A Two Step Program

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There are two serious turning points for surviving a zombie apocalypse. The first is what I like to call "Initial Survivability". It's self-explanatory, really. That being said, I'm still going to explain it.

When the initial outbreak happens, will you survive it? A lot of people are caught unprepared and off-guard. For some it's just bad luck. Of course some other people just can't stop being lucky, and then there are those who are prepared. Even if you're prepared, a streak of bad luck can still take you down during the initial onset. I mean let's face it, if it's your buddy that starts it off by getting infected at some crappy fast food place, and you're the first one he bites, well, there wasn't much you could do about that. Still it's the first couple of days that really count. Normally a zombie apocalypse hits its peak right away, and then it slows. There are some exceptions to this, but for the most part, it's true. And think about it, with most zombie physiology being what it is, it has to be that way. Zombies aren't fast, or smart, or anything. When they get a foot-hold, it's because of sheer numbers. That means that those numbers need to happen immediately, and then they trail off as the surviving humans get dug in.

After that it's mostly down hill. And that's where the second turning point comes in. I call it "Sustainability". You've made it through the outbreak one way or another. Let's say it's about two weeks to a month in. I like two weeks to a month because that's the point where a sustained source of food and water becomes your biggest issue. If you've made it this long, you much have some kind of secure location, so the next question becomes, how are you going to eat? Less than a month out, all you really need access to is canned food and bottled water. Or, just a way to purify water you collect.

There are a lot of different details I could go into about sustainability, and I will down the road, but there's a point to all of this that I'd like to drive home. Think about the two steps as you navigate your way through your own personal zombie apocalypse. First you need to survive, but during that survival, you need to navigate to a place that allows you to sustain your initial survivability. It's great advice for zombie outbreaks, but probably for normal life as well.