Knowledge

One thing to remember is that any thing can be taken away from you. Any preparation which is highly dependent on things is doomed to fail. Most things are not mobile and so can be found. Once found they can be taken or destroyed in battle or for spite. Things tend to stand out from the background. A windmill will be visible for quite some distance if it is to be effective at capturing wind. A solar panel will cause glint at certain times of day and angles of view. Firearms will cause sounds that can be tracked for miles. Even the smoke from a camp fire can be seen for miles. The only thing that can never be taken from you is knowledge. As far as the "love and light" folks, while I appreciate the sentiment, I'd rather have someone around who has read the US Army survival manual and has a clue how to make a rabbit trap out of sticks and weeds even if he is cranky. To paraphrase the Beatles: "all you need is love" (and the ability to feed yourself and find clean water, first aid knowledge, how to defend against predation, manufacture of simple shelters, start a fire etc). OK, so the Beatles were completely wrong, you need a lot more than love.

It is worthwhile noting that the original pilgrim settlers to America came with iron tools, guns and a serious attitude problem. They starved to death. The very first Virginia colony simply dissappeared without a trace. The native peoples had knowledge and were able to not only feed themselves but were able to take pity on these moronic foreigners who did not have a clue as to how to care for themselves and feed them as well. (Much to their eventual dismay.) It was only after the settlers achieved a certain critical mass that the situation was self-sustaining, and this was only achieved with considerable and constant subsidy from outside. In a situation where our civilization is in a state of collapse, such a subsidy is impossible and so the inevitible scenario will play out. The most effective plan would be to simply wait it out and allow "them thar furiners" to go away by themselves. A parasite, by definition, feeds off of others, and the best way to deal with a parasite is to take away its food. This is simply an avoidance tactic.

But in the mean time, this requires knowledge, not things.

Offered by Kahuna.