How would you fare in a post-apocalyptic world?

Post Reply New Topic

How do you think you would do in a post-apocalyptic world - for instance, after a nuclear war? Where modern technology is gone and most of your time is spent fighting for survival?

I don't think I'd do well at all.

I wouldn't be able to make it. In fact, I'be even lower functioning to the point of having a condition on the spectum, other than AS, if that ever were to happen.

I'd like to think I would do well, I have some general knowledge of wilderness survival from being in the scouts when I was younger, but if your scenario involves a post-nuclear world (or whatever) the most important survival trait would likely be adaptability and a flexable mind, neither of which I'm particularly good at.

Hard to predict such things, but I think very badly.

Poorly. To be fair though, I can't think of an individual that would do well based upon what I would view as a post-apocalyptic society.

I agree. Only those outdoorsy, do it yourself types would survive. Killing small animals with crude tools, skinning them, and cooking them would be a skill few people possess these days.

I'm pretty sure I'd be able to survive; what I'm not sure is whether or not I'd enjoy living in a post-apocalypse world. Interestingly, living in such a world has been my fantasy all throughout the childhood. My life at the time was miserable, and an apocalypse seemed like a quick (albeit radical) way out of misery. However, the apocalypse I fantasized about was more similar to a neutron bomb than a nuclear bomb. In other words, there'd be no people left, and nature would suffer damage, but all buildings and infrastructure would be intact. So in that kind of apocalypse, I would probably survive more-or-less comfortably.

I have a small arsenal of firearms, knowledge of chemistry (i could process cellulose in to food), make the alcohol needed for people to drown their sorrows to
trade for breeding rights with young babes. Yeah I would make it.

Alone: Highly unlikely.

With 12 other people: Possibly.

With 200 other people: We'll conquer teh world!! !! !

It isn't even that outdoorsy types would work, because they would still run the risk of dying due to radiation poisoning. The ones who would survive best would be those who were prepared for this sort of thing, with a secret storehouse of food (which was properly kept, cared for, and maintained) and an area that would keep them safe from the radiation outside. If the problem of poisoning wasn't a problem, I think I'd do pretty well. I have no problem sleeping without shelter, hunting for my food, killing to survive, or bringing together a group with some basic form of government (i.e. a tribe or clan). I think there are enough people willing to lead others (well) out there that humanity would stand a good chance of survival.

I don't know. It would probably be really difficult.

CeallachSolomon, I think the radiation problem would be the most difficult. Depending on the amount and the dispersion, life could be very difficult. Hiding in large buildings probably would provide safety. But any plants grown, or animals killed would have been exposed.
(Assuming world wide radiation as particles blown through the jet stream.)

The radiation risk is over stated. If your close enough to get a near lethal amount
your likely going to have much greater chance of being vaporised by the blast wave anyway

The most dangerous radation has a very short half life and in a few weeks things would be cool enough to avoid short term death. Ideally you want even consider
going out for one month (and have a month ofsupplies.) Water should be distilled or treated with reverse osmossis for the for seeable future(one reason why my alcohol bussiness would do well). Cellulose from old groth trees would be very low in radioactive materials.

Ideally potassium iodide mega doses before exposure to radaition would reduce risk of thyroid cancer. I have hypothyroisim so I suspect I have natural ressitance to the effects of radioactive strontium replacing iodine. Anyway I could process 2%
iodine tinture available at stores into sodium iodide rather easy. Its usually
a mix of sodium iodide, iodine, water, alcohol. Distilling of the iodine, water, and alochol would result in a pure sodium iodide powder. The distilled iodine could be reacted with steel wool pehaps then with potassium carbonate solution(wood ash extract) to
make more potassium iodide.

Oh and thyroid cancer is the most treatbale of all cancers anyway.

I'd do REALLY badly. I'd probably be out of any decent food before you could say "tin-opener"...

TheMachine1, I sit corrected. So it would come back to whoever could form a clan, and hunt and farm sucessfully. And of course fight off the vampire zombies wandering around.

Probably I'd be quite bad in that situation.