The Changing Earth Audio Dram season two adventure begins. A dynamic story written to entertain, there is fact behind the fiction and valuable lessons to be learned. Today we look at the importance of self-reliance.

Episode one of The Changing Earth Audio Drama explores a world a little over three months after a mega collapse. Erika discovers the realities of bugging out as her group traverses the landscape between Auburn and the Lotus camp. Many people, including myself, have had visions of grandeur. A thought that bugging out into the wilderness would be the smartest choice in a mega-collapse. However, anyone on a camping trip with no food quickly discovers that foraging is difficult. Anyone with children quickly realizes how annoying they are without the comforts of home that they are used to.

The idea that any horse can be hooked up to a cart and pull it as commanded is an absolute fallacy. Most horses today are little more than dogs in a pasture. They are not used to being ridden much, let alone working all day. Plus, the minute you try and hook a cart to an animal that is not trained for it is the minute you will find out how crazy a horse can act.

It is true that after three months of a collapse, people will be absolutely desperate for survival. This is what many people call “the dying time.” Starvation, disease, and dehydration will kill people by the thousands. Many people don’t know that you must purify water, let alone how to do it. Even those that do may be unaware of the chemical contamination that will happen in areas where clean water was before. Once the safety mechanisms on many facilities that use river water or the like fail, contamination is a certainty.

Weather is another factor that is a significant concern for survivors. No matter how many tarps you stock, they only last so long in extreme weather. Most things you think are waterproof probably aren’t. Extreme temperatures are a significant threat, and a human can only survive three hours in those conditions without shelter.

As we enter Swenson’s empire, we find him living as a minimalist at home. When it comes down to it, what do you really need to survive? Americans have become complacent in an overinflated world that we take for granted. The ancient Romans knew a life of exorbitance, eventually losing it. How would America adjust to this post-collapse world without the gidgets and gadgets we currently rely on.

Swenson has a woman with him, Susan. She is a prisoner detained last season when she attempted to kill Swenson. The audience’s outrage over how he treats people is intended to showcase the realities of many people in the world lying in wait for the opportunities that a collapse would create. These individuals are already used to surviving and fighting for their positions. All the safeguards our modern society affords will be removed when laws are unenforceable. Community and groups will be vital to protecting your family from these people. However, the law of large numbers will always win unless you have superior defensive firepower.

Cole Virgis returns home after deciding he doesn’t want any part in rounding up refugees and shipping them to FEMA camps. He was preparing for a disaster scenario before the quake and was well supplied. His self-sufficiency allows him to bug in or shelter in place. Can you help support a group if you need one? When stocking, think of your family and then think bigger. Encourage your community to begin preparing.

During Erika’s second scene, she enters the Lotus camp. This is a safe place where refugees have banded together to assist one another. Most of these people did not live in the area they now occupy. Is worth asking yourself, do you live in a place where people will want to congregate? Can you help organize the chaos and plan for it ahead of time?

When people’s minds are focused and working on a task, they are generally less likely to start problems with one another. Give people jobs. Help them feel productive and valuable. Watch out for mental issues. Stress will be off the charts. The tension will be high. PTSD will affect everyone. Some will cope better than others.

There is also a consideration that needs to be analyzed. Is it better to have communal storehouses or let each individual store their own supplies? People won’t want to share if they have their own supplies, and if it is collaborative, people will feel like they aren’t getting their fair share, even if everything is equal. Central stocks will require honest guards and carefully kept inventory lists. Food, weapons, ammo, and the like could be stored communally or individually.

Swenson’s second chapter displays a day in the life of this leader. His ego is growing, and he is developing a “god complex.” When people with too much power feel deligated to “save” and organize the “masses,” they often think they should be worshiped for their selfless deeds. This will affect relationships with close friends. Throughout history, these types of all-powerful, uniting leaders end up with severe mental disorders. It takes everyone working together to bring long-term unity.

Running from his position within the Mercenary forces, Virgis meets with the opportunity to use his knowledge to lead the community of Peach Springs. People with knowledge about survival, military strategy, food production, and medical information will be highly sought after. Are you ready to fill your role?

Do you have your value system firmly in place? Virgis’s indecision is an apparent problem at this point. However, the moral decisions he faces would challenge even the most steadfast individual. There will be no easy decisions. You must understand your values and stick to them. The broken glass effect dictates that once you break one of your values, the next ones become easier and easier to defy.

Not taking action can sometimes be as destructive as not making the correct one. Analysis paralysis will be a killer. You will have to act decisively and be able to justify your decision to yourself and others in an honest way, or no one will want to support you.

In Erika’s final scene, she explores the options of going into the unknown or staying and trying to rebuild. How would you know if you didn’t have access to information about the rest of the world? If you plan to leave, do you invest time and energy into an area? Do you really have what you need if you had to leave? Have you tried to go camping with only your go-bag? What will you have to offer a community for accepting you? Knowledge is always power.

Swenson’s final scene is a lesson in loyalty. Many people in this world will cheat, steal, lie and turn on you at the drop of a hat. However, there are loyal people, and the bonds are tighter than family. Start vetting people now. Who can you really rely on? Who will starve with you and still share equally? Who will stand with you and die by your side? Understand the value of loyal people. Do not break that bond. Do not take them for granted.

Virgis meets with the leader of Peach Springs, and he is offered the lead role. Knowing when to step up and lead and when to defer that responsibility to a more suitable person is essential. Multiple leaders can be in charge of different critical roles. Barry was more respected by the community’s people, and Virgis stepping up could have caused waves in a functioning system. Think big picture. What will work best for the community? We are used to a more self-centered life. It will be time to focus back on the community, and the self-reliance of that community is essential to keep the government at bay.