The Walking Dead, Survival Rule Of The Week: Are you strong enough?

In The Walking Dead midseason finale, an important question was asked that we all should ask before a zombie apocalypse: Are we strong enough to survive?

During the season 10 midseason finale of The Walking Dead, while discussing Siddiq’s death, Dante, and the war with the Whisperers in general, Rosita wonders aloud to Father Gabriel: “Maybe we’re not strong enough…”

When you think about, that might just be the scariest thing in a zombie apocalypse: When you are not sure whether or not you’re strong enough to survive; When you don’t know if you’re strong enough to make it to tomorrow.

With that in mind, this week, I think we should focus on how to make yourself as strong as you can be to make sure you will be strong enough to survive.

Firstly, let me ask: What kind of shape are you in?

I ask because, in a zombie apocalypse, whether you’re in good shape or not can make the difference between throwing a zombie off of you, or getting bitten, running fast enough to lose a herd of zombies, or being caught by them.

You need to dedicate time and effort to getting yourself in as good a shape as you can achieve, so that, should the dead ever rise, you will be strong enough to fight them, and fit enough to escape them. Start walking, every day. Start exercising. Build up your strength and endurance. Even if the dead never rise, at least you’ll be doing something for your health, regardless.

Next: Can you withstand pain?

I ask this because, chances are good that you will be dealing with a lot of it in a zombie apocalypse, whether it’s from exposure to the elements, fighting the dead, fighting the living, or just the wear and tear that comes from surviving in an unforgiving world, you will face pain.

To survive, you need to be able to withstand it. I’m not talking about like when you get shots at the doctor’s office, which are over in a second, I’m talking long bouts of it, because that’s the sort of pain you may end up having to deal with. If you crumble the moment things start to hurt, the apocalypse will run you over. You need to get tough to survive.

Thirdly: Are you prepared?

Usually, when I ask that, it’s in reference to learning your environment, planning ahead for encounters with hostiles, stocking up on supplies, etc., but, in this case, I’m asking if you’re prepared to deal with disasters.

Life is harsh, we face disasters of one degree or another all the time, and that will only get more severe in a zombie apocalypse.

Vital infrastructure, defenses, and machinery will break down that you might be relying upon and may not be able to repair or replace, and, inevitably, people (Including those you care about) will die. Are you prepared for that?

You’ll need to be.

Just as you can’t crumble at the first bit of pain the apocalypse throws at you, you can’t collapse whenever tragedy strikes you. You can’t ignore it, obviously, but, you can’t allow yourself to become a wreck, either. You need to accept that you will lose things and people, and, prepare yourself mentally if and/or when those losses occur. Maybe, by being prepared in this fashion, you can learn to prepare in other ways, like having replacements for the machines, defenses, or infrastructure ready whenever they breakdown on you. It never hurts to prepare.

Lastly, you need to learn to persevere.

When things pig-pile on you in the apocalypse, it’s easy to want to give up, to want to just tell yourself “There’s no point” and just throw in the towel.

However, if your goal is to survive, you need to learn that the idea of giving up…simply can’t be an option.

Even if you have to constantly remind yourself to keep on fighting, you do it, because, at the end of the day, you are the one who has to make sure you wake up the next day; Ultimately, your life is your responsibility, and you can not just throw it away, not if you want to survive.

We don’t know what kind of strength we’re capable of until we’re tested, and, a zombie apocalypse will be the ultimate test. I can’t do the work for you, but, hopefully, I’ve shown you what you need to make yourself strong enough to survive.

This is why you follow…The Rules.

And that’s our Survival Rule Of The Week! Hopefully, you’ve gained a little insight into all the various things you’ll need to look out for and do. 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 also get it at Amazon here, on iTunes here!