In my last article I tried to illustrate a few practical steps we can take to build teams. Building a small area around our homes and in our work places that allows us to operate at a higher level only gives us a higher survivability rate. Doing something nice for others is building human credit. You, being the smart readers you are, will have noticed that a lot of what I said was directed at service. This is two fold: Talk is cheap. Actions, especially today, speak volumes more than words. Saying you're going to go and help crabby old Mr. Rogers is frankly pathetic. We all want to help others. Getting up, walking over, grabbing a rake and a trash bag and spending an hour raking his leaves separates you from the good intentions crowd. It puts you in the doer crowd. Which is where we are. Its nice over here, we have cake... and coffee... and rum... lots of rum.
Lets look at Mr. Rogers again. This time, he's an asshat and doesn't care that you spent your presious weekend helping him. You still do it. Why? Because Mrs. Hauser will see you do it. Mrs. Hauser knows Mr. Rogers is a crab. Mrs. Hauser runs the homeless shelter downtown. She has always had a feeling that there wasn't something right in the way things were going in the country. So, she made a secret bed and a little living area in the attic of the shelter, just in case she needed to house someone in trouble. When you show up, she remembers that you're the nice young man or woman that helped out that grumpy old coot. Sound far fetched? Things like this happened in Germany, Russia, France, and in Africa. It continues to happen with frequency in Africa to Christians and non-muslims.
Looking at the Africa example:
Team building is survival there.
African farmers are constantly under threat of violence by Takers. Takers are sweet and lovable people who do nothing more than Take their fair share from the Producers. The Producers are evil selfish people who do nothing but think of themselves, and horde what's rightfully the Takers... Thought I'd lost it didn't you. Satire aside, when the police aren't even a viable option because of distance, and sometimes corroboration, a network is important. Team is important. Family becomes a much more kith driven thing than kin. God forbid we face that here. But whats it going to hurt if we put our ethics where our boots are and help a Brother out?
Practical Steps:
Have tools. I am by far the least handy person I know. I've come an exceptionally long way in just three years though. I have a set of loaner tools I keep specifically for when people ask to barrow something. Why do I have a separate set? Because I don't care if they ever bring it back. This does a couple things. One, it makes things awkward when we talk at the fence. I never bring it up. I let them. Two, it allows me to give them something they have immediate need for. Which is always appreciated. Three they can keep it because they have a need, and I genuinely want to help.
Lets go back to the awkward thing just for a second. Why would I want them to feel awkward? Because when nothing happens a tiny little bit of trust is built. When I'm not beating down their door demanding my shovel back, it gives them a sense that our friendship is more important than some material thing. This also depends on the person. If they seem to be taking advantage of my hospitality, that's the last shovel they get. It may also be the shovel I bury them with if they turn out to be Takers post SHTF.
Practical Application:
If you can't afford a shovel, have a harbor freight hammer, or other tools like: screw drivers, allen wrenches and a socket set go a long way. Don't think I forgot you high rise dwellers either. Light bulbs, powdered milk; Organic Baby formula in a #10 can (Earth's Best, I think); flash lights/headlamps (The $.99 ones); duct tape; Escape ladder that will actually reach the ground or at least two floors down, make sure its all metal; cable cutters and/or bolt cutters; a spare faucet and/or plumbing emergency kit. If you don't live in a high rise or haven't that wont make sense. (If you have, and I'm missing something please let me know.)
Building a generalized support structure like this will help you in building a small team. It gives you practice in the skills of recruiting. It gives you credit where it may otherwise be hard to achieve, and it gives you a vast amount of friends that reward you in much broader ways.
Notes:
Your macro team is less likely to be one you will utilize as a direct action group. These individuals are far more likely to be people that you loosely associate with. Possibly, after years of screening, they meet your micro group. They possibly have a handle on what you're generally about, if they're sharp. For instance: They know that you're patriotic, and that you're not a huge fan of either party through conversations you've had over the fence. They may also know you go shooting once a month or more based on the fact you load up your suburban with gun cases and ammo boxes (gotta get more subtle cases and boxes), they may also infer that since you fly that weird III flag you're a part of a liberty group of some kind, like "Junior Domestic Terrorists League" or JDTL for short. You eat that weird hippy organic stuff too. You're also really into home improvement and fixing your cars, because they see you at the hardware store and the auto parts store all the time.
What they don't know is that you have converted your crawl space into Dextor's labratory; you have almost amassed fifteen years worth of food, clothing, and the ability to maintain it; oh, and you're almost done rebuilding a Sherman tank that runs on vegetable oil. Other than that, you seem perfectly normal.
We need our macro teams for emergencies, not training meetings or intelligence briefings. We need them to be our support, our shelter, our warm food. More than anything we need them to be quiet, as long as they can. The macro group is need to know. They exist in the Confidential atrium of secrecy. Lets face it what we deal in is secrecy, especially in the realm of what we consider to be our future sustenance and sufficiency.
Be discrete, be cautious, take your time and get to know people. Because people are worth more than things and stuff... Okay, some people are worth more than stuff.
Lets look at Mr. Rogers again. This time, he's an asshat and doesn't care that you spent your presious weekend helping him. You still do it. Why? Because Mrs. Hauser will see you do it. Mrs. Hauser knows Mr. Rogers is a crab. Mrs. Hauser runs the homeless shelter downtown. She has always had a feeling that there wasn't something right in the way things were going in the country. So, she made a secret bed and a little living area in the attic of the shelter, just in case she needed to house someone in trouble. When you show up, she remembers that you're the nice young man or woman that helped out that grumpy old coot. Sound far fetched? Things like this happened in Germany, Russia, France, and in Africa. It continues to happen with frequency in Africa to Christians and non-muslims.
Looking at the Africa example:
Team building is survival there.
African farmers are constantly under threat of violence by Takers. Takers are sweet and lovable people who do nothing more than Take their fair share from the Producers. The Producers are evil selfish people who do nothing but think of themselves, and horde what's rightfully the Takers... Thought I'd lost it didn't you. Satire aside, when the police aren't even a viable option because of distance, and sometimes corroboration, a network is important. Team is important. Family becomes a much more kith driven thing than kin. God forbid we face that here. But whats it going to hurt if we put our ethics where our boots are and help a Brother out?
Practical Steps:
Have tools. I am by far the least handy person I know. I've come an exceptionally long way in just three years though. I have a set of loaner tools I keep specifically for when people ask to barrow something. Why do I have a separate set? Because I don't care if they ever bring it back. This does a couple things. One, it makes things awkward when we talk at the fence. I never bring it up. I let them. Two, it allows me to give them something they have immediate need for. Which is always appreciated. Three they can keep it because they have a need, and I genuinely want to help.
Lets go back to the awkward thing just for a second. Why would I want them to feel awkward? Because when nothing happens a tiny little bit of trust is built. When I'm not beating down their door demanding my shovel back, it gives them a sense that our friendship is more important than some material thing. This also depends on the person. If they seem to be taking advantage of my hospitality, that's the last shovel they get. It may also be the shovel I bury them with if they turn out to be Takers post SHTF.
Practical Application:
If you can't afford a shovel, have a harbor freight hammer, or other tools like: screw drivers, allen wrenches and a socket set go a long way. Don't think I forgot you high rise dwellers either. Light bulbs, powdered milk; Organic Baby formula in a #10 can (Earth's Best, I think); flash lights/headlamps (The $.99 ones); duct tape; Escape ladder that will actually reach the ground or at least two floors down, make sure its all metal; cable cutters and/or bolt cutters; a spare faucet and/or plumbing emergency kit. If you don't live in a high rise or haven't that wont make sense. (If you have, and I'm missing something please let me know.)
Building a generalized support structure like this will help you in building a small team. It gives you practice in the skills of recruiting. It gives you credit where it may otherwise be hard to achieve, and it gives you a vast amount of friends that reward you in much broader ways.
Notes:
Your macro team is less likely to be one you will utilize as a direct action group. These individuals are far more likely to be people that you loosely associate with. Possibly, after years of screening, they meet your micro group. They possibly have a handle on what you're generally about, if they're sharp. For instance: They know that you're patriotic, and that you're not a huge fan of either party through conversations you've had over the fence. They may also know you go shooting once a month or more based on the fact you load up your suburban with gun cases and ammo boxes (gotta get more subtle cases and boxes), they may also infer that since you fly that weird III flag you're a part of a liberty group of some kind, like "Junior Domestic Terrorists League" or JDTL for short. You eat that weird hippy organic stuff too. You're also really into home improvement and fixing your cars, because they see you at the hardware store and the auto parts store all the time.
What they don't know is that you have converted your crawl space into Dextor's labratory; you have almost amassed fifteen years worth of food, clothing, and the ability to maintain it; oh, and you're almost done rebuilding a Sherman tank that runs on vegetable oil. Other than that, you seem perfectly normal.
We need our macro teams for emergencies, not training meetings or intelligence briefings. We need them to be our support, our shelter, our warm food. More than anything we need them to be quiet, as long as they can. The macro group is need to know. They exist in the Confidential atrium of secrecy. Lets face it what we deal in is secrecy, especially in the realm of what we consider to be our future sustenance and sufficiency.
Be discrete, be cautious, take your time and get to know people. Because people are worth more than things and stuff... Okay, some people are worth more than stuff.