The Walking Dead, Survival Rule Of The Week: We need each other

Whether we like it or not, similar to Father Gabriel and Negan in Sunday’s episode of The Walking Dead, we need each other in a zombie apocalypse.

“People are a resource.” That was the message Negan wanted to hammer home in this week’s episode of The Walking Dead. Negan was so adamant about this belief, he was downright menacing to Simon of all people, when the latter suggested just wiping out everyone at The Hilltop.

…Why? Why did the idea of eliminating one whole third of his enemies offend Negan so much?

Because he knows just how much people need each other in a zombie apocalypse.

Before we get too deep, let me begin by saying, I fully believe it to be possible someone could survive a zombie apocalypse on their own.

I believe that a person, thoroughly skilled, thoroughly equipped, thoroughly prepared, and thoroughly lucky, could survive alone.

There are two caveats to this, however: One, it would be extremely difficult; And two, most of us will be lucky if we have one of the requirements to surviving a zombie apocalypse alone, never mind all four.

And, that fourth one is both the most important, and the least controllable. If a person is real lucky, they might be able to avoid large herds of the undead, and avoid facing the sort of numbers disadvantage that makes having help so vital in the first place, but, even if one is, there’s no guarantee that will last for very long.

…Which brings us back to the point.

People have always relied on one another for survival. We’ve always been a communal species, and have relied on groups, whether it was our immediate families, or a whole town, to ensure our survival; A zombie apocalypse won’t change that.

Negan, to his credit, understands this.

While some within The Saviors may see the other groups they extort (To say nothing of the workers inside The Sanctuary) as a disposable underclass, Negan doesn’t see it that way.

He clearly understands that The Saviors’ survival is hinged upon the resources either found, grown, or made by others. Negan realizes that, without those groups or the workers doing what they do, his army wouldn’t last very long.

Of course, there’s more to people than simply utilizing their efforts for the good of the few. At the end of the day, we are most likely to survive a zombie apocalypse if we have someone to watch our backs while we’re in one.

As I mentioned earlier, the simple fact is that it won’t take much for a herd of dozens, maybe hundreds, maybe even thousands of zombies to descend upon us at any time. All it takes is bad luck.

One person might be able to elude them given the right circumstances, but, barring such advantageous situations, the numbers would be too much, and the dead would get a new member.

It is essential that a person have at least someone backing them up against such terrible odds. Whether that person was helping to fight or simply alerting the other to zombies coming up on their blindside, it’s better than trying to take on a herd alone.

This, obviously, has advantages beyond just dealing with zombies.

We can only do so much individually. But, with each person a group or community gains, that’s an additional pair of eyes and hands that can aid in fighting hostiles, gathering (Or growing) supplies, or even just spotting dangers while someone else is distracted.

Hypothetically, every living person can be one more person that can help all of the rest of us survive.

In something of a surprise, Negan has provided us with a great bit of wisdom: People are a resource. And, with so many people turned into the undead in a zombie apocalypse, not an expendable one, either. To survive, we need all the help we can get. Every person can be one more set of hands helping all of us take the world back from the dead.

We’re all in this together.

Next: The Walking Dead, Survival Rule Of The Week: We all need heroes

And that’s our survival rule of the week!! Hopefully, it will help you should you ever need it and give you that mental edge that will prove so crucial once the dead start eating everyone.

If you like this and want to find out more rules to survive the zombie apocalypse, why not pick up a copy of my book, The Rules: A Guide To Surviving The Zombie Apocalypse! You can get it on Kindle here and on iTunes here!