The Walking Dead, Survival Rule of the Week: The worst of times

The Walking Dead penultimate episode

Desperate times show you who people really are.

I’m not finished with Pamela quite yet…

In what might have been the worst display of leadership ever seen in The Walking Dead, after Colonel Vickers informed Pamela of how dire the situation with the walker horde had become, in spite of warnings of the levels of death and devastation (Not to mention how much worse this move would make things in the long term in general), Pamela told Vickers to divert the troopers to her house and to the Estates, i.e. to the rich part of the Commonwealth, where she and her cronies lived. Not to work to protect her civilians, not to arm them to fight the horde, or evacuate them, or divert the horde, no, but to put everything into saving her and her donors.

A paragon of virtue, if ever there was one.

I could contrast this with Eugene, who, despite the fact that he could have just stayed in the apartment he was hiding in and ride things out until Mercer or Yumiko, or Max returned, opted instead to pick up a rifle (Which he had to clobber a trooper to get) and chose to try to help his friends however he could, but, I’d much rather just get to the point: In desperate times, people show you who they really are, and there really aren’t more desperate times than a zombie apocalypse.

It’s why I so often say that it can bring out the best in us and the worst in us because, as the situation grows (Or even seems to grow) more desperate, people’s true personalities emerge. Some people, normally appearing benevolent, generous, caring, altruistic, or selfless, may become violent, stingy, ruthless, and selfish, while others who may seem like violent, greedy, self-serving criminals may reveal themselves to be much more empathetic, noble, kind, and selfless.

When things start to turn sour, either when the apocalypse begins or years after the initial outbreak ended, that’s when you learn who people really are because you see what they do when their backs are against the wall, and they’re faced with the worst-case scenario. Truly good people will shine through, while the truly bad will reveal the vileness that they’ve often hidden deep inside.

And that’s our Walking Dead Survival Rule Of The Week! You might think that a zombie apocalypse would be the ultimate worst-case scenario, but…you would be wrong. As bad as one is, there are so many ways not only for it to get worse but to completely ambush you in the process. You might be able to deal with such a scenario, but only if you’re ready for it. If you want to be as ready for the worst the apocalypse can throw at you as possible, 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, and on iTunes here!