The phrase “There are only nine meals between mankind and anarchy” was stated by Alfred Henry Lewis in 1906. He was an investigative journalist, editor, and lawyer who wrote for the Chicago Times-Herald. In 1906, the supply lines for food distribution were different than today, but the sentiment is the same.

Until yesterday, I had not thought about this phrase until I met a guy who is also a prepper and has woken up to the lies we have been fed in this country. When you meet someone who is a prepper and you have a pretty deep conversation with them, you learn new things. (Or at least I hope you do!) He brought up the fact that we are nine meals from anarchy.

In this country, grocery stores, warehouse stores, and mass-market retailers only carry enough food on the shelves for three days. They have trucks scheduled for deliveries 1-3 times a week depending on the product and the sales. They may have another two days’ worth of food in their warehouse or storage inside the store, but usually not any more than that.

For example, stores like Walmart have huge distribution centers all over the country that make deliveries to their stores almost every day. Those distribution centers rely on loads being delivered to them and by them using trucks multiple times a day every day. The Walmart system does not work without the trucking industry.

For everyday shopping and in normal times, this is fine. People generally shop 1-2 times a week and they don’t know any better. They might be a little perturbed if the store is out of a product or if the sale items are sold out, but they know in a few days more will be coming. They know they can usually get a rain check or just come back for that item.

However…

What happens when there is a pending disaster or a chaotic event?

What is the first thing that people do when they know a snowstorm is coming or they will not be able to leave home for a few days?

They run – not walk – run to the grocery store. They load up on food and they wipe the shelves clean. They don’t want to go hungry.

Suddenly, the three-day cushion becomes less than a day. Stores have to reorder what they need to restock and the trucks need to be back on their way to the store. This can be at least a 1-3 day turnaround because the trucks deliver from warehouses. Warehouses need to reorder and restock for the outbound orders.

And if a disaster or chaotic event hits before the trucks can make it back, there is no food at the grocery store.

If there is no food at the grocery store, people are going hungry.

If people are going hungry, there will be anarchy. People do not like to be hungry. That is just a standard, basic fact. If they are hungry or their babies are hungry, guess what? They will go to any means necessary to get the food they need to feed themselves and their families.

They will loot the stores. They will ask neighbors and families for food. They will just start to steal food. They will start to waylay the trucks delivering the food. They will do whatever they can to get food and water.

You don’t want to be them. The most important thing you can do for preparedness, besides increasing your knowledge and skills, is to constantly increase your water and food storage. You want to have at least a month’s worth of food in your home at all times.

However, now the Department of Homeland Security is recommending SIX MONTHS OF WATER, FOOD, AND SUPPLIES. Does it seem like I am yelling that? I am. When a government agency that usually has its head buried in the sand says something like that, pay attention. They know our power grid is not defendable. They know it is vulnerable. They know it needs to be updated and secured. However, hackers can get into computer systems now and shut them down. They know terrorists can send an EMP-like bomb and shut it down for great lengths of time.

(Update 1/4/24: I can no longer find the links for DHS recommending that much water. FEMA does state that you should have several days worth of potable water. Use your judgment, but know that three days is not enough. Two weeks does not seem enough either.)

And guess what? No electricity means no to a lot of things. Grocery stores will be set back 100+ years. Most gas stations will not be able to pump gas which means no trucks delivering food. No trucks delivering food means the grocery stores have nothing to put on their shelves. No food on the shelves means people will start to go hungry.

When people go hungry, anarchy begins.

Anarchy is not a good thing despite the number of people who think it needs to happen. It is scary for the people who live in the area, the people who need to defend their homes and food, and for anyone caught up in the chaos. It causes a lot of damage, unnecessary deaths, and more because people refused to prepare for this and decided to become criminals instead.

Many of you will say that you never would stoop to this. You would never be part of the anarchy. I will call you out on that right now. Unless you have a superior sense of morality and ethics, you will never know what you will do or are capable of until you are in this situation. You ran out of food and now your babies are hungry? Hmmm…you will try to get food the right way at first, but then what?

This is scary to think about. Most people will not take it as seriously as they should because they don’t want to think it will happen. However, look at what happens before a hurricane. Look at what happens before a major snowstorm in an area that isn’t used to snowstorms. It happens in Iowa before a blizzard and people here should be used to it. They wipe the stores clean to have enough food at home to get by.

I realize that most people who read this article are preppers in some shape, way, and form. However, you must tell others about this. You have the ways and means to encourage others to prepare and start adding food and water storage.

I know a lot of people reading this also grow and raise their own food. Do not take comfort in that fact because if the food is not ready to eat or stored away ready to eat, you do not have that food to eat. You still need six months of food and water stored in your home, ready to eat. Yes, you can still grow food and butcher meat, but have you thought about how to do that with no power?

Recommended reading:
Nine Meals From Anarchy by Doug Casey’s Internation Man
Surviving a Catastrophic Power Outage: Strengthen the Capabilities of the Nation

Thanks for reading,
Erica

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10 Preparedness Items You Should Be Buying Every Month
10 More Preparedness Items You Should Be Buying Every Month
10 Non-Perishable Food Preps You Should Be Buying Every Month

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