knows How To Hurricane

That's "be prepared for a hurricane" and not "make a rum cocktail."

• Have you ever attended a Friends of the NRA Banquet? Are you curious about what it’s like? Beth shares her experience so you can decide if it’s something you’d like to do.
• A man is accused of robbing three Charlotte businesses, but Sean finds out that his conviction record isn't the worst part of the story.
• Barron is on assignment and will return soon.
• In any situation you’ll get groups of people who have different skills and levels of preparedness. How prepared was Coral Gables, Florida for the long term loss of electricity? They apparently had their lawyers on speed dial. Miguel tells you what he thinks.
• Our Main Topic is "Dry Fire Practice: Is It Boring?"
• Tiffany finishes her three-part segment on the NRA Carry Guard Expo by talking about the good things she encountered within the Expo itself, especially the programs made for “the laaadieeeez.”
• Back from her Evacu-cation, Erin has some tips and tricks for you to make your evacuation plans easier.
• Now that the Brady Campaign’s Dan Gross  has been fired, Weer’d bids a farewell to Dan in the best way he knows how.
• And our Plug of the Week is for the Pocket Pro II shot timer.

Thank you for downloading, listening, and subscribing. You are subscribed, right? We are available on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, and Google Play Music!

Listen to the podcast here.

Read the show notes here.

Thanks to LuckyGunner and Remington for their sponsorship, and a special thanks to Firearms Policy Coalition for their support.

Blue Collar Prepping Transcript -

 Evacuation Tips and Tricks

This was the second year in a row that I evacuated for a hurricane, and I’d like to think that I’m pretty good at it. So let me share with you some tips and tricks that I’ve learned. 

1) Know the order in which you want to load your stuff
For me, this is pretty simple:

1. First I load my bug-out bag. Even if I can’t load anything else, that and the Get-Home bag I already have in my car will enable me to be a pretty comfortable refugee for several days. 
2. The next thing I load are my guns and just enough ammo for them to fit inside their cases. Now, most people are wondering why I don’t load clothes next, and there’s are multiple reasons for that:
• Clothes are cheap and easily replaced, while guns are expensive and a pain in the butt to replace. Besides, I already have changes of clothes in my bug out and get home bags. 
• I don’t want my guns to fall into the wrong hands if looters get to my house before I can return. As a gun owner, I feel that I have an ethical duty to make sure my firearms aren’t used by criminals. 
• In a worst-case scenario, I can trade a gun for something necessary, like food or shelter or transportation, because guns have intrinsic value. Clothes, not so much. 
3. Then I add whatever gear isn’t in my bug-out bag but which would be useful for an extended absence (like camping supplies) or for sorting through wreckage, (like tools or protective clothing). 
4. Next up are whatever portable electronic devices I can fit into a backpack, like my tablet computer and podcasting gear, along with recharging cables and docking stations. If I have the time, I’ll remove the hard drive from my desktop and put them into a protective waterproof box, like a Pelican Case.
5. All of these have been items which are expensive and difficult to replace, going in order form “most useful” to “least useful”. If you’re making a list of your own, this is where you should put valuable luxuries like expensive jewelry, or irreplaceable sentimental items like heirlooms. 
6. Then, and ONLY then, do I pack extra clothing. This is where your “nice to haves” go - things which would be nice to have with you but can be be replaced easily. 
7. The last thing to go into my car are snacks and drinks. 

2) Have duplicates of your toiletries
I don’t know about the rest of you, but having a repeatable, reliable bathroom routine goes a long way towards making me feel normal and comfortable.

I recommend against packing up your toiletries as part of the evacuation process, because this will slow you down and you will probably forget things, like your favorite loofah sponge in the shower.

Instead, build an “overnight bag” complete with duplicates of all the things you use when showering, brushing your teeth, etc, and then grab that bag along with others in step one. That’s one less step to worry about and one more thing on your list that’s already packed.

What’s more, you can use this for things other than evacuations. If you’re going on vacation, or need to take a business trip, you can grab your overnight bag instead of having to pack, then un-pack, then re-pack your toiletries for another trip.

3) Have wonderful friends
Both times that I’ve evacuated, I have been blessed to have really great people volunteer their homes for me to stay in.

This hospitality is amazing, because not only does it save me the cost of a hotel room, but it also means I get to meet great people in real life and enjoy their company.

I’ve said this before, and I will say it again: if you’re a prepper, you can’t do it alone. You need people to help you out. Friends, extended family, other preppers in your group - all of these people constitute your Tribe, and you should cultivate those relationships. Go out of your way to help people, and they’ll be more willing to go out of their way to help you when you need it. 

Prudent Prepping: Semi-Monthly Roundup

The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.

This is my way to wrap up several different ideas too short to make into a complete and separate post.

First up is a gift from the Master Chief who, after retiring from his last job, now has plenty of time to shop on the 'Net. He has given me several things, but none as small as this:

Nelson Rigg CB-PK30 Black Compact Backpack
From the Amazon entry:

http://amzn.to/2yq5qKX

• The Nelson Rigg CB-PK30 Compact Backpack allows you to gain 30L of storage whenever needed
• It packs down small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, giving you extra cargo capacity without all the bulk
• Large enough to carry a full face motorcycle helmet, basketball, or a day's clothes, it's perfect for day-to-day use, day trips, vacation, travel, day hikes, school, camping, or shopping
• Constructed from strong Tri-Max nylon with embroidery style stitching for added strength
• Ultra lightweight with an integrated compact storage bag makes it easy to carry anywhere you go

This is not replacing my existing GHB; it's going to be the extra 'Share The Care' bag if the worst happens and I find someone in need of a backpack.

• It weighs nothing and takes up almost no space.
• The straps are thin and prone to curl into themselves with some weight in the bag -- in other words, exactly what you'd expect in a bag like this. 
• The nylon(ish) material is definitely NOT waterproof or even water-resistant, but with a medium trash bag used as a liner, it should do in an emergency. 

As this is a secondary bag, none of these are deal-breakers. Plus, the price (free) was fantastic!

Baby Prepper Progress
I've mentioned that I have a new prepping group and my friends are getting serious about disaster preparedness. What's happening so far?

• GHB's have been purchased and basics like clothes, small amounts of food and bottled water have been added.
• Approximately half the group comes from places that have regular economic or natural disasters, so the idea of having extra food on hand is normal. Figuring out how and where to store everything is the next step.
• Selecting Rally Points A, B, and maybe C is our next goal, since several of us travel quite far and in different directions on a daily basis. No one wants to be left out, and there could be several days' delay if the Big One (earthquake) hits us. After two in Mexico this month, we could be looking at a repeat of 1985-89 here in California.

Everything is proceeding much better than I expected, since I follow the old saying, "Plan for the worst but expect better".

The Takeaway

• I have wonderful friends that do the nicest things for me. I'm truly blessed
• There's nothing like an example to show people who you are. Luckily, lately I've been a good one.
• Having everyone 'on-board' and working in the same direction for a common goal feels great.

The Recap

• One Nelson Rigg CB-PK30 Black Compact Backpack: $18.56 from Amazon with Prime shipping. 
• I purchased nothing this week, but there may be some additions going into my bag next week. Stay tuned!

If you plan on buying anything through Amazon, please consider using our referral link. When you do, a portion of the sale comes back here to help keep this site running!

If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!

NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.

A Note on Communities

I had an experience last night which drove home the role of communities in prepping.

I had been grilling when a piece of plastic fell on the grilling surface. Since I didn't want the plastic to melt to the grill, and reacting rather than thinking, I tried to brush the plastic off. With my hand. 

In less than a second, I managed to incur second degree burns across the back of my right hand.

I did briefly consider going to the emergency room, but I recalled my first aid training and came to the conclusion that all the ER would do is take my money and maybe write me a prescription for the pain. 

Instead of doing that, I got a ride from a friend to the local pharmacy where I bought an over-the-counter pain killing cream and a bag of frozen vegetables to use as an ice pack. After getting home, another neighbor came by to return a tape measure I had loaned him and offered to feed me dinner. I declined only because someone else was getting ready to feed me.  Later, I went online to ask if anyone knew how to deal with the pain from the burn, and got an immediate response from several sources which were a great deal of use to me. 

Why am I sharing this story with you? Because communities matter, especially in prepping.

The Second World War was effectively the end of civilization in a large part of the world. People faced the very real possibility of starvation, death, and getting shot for walking out the front door. Even in relatively untouched countries such as the US, people had to pull together and face shortages across the board, all while missing loved ones that formed important parts of society.

During this time people relied on communities to fill in the gaps.

• Didn’t have someone to watch the kids during a factory shift? Ask a member of your community. 
• Have a car that needs to be fixed, but cannot afford a mechanic? Ask a neighbor. 
• What about needing help with a harvest from your garden? Again, ask a neighbor. 

There is a myth among preppers that when the bad times come, you must be a totally self-contained island. You should of course be as self sufficient as possible, but thinking that you will be able to take care of all of your needs on your own is magical thinking.

The simple fact is that having a community that you know and trust is important. Being able to have someone that you know will have your back is a valuable resource, and one that can be cultivated by being active with the people around you, getting to know them, and putting forth your own valuable skills in return.

So make friends before the apocalypse! They are good to have in emergencies. 

Prudent Prepping: Odds and Middles

The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.


The Difference Between a Riot and a Protest
I had a very nice side conversation with a more politically active friend about what I wrote in last week's post.

There was a good bit of back and forth, trying to define what was a riot, how it was separate from a demonstration or protest, and why someone might want to be involved in one or even several. We talked over the reasons for various gatherings of like-minded individuals, who might want to be in those groups, and why others might be opposed to them. While there was no disagreement on the points raised in my post, we were not able to come to a meeting of the minds on why a demonstration might turn into a riot.

In my opinion,  a protest is non-violent while a riot isn't. The rightness or wrongness of a rally, a demonstration, or a protest are are all based on your point of view,  but a riot has no shades of gray.

Leaving all politics out (which is one of the stated rules here)*, I don't plan to be near any gathering that even might become a riot. I would however like to hear from anyone who participated in any demonstrations recently, and what preparations they took to be safe.

*Along with No Politics, there are several other very important points in the pinned post at the top of the BCP Home Page. If you read and Like that post, it will give you 2 chances before getting hit with the Ban Hammer. Please, take the time to read it.

My Prepping Group
I have a small, very tight-knit group of friends whom I have decided to ask if they would like to start prepping with me -- or have all of us prep together. However it's said, I'm wanting to plan with friends. We live close by, but work can take some of us a good distance away for the day, so Get Home Bags will be our first priority. Getting my friends involved should be pretty easy, since the men (and one woman) camp and hike already, and the others know helpful skills like cooking, canning and serious sewing.

One thing I'm happy about is all of these people already know me, so I don't have to try and overcome the 'crazy prepper' image that is seen in too many cable TV shows and movies. I believe the learning curve should be pretty flat; half the group comes from places that have natural disasters, or have been through war/civil unrest, so they already have food on hand. Only one family knows about this blog and what I write, though, so the first order of business is get everyone else reading this blog.

What finally convinced me to do this was when a friend saw my GHB in my trunk and asked what it was.  Erin was able to give me a link for BCP posts on Get Home Bags, which I gave to my friend and now will pass on to my Prepping Family. Wish me luck!

The Takeaway

• Be open-minded and listen to all sides; there could be something you are missing by being in an echo chamber.
• If you have a stable group or family close by, prepping together can lower costs by buying in bulk and sharing labor.

If you plan on buying anything through Amazon, please consider using our referral link. When you do, a portion of the sale comes back here to help keep this site running!

If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!

NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.

Gun Blog Variety Podcast #130 - Tribalism and Happy Endings

Our #1 advice for a happy ending: Don't get a barbed wire tattoo. Those never end well.

• Beth shares some advice for avoiding tragedy when you have children and guns in the same house
• Everyone likes a happy ending. Sean tells us about our favorite happy ending, where a home invader is encouraged to lie down and stop moving... permanently.
• Barron is on assignment and will return soon.
• In the Main Topic, Sean and Erin tell you why Trump is not your hope and change.
• Tiffany talks about last week's main topic from the other side: How she and her friends see it when conservatives lump them in with violent protesters.
• Do you like seemingly contradictory advice? Erin tells you to form a tribe, but don't fall prey to tribalism.
• This week Weer'd dips into his secret stash of anti-gun nuttery to bring us two golden nuggets of hoplophobia.
• And our plug of the week is The American Warrior Podcast.

Thank you for downloading, listening, and subscribing. You are subscribed, right? We are available on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, and now on Google Play Music!

Listen to the podcast here.

Read the show notes here.

Thanks to LuckyGunner and Remington for their sponsorship, and a special thanks to Firearms Policy Coalition for their support.

Blue Collar Prepping Transcript:

Tribe vs. Tribalism

I’ve talked about what the concept of “Tribe” means in previous prepping segments, but I haven’t yet touched on “tribalism”.

Now anyone who’s been paying attention to current events has noticed that Americans are a fractious bunch, ready to divide themselves into an “us” and a “them” and go at each other’s throats. The good news here is that it isn’t just Americans who do this; we just happen to have a country that’s larger than all of Europe and a media that is keen to highlight our differences and our squabbles in pursuit of ratings, so we seem more divided than other countries and cultures. 

But the fact of the matter is that humans are inherently tribal, so we divide ourselves into groups so easily that it’s just accepted as part of our culture. As an example, consider sports teams: when we play a game of baseball, we divide ourselves into two groups, “us” and “them”, despite the fact that prior to this we were one group. Then, based on this arbitrary grouping, we try to defeat people who up until this point were our friends, by engaging in ritual warfare. And other groups of people pick a side to support while cheering for the defeat of the other. 

Humans are just inherently tribal, which means they are inherently prejudicial. Now before you leap to conclusions, let me explain what I mean! I am not saying that humans are inherently racist, sexist, or anything like that; those are learned behaviors. What I am saying is that humans like to pre-judge things -- that’s what prejudice means, judging things without analysis, based only on first impressions -- and all the learned behaviors make for easy lines of prejudice. 

But why are humans prejudicial? Believe it or not, it’s a survival tool from prehistory. If a plant looked funny, a caveman wouldn’t eat it, and over time that would reduce the amount of fatalities from eating poisonous plants and fruit. Similarly, if a stranger looked funny, it likely meant that he wasn’t from your tribe but from the next tribe over, which meant that you were in direct competition with him for food, shelter, and other resources. 

This ties in nicely with the concept of the Monkeysphere that I talked about in Episode 84: human brains can only support a certain number of relationships, and everyone else gets put into the “other” category. Unfortunately, we are wired to see “the other” as competition for resources and we react aggressively. 

So what we are seeing today, with the Berkeley riots and the increasing political schism within our country, is that our culture has reached a point where we now view political viewpoints not as people who disagree with us but as actual threats to our tribe.

How does one prepare for this? Two ways.

1. First, don’t have an echo chamber. Make a point to surround yourself with viewpoints that challenge you. Not only will he prevent the self-reinforcing “Everyone I know agrees with me, therefore I must be right” attitude which is also self-defeating, but it will help humanize “the others” who disagree with you. It’s very, VERY easy to to devolve to “All liberals hate us, so we must destroy them before they destroy us” if that’s all you hear. Conversely, if you are actual friends with a liberal -- Hi, Tiffany! -- you won’t want to lump your friend into that “other” category and you begin to see those who disagree with you not as threats to your existence, but as people. 
2. Secondly, form a tribe of your own. While that may seem counter to all my previous advice, what I mean by this is “forge friendships with people who aren’t specifically family.” If you’ve taken my advice about becoming friends with people who challenge your beliefs, invite those people into your tribe. The more diverse your tribe is, the less susceptible you are to the prejudicial “othering” mentality.

So in effect, my advice is “Have a tribe, but don’t be tribal.” I know this is asking a lot, as we’re fighting millions of years of psychology, but the first step to making a change is being aware of what you’re doing wrong.

Don’t push away potential allies because you perceive them as “other”. Don’t turn disagreements into wars. This is something every one of us, including me, needs to work on.