Survivalism Is an Interesting Social Movement
Written on Jul 29, 2026
It's easy to become interested in survivalism with the constant threat of nuclear war hanging over our heads. It's also not difficult to imagine how society would break down, regardless of what actually causes an apocalypse.
Wikipedia has a long page on various aspects of survivalism. Unless you're an avid reader, it'll take a while to digest all the information on it. For even more reading, check out the "Survivor Library". Most of the books (in PDF files) are old.
Survivalism and the Remnants of Life
Survivalism means nothing if there's no one left. A nuclear war, even a limited one, would probably leave few survivors who would probably not live long after the war. Some forms of radiation won't dissipate completely for decades.
The Chernobyl disaster occurred in 1986, and most of the original exclusion zone is still off limits. More information about radioactive fallout is available from the United States EPA.
There is a chance for what's left of society if the type of apocalypse is something else, like an out-of-control pandemic. If the COVID-19 pandemic had been much worse, most people wouldn't have survived it. People were stockpiling toilet paper and hand sanitizer, things that no one can eat.
Disaster Preparation
For most people, disaster preparation isn't even feasible. The first thing you need is a place where you can stay, along with your supplies, until the brunt of the disaster has subsided. Most basements are woefully inadequate.
You require a minimum of three feet of hard packed earth, or two feet of cement, on all sides to prevent radiation from reaching you. Still, they're better than nothing.
I've never lived in a house with a basement. Visiting someone who has one doesn't count. I'm sure there are places that could double as fallout shelters, even in the Philippines, but I can't tell you where any of them are located.
Prepper Media
I didn't pay much attention to prepper media until I stumbled upon one of the videos from "The Lost Ways" YouTube channel. The videos promote a book, which is probably good. Another channel, "2 Guys & A Cooler", is a bit more entertaining to me.
YouTube has a way of "suggesting" related videos, and that's how I came upon the "Pinch of Patience" channel. All of these videos promote one form of survivalism or another. While all of them are interesting to me in some way, they aren't practical for me, and that's all I can really say about them.
Apocalyptic Movies and Television Series
I watched two seasons of the "Fallout" video series, which is based on the video game series of the same name. While it seemed a bit unrealistic, I've enjoyed it so far and look forward to the next season.
Many people are fond of the "Mad Max" movie series, but I haven't really enjoyed an apocalyptic movie since I saw "A Boy and His Dog" in 1975. The story was supposed to take place in 2024, which means it wasn't prophetic at all.
Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay