What To Expect When Society Breaks Down

We've all seen signs of it everywhere, the imminent societal breakdown that's gradually rearing its ugly head.  Many people are in denial hoping the monster will just go away.  Back in 2007 I changed my lifestyle dramatically realizing something very serious was up ahead.  Society is clearly breaking down and that fact can't be denied any longer.  All it takes is a dramatic increase in the price of oil and gas to tip the scales into bedlam.  

So we can know what to expect, a list was compiled on the American Dream blog of what the riots in Egypt can teach us.  I thought I'd list them here. 

#1 When society breaks down, people look for whatever weapons they can find.  Over this past week, abandoned police stations throughout Egypt have been stripped of their arsenals by looters.

#2 When society breaks down, nobody is safe.  Average Egyptians “armed with sticks and razors” have formed vigilante groups to protect their homes from the crazed looters that have emerged during the rioting.

#3 When society breaks down, you better protect your women and children.  At least 60 rapes have been officially reported since the rioting began.  The unofficial number is surely far higher than that.

#4 When society breaks down, criminals do not fear the law.  There are reports that at least 4 prisons have been attacked and that thousands of convicts have escaped into the streets.

#5 When society breaks down, authoritarian governments begin hoarding food.  The Telegraph is reporting that governments throughout the Middle East and North Africa have started stockpiling huge amounts of food in response to all the rioting that has been going on.

#6 When society breaks down, food shortages can happen shockingly fast.  As commerce has been brought to a standstill in Egypt, serious shortages of some of the most important basic food staples are starting to be reported.  Many families in Egypt only have enough food to be able to survive for a couple more days.

#7 When society breaks down, respect for personal property goes out the window.  All over Egypt shops and businesses are being broken into and totally looted.

#8 When society breaks down, mobs will start doing some of the most stupid things imaginable.  According to Egypt’s top archaeologist, Zahi Hawass, looters broke into the Egyptian Museum during the rioting “and destroyed two pharaonic mummies”.

#9 When society breaks down, it always creates a “power void”.  The Obama administration is calling for an “orderly transition of power” in Egypt, but there is absolutely no guarantee that is going to happen – especially in a nation that has no history of legitimate democracy.

#10 When society breaks down, often outside influences are involved.  The individual being touted as the new “leader” of the protest movement in Egypt is Mohamed ElBaradei.

I can't think of how many times in life I ignored serious issues by escaping in a television program or music.  Those days of escapism are long gone and I'm dealing with reality as best I can.