Preppers Will be the First To Go

Are you a fan of The Walking Dead? Either the TV show or the graphic comics? Well, I have to tell you, I am.

I'm not a big zombie guy – that role is taken by my youngest son (and his wife, to a certain extent). I like the show for its raw and natural portrayal of the reaction of human beings after an almost apocalyptic event.

 I'm not on Team Rick, or Team Glenn, or Team Carol. My wife and I stand firmly in the camp of Team Daryl.

Norman Reedus portrays Daryl Dixon on the show. A lot of people make the mistake of believing that the cross-bow carrying redneck is the epitome of what a prepper is all about. But Daryl's not a prepper. No, he's a survivor.

Here's the rub for me. A lot of folks believe that preppers are the ones who are going to survive in some type of 'world gone bad' situation. After all, these people will have the food, the fuel, the fresh water, the guns, the ammo ... all the necessary supplies needed to survive. But therein lies the issue. Most of the modern day preppers, probably 80% of them, will be the first to die.

Now before you inundate me with mounds of angry messages, allow me to explain my thoughts.

First, a lot of prepared people these days are really only partially prepared. Sure, they've stock piled several years worth the food and the have guns and ammo to last for decades. But, and this is big, their locations stink. Maybe they're in downtown Atlanta, or somewhere near DC, or even on the south side of Chicago.

Next we have a certain group that have a remote hideaway where their supplies are stored. Far away from any of the trouble that will ensue in the days, weeks and months following some type of catastrophic event. But, and again this is large, they're counting on working vehicles, empty roads, and no resistance to their routes.

Are you starting to see the problem? It's hard, very hard, to be an actual full scale all-in prepper. Most folks haven't thought every last possible scenario all the way through. And that my friends, will lead to their demise. If not immediate, certainly eventual.

That's why Daryl Dixon, the survivor, is better suited for dark dystopian settings. He's been barely getting by all of his life; he's been left to his own accord since he was a child. Fending for himself, feeding himself, taking care of himself in every possible way.

Near the end of season two, Daryl's grasp of the reality he's been living in comes out loud and clear. As a swarm of zombies descends upon the farm they've been staying at, Hershel Greene tells him they have to make a stand to fight off the invasion. Now Daryl can plainly see that the situation is bad at best, and getting worse by the minute. He understands this may be the end.

Yet, what is his reaction? Gazing across the improbable odds, he simply shrugs and states, "I guess this is just as good a day as any to die."

Now that, my friends, is a survivor.


Thanks, as always for following. And consider a new genre when you reach for your next book. Choose something that you might not realize could be a great tale.


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