After PS Scenarios

I propose we start a thread of possible scenarios that we might run into after PS.  I am posting 3 possibilities to get us started thinking of what our response might be.  There is no right or wrong answer to each scenario.  The task now is to come up with realistic possible situations that we might run into and as many as we can think of potential possible actions we can think of to understand and properly handle it.  At the time of being confronted with a similar situation we then have a better chance of determining the best or most ethical choice.  I have the feeling if we are ready for any scenario then it won't happen. Any and all are invited to contribute possible situations and/or possible resolution actions to take.  Remember free choice allows for any action at the time.  It helps to be aware of what the possibilities are. That is the purpose for this discussion. I hope during the situation at the time that we can take the time to ask those around us what they see as possible ways to handle before action is decided and done. 


#1 Scenario: Free Food

Situation:  You hear from a friend or a passing traveler or over the short wave radio that free food  (all you can eat) is being served at a well know place with in walking distance of your place.   Could be the remnants of a well-known church, town hall or even a privet residence.  What do you do?  Immediately send someone to check it out?

Dangers and Possible actions to take: Free food after the PS without a ketch is unlikely.  May be worth waiting on before investigating.  For those that investigate the food you eat may taste like chicken, or pig.  It may be served freely by what looks like kindly robed priests.   Where did all the meat come from?   Well a percentage of those that leave are taken prisoner and become the meal for the future.   Yes, there is an endless supply as long as there are people that come and eat.  So every precaution is taken so no one finds out what happed to Joe, Tom or Susie etc.  If one checks with the priest, bandits on the way back home must have killed them.  They just don't happen to say they were the bandits. It may not be priests that serve the food - there are endless variations.  Wait and talk to someone that actually eat the food and get him or her to describe if it was boiled, fried meat or soup with meat in it.  Did it have any grains or vegetables in it? This would be unlikely. Ask if they saw any of the animals, or meat rations they were supposedly eating.  If no source for the food has been seen by anyone and people sometimes disappear never to come back home then one can know what this is about.  Cannibalism can take many forms.  The smarter cannibals will have their food come to them.  To handle this situation one only needs to pass the word along the grape vine as to what is really going on.  Soon the source of food will be dried up and the scam exposed.  Be weary as to what this gang does next when it has to move on.


#2 Scenario: Arriving starving mother and crying baby

Situation: A starving mother carrying her crying baby with one or more small children arrives at your door requesting water and food if you can spare it. What do you do?  Do you immediately invite her into your survival quarters and start to take care of her and her children's needs?

Dangers and Possible actions to take:  There will be a strong urge to help and this may be the correct action. For a while the service to self will use every known way to gain entrance or take over another's camp.  Is this mother part of such an attempt or is it someone you should help?  There could be a waiting gang of service to self-individuals waiting just out of site to see what you do.  The woman could be sent in and instructed to find out strength and number of guns, and report back or to sometime in the night when every one is asleep make sure the place is un-locked so a midnight takeover can occur.

How does one sort all this out?  One could keep the woman and children outside your quarters (possibly in a separate tent) and out of site of the exact strength or number of people in your camp.  One could while giving water ask questions that may help to determine orientation and purpose. Mean while two of your own people sneak out of camp in opposite directions (chouse off the beaten path directions) go out to a distance that is out of site to the camp and each walk in a clock wise direction to make a large "D" shape around the camp.  This being done carefully and slowly so as to not be spotted by someone or some gang hiding at the perimeter.  Once the scouts come back and the answers to the questions from the mother analyzed as to intentions and orientation, then a determination to help or send on her way can be done by consensus.  Sometimes giving a person an education on what you know about finding food and water and sending them on there way will be all that you can do. The pamphlet that Nancy and Helen prepared could be used as a training guide. It could also be handed out to friendly neighbors for education.

#3 Scenario: Death wish person(s)

Situation:  One or more persons in your camp (could even be a relative) living with you or possibly a stranger that just shows up one day with this attitude.  They may be destructive of things around the camp.  Things just brake in there presence.  This person becomes obsessed in that they want you to kill them. They may not tell you this in words but there actions speak of it. They are tired of living and want you as their executioner and are willing to take anyone around them down at the same time.  You ask them to leave. They won't leave and try in every way to push your buttons (tender points or ways to get at the person emotionally) to make you mad enough to kill them. You are tired and hungry and short tempered yourself.  What do you do?  Your beginning to think it would be so easy to kill them and put them out of their misery. 

Dangers and Possible actions to take:  Killing this person is the last thing you want to do.  You will feel treble afterwards if you do.  The other person got their way and used you. Yet if left unhanded he or she could produce much harm (physical or emotional) to anyone who tries to get close to him or her.  Along with much possible destructive action.  The first thing to do is to get understanding of the situation by all who are not in this condition.  Those with you buttons are liable to be pushed (or attempted to be pushed) by this person.  Now what to do next?  You could probably indicate to the person that their goal is to die and that they are trying to get someone to kill them.  You might get a "so what" back.  You can indicate this is a coward's death in that you are attempting to take another down with you and that there are better ways to die.  Point out how much energy they are expending at trying to get them selves killed.  That if this was directed in a survival way for others it could do benefit for the many and by the way you might die in the process or you might not die. Come up with some doable examples of goals that the person might see they can do to help others.  Attempt to get the person into action helping in some way. Finding firewood, building a better shelter, looking for food, etc.  See if you can get them shifted off themselves as the easy way out.  If all attempts at shifting goals doesn't work what to do next?  Do you chain or restrain them at a distance from your camp?  Possibly out of shouting distance.  Some times food water and rest is all that is needed to help shift the goals off death. This should be the first course of action if you can afford it at the time.  But this would be rewarding a down statistic on your lines and so you will get the next person wanting food doing the something. So in general if you do this they must get much less food than those that produce valuable results during the day.  This is just my current thoughts on this subject.  This is a bit of a tough one and has lots of variations depending on the circumstances more ideas of how to handle on a gradient would be good. 


