Walk with me a bit today. Let's take a moment and pretend to take some steps down a course some say is coming.

Regardless of your politics, it's smart to stay aware and read news from a variety of sources to keep yourself and your family safe. In this era of "fake news" and questionable journalism, sometimes our own common sense, and not the media's sound bites, needs to be the strongest daily voice in our heads.

If reports about the thinking and recent comments at CPAC 2017 made by Trump's Chief Strategist, Steve Bannon, are true - meaning he and the President agree that the best way to change the country's direction is " to bring everything crashing down, and destroy all of today's establishment," as reporter Ronald Radosh recounted from a meeting with Bannon in 2013, then how should you personally plan for continued chaos in the years ahead?

Preparing for If Chaos Destroys the Establishment

Not taking one side or the other, let's assume this statement was fact (there are many that believe Bannon's quote was another example of "fake news" and hit piece, likely so) and simply project a worst-case scenario from this chaos that some think may be coming. Of course, we patriots always hope for the best, but we don't like being blindsided. Patriots plan ahead It's what we do. We plan for the unexpected, just in case life and our fellow, fallible human beings misstep.

Stressed Out Neighbors

Let's talk about the people around you for a moment. According to a February 15, 2017 article, which reviewed the findings of a survey from the American Psychological Association, " Americans are seriously stressed out about the future of the country."

It doesn't matter whether or not you're anxious, (if not, good for you). The problem is that your neighbor might not be sleeping on a regular basis or your co-worker might be so wound up, depressed, or anxious, he or she might be reaching a tipping point. You could be standing next to someone in the checkout line, for all you know, who just argued with a Facebook friend about global issues and politics (again) and is battling an unchecked, inner rage.

According to the APA, psychologists are noticing that "since November, those emotions haven't let up. They've actually gotten worse with political talk consuming therapy sessions."

Over time, stress can trigger a wide range of behaviors from headaches to depression to feeling overwhelmed.

The Washington Post reports that "the survey, conducted by Harris Poll, found 66 percent of Americans reported stress about the future of the country, 57 percent about the current political climate and 49 percent about the election outcome."

WWIII and Chaos

According to an August 2016 article about Russian, Alexsandr Dugin on national talk show host, Glenn Beck's blog, Beck and his writer Lori suggest that "With the unrest across the world, there's little doubt we're headed for World War III. Borders are going to be redrawn, and the evil of the 1930s is returning to the world quickly."

Look at the theory of entropy, "the universal tendency toward disorder, disorganization, disintegration, and chaos." Systems and governments can erode into chaos until what was once thought crazy becomes the norm and then the cycle repeats itself. Change is entropy. So, things might get worse before they get better.

A doctor once asked a fifth grader how he felt about moving. The boy replied, "I don't like change." The doctor tried to explain that change can be good, but the boy was skeptical. Then, the boy moved to a new town. At first, his new school was awkward and unfamiliar, but over time, it became his new normal. And this, my friends, is how change affects many people much of the time.

How will Today's Changes Affect Us?

What will be the outcomes of our new treaties and relationships with China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea? A disruptive world with potential military conflict is a prepper's cue to be ready for the potential fall-out.

There are just too many possible things on the horizon that could create events that would destroy today's establishment.

In an emergency, pushing and shoving at the grocery store or gas station to purchase daily essentials would get scary -- fast. We have always pointed out that our society is just 4 missed meals away from chaos.

Given the current temperature of political discussion in our country and global threats, we are nearing a boiling point that could lead to that moment about everything crashing down becoming a horrible reality. Whether we like it or not.

One road ahead of us, sadly, is not too hard to see or believe:

• Chaos leads to civil breakdown.
• Breakdown leads to divisions.
• Divisions nationally lead to Civil War.
• War leads to authoritarian rule.
• Authoritarian rule is un-American.

Americans by our DNA don't submit to or want to depend on, an authoritarian form of government.

More chaos.

It's better to develop and act on a plan now for self-reliance.

Considerations for Your Plan

This is where the common-sense voice in your head has to take charge. Those who prepare and practice self-reliance know what to do.

You might live in a square box like everyone else, but don't tell everyone that you've been planning for chaos.

• Be stocked with several months' worth of food, gas, and personal items.
• Check that you have what you need for your water purification and power generation.
• Be ready with a container of heirloom seeds and uncontaminated soil for long-term survival.
• If you need medicines, obtain and store as many as you can.
• Plan for the day when you can't easily order anything you want online, let alone get to a store.
• Store everything in a safe place, so that you can avoid being in the wrong place at the wrong time during a national or localized crisis.
• If our country experiences a war or a nuclear catastrophe, make sure your escape plan has been communicated to your family.
• Know how you'll contact your family if cell phone and Internet communications are dead.

Don't panic in the middle of the entropy period which we might now be entering, friends. If we remain calm, think this through and are prepared, we'll ride through the varying reactions to any chaos brewing around us.

Stay safe and stay tuned!
Keith Bansemer

References:

http://www.snopes.com/bannon-leninist-destroy-sta...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nTd2ZAX_tc
https://news.vice.com/story/steve-bannon-breitbar...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life...
http://www.glennbeck.com/2016/08/01/understanding...
http://mylifebook.com/blog/the-chaos-theory-and-a...