In my last post, I linked to this Popular Mechanics article written in 2009 by the Instapundit himself, Glenn Reynolds. It plays into several themes I am developing.
It covers the "decline and fall theme", by referencing this book The Collapse of Complex Societies by Joseph Tainter. Professor Tainter speculates that it was their increasing complexity that caused the collapse of the Roman and Mayan empires.
It covers "the energy debate" theme, by discussing the 2003 blackout in the Northeast, that started with one tree, one power line, and in seconds spread to 50 million people.
But most importantly, it develops the "rebuilding from the ground up" theme. Professor Reynolds on what happens during a crisis,
"When individuals are prepared to look after themselves for a while, with food, water and medicine on hand, and alternative sources of heat or power, it makes a big difference. The government can't take care of everybody at once. If disaster-relief staffs don't have to worry about you, they can take care of others--which means that being self-reliant can actually help your community.
Often, government officials worry about the public panicking in a widespread disaster. But they have that backwards. In studies of more than 500 emergencies, the University of Delaware's Disaster Research Center found that panic rarely occurred. In fact, people consistently jump in to help themselves and their neighbors."
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