Paul,
You are right about big groups, they can get chaotic quickly, but I believe in our case we will be much better off with over 100 but you need context to see what I mean.
If 100 random people (some of them friends) rushed and crammed into even an ample sized and well stocked shelter for a year to escape fallout etc exactly what you said would happen.
Someone would decide they were a better leader and stage a coup.
Some group would decide that they should “safeguard” more resources for themselves.
Someone would take justice into their own hands if they feel they’ve been wronged and start a war.
People might not look after one another because they figure that’ll be one less mouth to feed.
In the our group, we’re not just a big hole in the ground; we’ve had 31 years to try and get it right. We’ve always got something to learn and we know a big group requires serious organization, but we’ve built very slowly and developed a culture where we respect each other and our command structure.
- Everyone has a stewardship and is respected in that role.
- We train for our roles and everyone has multiple stewardships for during and after.
For instance some teens (and adults) have monthly training with their adult mentors in
cooking for a big group with electricity and over an open fire. Those same kids know exactly what we have stocked in canned foods and what can tastefully be served cold if needed. That group also works with the
hydroponic team that looks after our in-house crops but are also trained to farm in dirt for afterwards. We have a considerably sized seed bank which we add to yearly and they use the oldest for their practice crops. Both of these groups work with our Pharmacist, Medicinal Chemist, and GP who teach students to recognize symptoms of common ailments and the best drug from our pharmacy to treat them. They also have learned to recognize common
medicinal plants and in fact our hydroponic team grows some of them. Everyone works with everyone and recognizes their value to the group. We have carefully chosen skills that we will need as a group during an event, but also skills that could allow a continuation of some normalcy if an irreversible event occurred as Clair referred to.
Most importantly to the kids, is that all the skills they learn put them in position for great jobs if nothing ever happens.