MovieChat Forums > The Road (2009) Discussion > If you knew it was coming...

If you knew it was coming...


...how would you prepare?

Would you hope to travel somewhere or shelter in place?

Most sustainable food source?

Most effective travel vehicle?

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It always struck me as odd that no one had a mushroom farm going. But I guess if you're moving around all the time, you couldn't do that.

As for vehicle, everything seemed in pretty bad shape. You can't have a horse, because you have to feed it. I don't know how long petrol lasts, but I think it has a "best before" date. What we're the cannibals using to get around with? I'd probably avoid big roads, in any case.

It's a tough one, because things looked pretty bleak.

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Why mushrooms? They seem too low in fat and calories to be very sustaining. Wrong?

Petrol can last a long time with stabilizer. But it's not sustainable. Maybe something the size of a golf cart where you charge a battery with pedal power? Bullet-proof, with cappable holes to shoot through?

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Mushrooms don't need that much light to grow and they like humidity, and the world seemed pretty dark and wet. That's the only reason I thought of that. In any case, you need to figure out how to grow food, because cans would only last you so long. But you either need natural light or power for grow lamps and such. But when you have cannibals on you heels, you can't really settle down and start a garden.

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I'd stock:

Bandanas/Face mask
Long term food which wouldn't spoil.
As much water as I could store, and a means to sanitize & filter water.
Have either tarps, or a lightweight tent.
Knives
Fire making tools
My list is rather long, but Air, Shelter, Water, Food, Security covers the basics.
http://survivalathome.com/survival-rule-of-three/ is only one of thousands of articles referencing any In Case Of Senario (my bookmarks are a testament).

Bicycle. I would say an old truck, but gas would run out, or get old & unusable eventually.

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If you get sick or break a bone, none of these matters.
Today people live until they're 70 - 80 and we are more than 7 billion.
And everything happened in the last 100 years, with the discovery of medicines.
You could have food to last for 20 years, if something happens to your health, you're done.

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OK. So far, I'm thinking...

-Stay in place. Travel only as far as you need to live in community. If you're on a farm, move into town.
-Live in community. You need enough people to provide teamwork for tough projects, defense, and as much varied expertise as possible. But live in a small enough community to provide accountability. It reduces crime.
-Live modestly to discourage marauders. Offer to share willingly. Gangs won't waste bullets on a willing source they can re-pillage as necessary. Hide the good stuff and share the mushrooms and sprouts with a smile. If they wanna kill for the fun of it, waste 'em.
Grow your territory and your defenses simultaneously. If you can't defend it, you can't keep it.

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If you *knew* it was coming, then the questions are how far in advance? Less than a month than you can really only try to take care of you and yours. Longer, than you try to be a Cassandra and warn people but they would not listen. Its too far-fetched.

But okay, I'd have to move with my family somewhere isolated with water and stockpile non-perishable food. I means tons of food since in the Road, growing your own is no longer possible. And water, water treatment, and medicine. Clearly, safe water must be available. Then you have to defend the horde, which will not be movable. But, if enough time goes by, more armed and desperate folks will attack to get what you have and they don't. Matter of time. Unless, so damn isolated and stocked up that you live off the grid until sickness or an injury gets you.

The movie is bleak and depressing. So much so I could only watch it once and gave up on the book.

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