Just restate the issue in terms they can understand. There are real vampires and parasites out there sucking people's life energy in the form of profits, taxes and interest, and the life of our planet by sucking out it's finite resources. Going after them with an axe doesn't do any good, because the economic system will just spawn replacements.

(Side note: the part of the brain that deals with future consequences doesn't fully mature until about college age, so it's not surprising your peers have not thought about that sort of thing)

I thought bomb shelters and survivalists went out of style with the end of the Cold War, but the answer to that line of thought is military rations only keep for about 3 years. What will you do when they run out? A self-sufficient community (you know, like we are designing here) would be able to keep going. And it makes sense to start putting it together now, while you still have access to civilization, than after whatever catastrophe you think will blow it away.

I read about that same connection between success and capacity to delay gratification (as a function of emotional intelligence) in an article not long ago. Interesting indeed, but I am not sure I have enough marshmallows to test the world.

i was thinking the other day, how like how trade works. like someone pays someone for something. an exchange. but like with oil and coal and stuff the system is designed as a oneway transaction with man and earth. we pay oil companies to gather the stuff. theres a transaction between us and the companies. and then the oil companies pay the royalty owners, who theoretically own the natural resources. it seems silly to think that someone can just own part of the earth. people are so temporary in the span of time. but there will only ever be one earth for man to take from. there is no exchange back to earth. its not a fair trade. its like stealing from someone that cant speak or fight back. and we all stand and watch and do nothing. because we are the thieves.

All I can say is one of my motivations in changing my ways, is the fact that I think modern society is in for one hell of a ride. I speak of the 1st world, developed countries here. Are we as a society going to make the changes in time? That would be nice, but not bloody likely I'm afraid. Will there be pockets of sanity/stability? I sure hope so because I want to be right in the middle of one....:)

Is it likely that the have-nots (Zombies) will panic? I'm sure of it. Will it be violent? In large cities at the very least, yes I think so.

So you either get out of Dodge and find/build a stable pocket or you make sure you can defend yourself. Personally, I'm trying to cover all the bases.

The Dawg