Living on the Edge of Authoritarianism

The U.S. is on a knife’s edge. Here’s how to protect your family when trust in the system is no longer enough.

Authoritarianism isn’t creeping anymore. It’s here, spreading fast.

We see it in military deployments in American streets, as the National Guard becomes a regular presence in cities where protest is treated as a threat.

We see it in the detainment and trafficking of immigrants, where human beings are reduced to pawns in a political game.

We see it in the silencing of dissent, in neighbors turning against neighbors, and in the normalization of political violence.

This isn’t the America many of us grew up believing in — but it is the America we are living in now.

Preparedness is no longer a fringe idea. It’s survival. And it’s also resistance.

This series is for the people who refuse to look away: progressives, parents, workers, neighbors who know we’re standing on unsteady ground and want to be ready when the cracks widen.

The Scenarios We Need to Talk About

When I started digging deeper into preparedness, I turned to history — because history shows us what collapse and conflict really look like.

In Scars of Independence: America’s Violent Birth by Holger Hoock, the American Revolution is stripped of its mythology. What we see instead is brutality, neighbor turning against neighbor, and a nation born in blood.

In SHTF Survival Stories: Memories from the Balkan War by Selco Begovic, we get a firsthand account of life when society disintegrates. It isn’t romantic. It’s starvation, violence, betrayal, and survival against impossible odds.

Reading these books, I’ve been forced to ask myself: what does this mean for us today, in America, as the current administration doesn’t just push the envelope — it burns the envelope?

What scenarios are most likely to hit us in urban and suburban communities, where the vast majority of Americans live? Three stand out.

• Civil Unrest & Political Violence
  The fault lines are already visible. Assassinations, attacks on public officials, violent clashes in our streets. What’s coming won’t look like a Civil War with armies in the field — it’ll look like a Revolutionary War without uniforms, where the dividing lines run right through our communities.

• Economic Collapse & Supply Chain Shock
  From the breadlines of the Great Depression to the barren shelves of 2020, history tells us the economy can shatter overnight. Inflation, shortages, banking instability — they all converge on one truth: if you can’t secure food, medicine, and essentials, you’re at risk.

• Pandemics & Biological Incidents
  COVID was just the warning shot. With measles and other preventable diseases spreading again, and health agencies withholding vital information, the next pandemic won’t just test our healthcare system — it’ll test our resilience as families and communities.

The Seven Pillars of Survival in a Failing System

Preparedness means reclaiming your power when the system breaks.

Over the coming posts, we’ll break down the seven pillars of urban survival:

1. Fire

2. Water

3. Shelter

4. Food

5. Signaling / Communication

6. Medical / Hygiene

7. Personal Safety

We’ll cover not only what to buy, but also what to learn.

Because gear can be stolen — skills cannot.

---

A Note on Gear Recommendations

I’ll share recommendations for gear I trust or that experts I respect have used. Some links will point to Amazon (which many are boycotting), others to specialty shops.

But when possible, I encourage you to buy from local shops and surplus stores. They’re often more resilient when supply chains strain, and they keep your money in your community.

Links I include are for convenience — not as the only way forward.

---

Preparation as Defiance

This isn’t about fear.

It’s about defiance.

It’s about saying: we see what’s happening, and we will not be left helpless.

If you want to dig deeper as we move through this series, I’ve created resources to help you start right now:

• 👉 Living Under Fascism: A Survival Guide for Progressives

• 👉 Prepping for Liberals: A Compassionate Guide to Readiness in Uncertain Times

• 👉 Emergency Ready: A Family Crisis Plan That Actually Works

These aren’t just guides — they’re tools of resistance.

---

Authoritarianism thrives when people give up. Preparedness is how we fight back.

And that’s where this series begins.

What’s Coming Next

Here’s the path we’ll walk together in this series:

1. Fire – light, heat, and morale in the concrete jungle

2. Water – the forgotten urban lifeline

3. Shelter – holding space when the lights go out

4. Food – beyond the empty shelves

5. Signaling & Communication – staying connected when the grid falters

6. Medical & Hygiene – staying alive and well when help isn’t coming

7. Personal Safety – navigating violence without losing yourself

8. Skills Over Stuff – building true resilience

9. Pulling It Together – your urban preparedness plan

Each post will give you practical, actionable steps to strengthen your resilience, one pillar at a time.

Subscribe and Join the Pathfinders

If you haven’t already, subscribe to the Pathfinder Chronicles so you don’t miss a single post in this series.

Each one will build on the last, guiding you toward a clear, practical plan for your family and your future.

👉 Subscribe now and start building resilience, not fear.