The Walking Dead, Survival Rule Of The Week: It’s Always People

Tales of the Walking Dead

In a zombie apocalypse, it’s always better with people.

Last week, I discussed how, at its most basic, having a group in a zombie apocalypse serves to protect you when you are most vulnerable, but, in reality, having a group means so much more than that.

Firstly, yes, the most basic foundation of a group in the apocalypse is so that you and whoever the first person you join up with can sleep and go to the bathroom safely, knowing that while you’re incapable of defending yourself, you got someone watching your back.

However, being with other people also means that, especially as your numbers grow, you can divide your labor, and have some people gathering supplies, while others fortify your base, or scout your surroundings to keep an eye out for herds or hostiles, while still others might try to grow food, or build shelters, so that you’re not trying to do all of these things at once by yourself.

Having other people can also help fill gaps in your knowledge and skills. Amy, for example, was unwittingly making herself sick eating nightshade berries. Dr. Everett helped cure her of the poison and explained to her (Using his knowledge of the local flora) why her chosen diet was so detrimental to her. If you’re in the apocalypse and don’t know something, but someone else in your group does, they can teach you so that you’re no longer ignorant, and your chances of survival increase.

Furthermore, having other people around can, quite frankly, help you keep your feet firmly planted on the ground and prevent your mind from deteriorating. As we saw from this week’s Tales of The Walking Dead, Dr. Everett’s years separated from people seemed to be morphing into a kind of misanthropy, where he would sit idly by and let the dead eat the living and, largely, not even care. That is only one problem extended solitude can cause. Given enough time, such conditions could lead to things like paranoia or delusions, where you either are in a state of perpetual distrust of others, or you start thinking things and people are there that only really exist in your mind.

Having other people around can help you keep these problems from manifesting and help keep your mind in check, which is utterly crucial to your survival.

When it comes to surviving a zombie apocalypse, it’s always better to do it as part of a team. It may not make things easy, but it will make things easier.