Triage

I can't tell you how many times I've spent an afternoon in ernest conversation with one or more persons who think TEOTWAWKI is a crock, only to have them turn at the last minute and say:

But isn't it selfish to prepare for yourself and let those around you perish?

LET them perish???

Here's an analogy from the TITANIC. They hit an iceberg. Everyone felt tremors, but most had ways of explaining them away. Rumors and indicators began to circulate, but the officers denied them and soothed fears. Those urging action, or at least investigation were condescended to as alarmist. Once the deck started to tilt, however things changed. Rather quickly.

There was one guy, though; a cook.

He took early, reasoned and decisive steps. Among them, he smeared himself with lard. Man's a genius! He passed out lifejackets, emptied flour drums and threw them, furniture, and any floatables he could find over the side. He analyzed the coming events and stationed himself at the last point to go under when the Great Ship went down, preserving his body's heat as long as possible and minimizing the jump distance when he finally abandoned ship.

He survived, as did a number of those clinging to his jetsam. Man's a hero.

So who was it this guy let perish? Were the hundreds who drowned or succumbed to hypothermia his to save or let die? No. Might some of them have lived if they, too, had taken steps? Undoubtedly. Did some survive thanks to his efforts? Yes.

We can't force people to recognize a threat, much less to prepare for it. In keeping with our metaphor we can try to explain that there are not enough lifeboats, that we're in iceberg waters, that we're going too fast in the dark, that there's one, now, dead ahead!

We can only attempt to educate and persuade. We can do the math, show the graphs and answer emotion with reason. That is the best we can do for them.

We can spread the alarm. Point out that the Unsinkable Ship is, in fact sinking. We can attempt the moral and social equivalent of passing out life-preservers, and urging that they be donned. Toss furniture. Give swimming lessons.

But when we abandon ship, board a lifeboat of our own crafting and provisioning, to face seas perilous in their own right... my guess is you'd better row away from that sinking ship. Hopefully in company with others who heeded the rising waters.

Their question, "Isn't it selfish...?", is a portent of the future.

When the ship is sinking or sunk, those same people, now desperately treading water, will look to you in your slim margin of safety, and they will cry, "Behold the Selfish Ones! Why should they live at our expense?"

And they will swim to us, if they are able, and grapple aboard, and sink us, one and all.