Hydrogen bombs
As resilient as we as humans are, we too are frail. Fragility is prevalent in many ways, but the kind I intend to address is a much less considered one than that commonly explored in the current milieu. The fragility to which I refer is not a sociological phenomenon tied to sub-cultural associations with melanin, but rather the fragility of our society’s electrical grid infrastructure - yes, the literal power grid; that of power lines, transformers, cables, fiber optics, and more. Most people in developed countries, and even most in developing countries have no semblance of cognition of life without electricity. No air conditioning or central heat, no refrigeration, no electric lighting, no computers or televisions, no gasoline (how are you going to refine or even pump the oil out of the ground?) - and this is just for starters. Food storage at grocery stores would be minimum, and canned food would become premium. There’d be no trucks or trains to transport the food anyway. Rapid communication beyond your local community would be near impossible. Getting out of the heat or cold or having readily available lighting at night - gone. Hospitals having no long-term power or means of mass producing needed medications. Apocalyptic scenario you say? All it would take would be one rogue hydrogen bomb exploded in the atmosphere several dozen miles above the center of the U.S. and...welcome to the neo-pre-industrial era and a land without electricity. Suddenly, if you’re not the Amish, or able to live mostly self-sufficiently like them, your long-term survival prognosis is rather dire. If you can’t grow your own cherry tomatoes and a while host of other foodstuffs like them, or produce a tradable skill or product without electricity, you are entirely dependent on charity or more nefarious means of procuring the sustenance of life. One single EMP, or electromagnetic pulse from a hydrogen bomb from some dissident entity like North Korea, and - presto - we would be thrust into a world like the colonial era with remnants and relics of devices that once ran seamlessly with electricity and would be as valuable as someone would be willing to accept them as barter-style payment for food and supplies.
In case you think I’m off my rocker, “Daniel Baker, director of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado, is familiar with the concerns about EMP and knows that the Defense Department has spent hundreds of millions of dollars and several years hardening its communication and electrical systems to protect against it. His main worry is that the nation's three electric power grids remain unprotected and that a solar storm could be almost as devastating to them as a military attack. "People should know more about this," he said during a recent interview.” Congress even appointed a panel in 2001 to assess the reality of such a threat.
Words of wisdom in the off chance something of this nature happens - and I pray it doesn’t:
Learn to garden, or better yet, farm
Have a tradable skill
Learn to love your neighbor and be able to negotiate and trade with them and willing to give
Yes, the Amish really are on to something! No, I’m not inclined to be one nor do intend to become one but we could all be forced into that type of lifestyle much quicker and easier than we think...
