Wednesday, November 7, 2018

zero sum game


ZERO SUM GAME
Until one achieves wisdom through age ( with required School ‘O Da Hard Knocks diploma.  Aging without learning through adversity is just physical advancement without the mental equivalent ), the whole game we survivalists play tends to be taken just a smidge too seriously.  We are Mighty Survivalist, Hear Us Roar!  As a young soldier recklessly charges an enemy position, invincible, so does the prepper lock and load eager to engage the evil forces of the land.  The older experienced soldier snipes from afar, and the older survivalist begins to understand he is simply screwed rather than prepared.
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The more you learn about the underlying causes of our decline, the scarier it gets.  You begin to unravel the decaying ball of crap and to learn what you never knew you didn’t know.  As it sinks in, one fine day you realize, yeah, the best I’ll be able to do is to take out as many of the scumbags as possible before I’m overtaken by the mob of mouth breathers.  Then you go from “look at the supplies that will save me” to a more realistic “stuff I’ll need in case I end up surviving despite the odds”.
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But reality doesn’t stop us from trying, correct?  You can go Uber Morbid and nihilist and declare there to be no meaning to life past spawning, and give up after your children leave the nest.  Or, you can do that AND declare that since you need a hobby besides Netflix anyway, you’ll keep fighting the good fight regardless.  Which I’m sure is all my readers, because you aren’t just reading me for my wit and glorious mane.  You think preparing has enough benefits to continue, even if the only benefit is justifying your previous sunk costs.  Our sacrifices shall not be in vain!
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But having decided to continue preparedness, there is a nagging little detail you should know.  You aren’t mindlessly consuming.  This isn’t about trinkets, the most toys at death, or how big your dingus is by how many FLIR scopes you can buy.  This is the original Zero Sum Game humanity has always played.  And like all good game players who are competitive not because it is only a game but because competition is life’s little Darwin Award Ceremony and games are practice, if you aren’t going to play to win you might as well stay on the porch.
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Winning makes us feel good, because competition is life.  And being the winner at being the best feels good because we always try to be the alpha.  So, stop being a little girl, and sounding like one, and embrace the Zero Sum Game like you want to win it.  Play for keeps.  No longer because it is a hobby ( our old justification for prepping ), and not because it is an insurance policy anymore.  When sky’s are blue, insurance is insurance, nice to have.  When the hurricane meets the shoreline, it becomes more.
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From insurance it went to becoming your emergency equipment ( I’m speaking of insurance from a survivalists point of view-tools.  Not from a bankers point of view of finances ).  Survival insurance was JUST insurance ten years ago.  Nice to have IN CASE.  Now, decline and collapse are no longer an observable phenomenon that will one day occur, but an ongoing occurrence.  Before, highly probable and likely to occur, to now, already happening.  Granted, the decline has been ongoing through most of our lives.  But that was perpetual decline.  The decline now has a drop-off into collapse and an end date. 
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Having used “collapse” far too long, it lost its meaning.  Differentiating between decline and collapse should restore some understanding.  My point is, it is no longer insurance to prep.  It is a scramble to survive.  The “in case” turned into “case study”.  So we need to stop using the philosophy and terminology of insurance policy purchasing and undertake to ensure survival.  It isn’t like it is a difficult equation.  Dumb Ass cavemen scratching the lice out of their ass hair had it easy enough figuring it out.  Only modern man with radiological damage from cell phones don’t get it.
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Greed Is Good.  Not just a cute quote from a movie when all of today’s old bankers were young students of The Art Of War.  Not just the underlying philosophy of one brilliant but confused Russian emigrant.  To play the Zero Sum Game, you need to be greedy.  Not just self-serving or inclined to self-preservation, a trait all of us share.  But greedy.  Because greed means Never Enough.  And Never Enough is exactly how you properly prep.  Never enough supplies, never enough paranoia, never enough space between you and thee.  And never enough greed.  MORE greed.
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Remember the truism, it is all about food?  True enough, but that isn’t JUST calories in the cupboard.  It is all and everything securing that food.  It is defense and offense, and resources to achieve both.  If you look at life, the universe and everything from a standpoint of sharing, community, morality and philosophy, you have already lost, regardless of the piles of crap that you own.  You must be greedy enough to want everything.  It isn’t a Zero Sum Game until everyone else has to suffer so you can have the resources necessary to survive.  And thrive.
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Not in the meaning of wallowing in luxury.  In the meaning of having far more than you need.  Because surplus is survival.  Surplus food is surplus warriors, surplus farmers and surplus breeders.  Without a surplus, the US would have been another piss ant country under the rule of fuzzy foreigners.  Our Sino Overlords would have been bombing OUR wedding parties, rather than we bombing little brown peoples nuptial celebrations.  Without a surplus, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, because prepping wouldn’t be a thing.  And how are you in a position to have this surplus?  Because you are an imperial citizen.
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How is an empire formed?  In a zero sum game of Full Spectrum Dominance.  One party controls ALL the resources.  So to be clear, I don’t apologize for being an American, White, One Each.  I’m sad to be on the ass end of the Seneca Cliff of empire, but I’m smart enough to be grateful for what we had and to know it is almost all gone ( the end is nigh when you go from extracting resources from colonial possessions to sacking the home capital ), hence using it to best effect.  As an investment in the next round of resource control.
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I started out talking about the more realistic outcome in your efforts at survival.  In that you’ll die a horrible death and all your toy acquisition will be for naught.  And that is so, depressingly true.  But just as you plan to the contrary, so too must you play the Zero Sum Game.  In it to win it, regardless of the realistic probabilities of its success.  Because it IS a game, and you need to stay competitive.  Even at this time of life of far reduced hormones and lack of interest from reduced energy.
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Continued tomorrow.
( .Y. )
( today's related link click here )
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note: I finally figured out how to get PDF's out there for download, as a web page rather than a commercial product.  I'm transitioning to all free books.  I'll leave up the Amazon books, just in case you want to donate by buying one ( no one is excused from donating every month, except as noted below ), if you don't donate by mail, or PayPal or by buying through my Amazon links.  At my web site, here ( allow for a week before the End 'O Da Article info dump is changed to reflect this )
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note: free books.  Solar flare here .  Zombies here .  Another here .
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22 comments:

  1. Yes, I am keeping at it even in limited financial and physical amounts as I age out or lose income abilities. Think of the squirrel stocking so many damn nuts, he forgets were most are stashed or never uses them all up wintering over. No quitting or really slowing down until death.

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    1. Forgetting what you have, or where you hid those nuts, is a great way to triple or quadruple everything. And it is painless, because you thought you didn't have enough.

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  2. "This is so exciting! I wonder what happens next!"

    I enjoy the enthusiasm of motivation speaker Leo Buscaglia and his Love 1A class. Anytime I bog down with imaginings of The Worst Possible Outcomes™, I remember perfessor Leo describing volunteering in hospice.

    According to the story, residents and visitors were morose and melancholy... except for one dude ( with magnificent hair ).

    "This is so exciting!"

    This morning sitting on the porch with the dogs, they agreed. To a one, the dogs unanimously pleaded "Boss! Can we come too!"

    PS:
    However many toys they find or make, the dogs think 'one more would be perfect'.

    However many dogs stop by for a visit, I always think 'one more would be perfect'.

    'Wanting and needing' seems to be part of the business of living on this particular physical plane. I don't know, I haven't figured it out yet.

    I may need to research this more.
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  3. "James,you intelligent slut."
    You must be psychic today. I just added some junk to my stack. And I wanted to donate or pay you for all your writing efforts - but I am so far behind the 8ball I just can't. I simply don't have enough resources yet. I was saving for land but every time I go to buy my regular food the damn price goes up. So I decided to buy more silver and hope for a land discount! For a while I felt like I was being "greedy" but now I know better. It's common sense! I figure I'm doing better than my (debt) rich neighbors. But since I'm a disabled poverty gimp I figure I have more bases to cover. Please forgive my lack of proper funding for you. I would like to mention a new and portable form of bullion. The pyromet silver card. It's a thin .999+ credit card sized silver card. They're 5 for 100 @ silver .com. (ttl w/ premium and shipping) Anyway, thanks for helping me deal with my greed phobia.

    Your loyal minion,
    Stevelo

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    1. As I've said, those in dire poverty straights are NOT expected to pay. I've been there, more than once, so I can completely relate that even a dollar is too much to spare. I also always say, I'd rather see my minions preped than paying me, if those are the only two choices. I'm not being wonderful-I know it will come back to me in some form. If someone is broke, yet sends me $20, I'd be saying, why? You could, your example, buy an ounce of silver instead. Or 100 lbs of wheat. Soon, that one silver round is worth a months wages. And that wheat is all you have to eat.

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    2. Oh, and PS-we all read so much free crap on the Internet, I'm also Paying It Forward.

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    3. I think that would really bulk up your wallet if you carried it that way. If you wanted precious metals with you for "Start of the Apocalypse Barter" (transportation?) it might be better to carry a 1/10 ounce gold eagle (about $140). I still have plans for doing some silver water purification experiments in water bottles. The large, thin size would be great for starting with more surface area than a standard one-ounce coin for killing bacteria and such. It seems like it'd be easier to pound one of these out into a larger sheet (for even more surface area) than a coin too. Might get some to try.
      https://www.silver.com/1-oz-silver-pyromet-cards/
      Peace out

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    4. Don't we all carry a bunch of those shopper cards? I know, some folks think it would be used to track stores of food ( like, I don't know, buying 100 pounds of butter like I just did ), but just fill out a fake name and address. Use the small keychain size instead of the credit card size, then that frees up room for the c/c ounce of silver. No extra bulk. In theory. Or, are you thinking since it won't flex like plastic it would be too uncomfortable?

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    5. Grab an old cc and lay 2-3 coins on it, draw around them with a thin marker, cut the discs out and put the 2 coins in the holes, cover over with packing tape.

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    6. For some reason this thing isn't remembering my name any more, have to type it in each time. I hate technology more each day. It's like that bully in 6th grade, constantly fukkin with ya.

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    7. I made a nasty comment about Tech Bully and it deleted my comment. You have to admire the irony.

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    8. I think it has to do with Google updating their terms, or the such, as apparently they own this service. I started getting the message that I can comment under my username, and can then edit comments if I wish. It’s tempting of course, but I’m not falling for Google’s trap.


      “I made a nasty comment about Tech Bully and it deleted my comment. You have to admire the irony.”


      I wonder if you comment anonymously, if the algorithm still catches it? Because I can’t tell you how many thousands of times that I have ripped on fags in the comments section on this blog :D

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    9. No, I think Google just keeps replacing Diversity Hire interns, to keep down costs. So it appears random when everything keeps screwing up :)

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  4. I wonder how much of America's "greatness" came about due to the phenomenal amounts of resources at her disposal and lack of enemies in close proximity? This isn't a dig in any way. But watching Chris Martensons Crash Course and how the resources were so plentiful people just had to bed over and pick it up. My brother-in-law told me how much gold was extracted from California and wowsers is all I can say.

    I keep thinking about the anecdote from retired General Hackworth. He was guarding a German POW (short aside. More German soldiers died in allied camps than during the war. NO not just in Soviet camps those were far worse than the German Camps but I digress) so Hackworth taunted the German who then retorted he was a prisoner because America had more tanks than Germany had anti tank munitions. Also read that the Soviets were just about spent. They were fortunate to have more men than Germans had bullets but sheesh at 80% casualty rates you must really want to win to wear those sort of losses.

    There I go talking nonsense. Stock up minions. Winter is here. I think it's bordering on to late to panic early but you can beat the rush

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    1. Funny-I mention the Soviets in today's article coming up.

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  5. According to a YouTube review they do flex. But they might not if mixed with other cards. Like drivers license and real bank cards. (Yeah I have a dl even though a don't own a car. I might need to rent one;)

    But my main goal isn't to pay for "transportation" I have a bike. And a trailer. It's to buy work and/or peices of cow from my rancher neighbors. Or just to use a lights-out money. I already get a silver discount on farmers market food. But I'm hoping to use it as partial payment for land or a nice trailer to use a a tiny house. I think of it as "savings I can't spend" even though I can. I held some gold at $350 a oz! But sold it long ago. Sure gold would be nice but I fear the fever. I believe that "truth never told" guy. And I've seen mining projections. But yeah. Silver is heavy, but not as heavy as a month of wheat!

    The card would be great to use for colloidal silver - if I didn't already have a cut bar that will last several generations. For me the silver card would just be emergency money that's hard to spend. Like a bank account that doesn't lose value.

    Stevelo

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    Replies
    1. Try NOT having a DL, driving or not. "Vere are your papers, citizen?"

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    2. Yeah, you still need the state ID, which pretty much looks just like a drivers license. My brother lost his license years ago due to a DUI, and that’s what he has. He never leaves the property anyways, so I suppose it doesn’t matter.

      The most hypocritical automobile owner that I ever knew, was the liberal that I worked with at my former job, that believed in “man made climate change”, was fit enough to run marathons, and each morning hopped in his carbon spewing automobile, to drive the 3 long miles to work everyday :D

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  6. Link care of Woodpile. Has relevance for minions https://www.ammoland.com/2018/10/self-defense-in-texas-22-single-shot-beats-ar15-and-40-cal/

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    1. I dared not post, fearing minion pitchforks and torches :)

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    2. Beware the man with but one gun. He is likely to be adept at using it, with the 3 rounds in his pocket.

      damp minion pdxr13

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