Building a Tribe

I can’t think of a better topic on Thanksgiving week than building your tribe. Think of the example of the first Thanksgiving – a group of people who fled the dystopian urban centers of Europe to evade over-reaching federal governments intent upon stamping out their religious freedom. Sound familiar?

These people made the ultimate homesteading and prepping gamble – they crossed the ocean and landed on an unknown shore and had to immediately start fending for themselves, foraging, hunting, fishing, and gathering just to survive. They banded together for mutual defense against hostile natives as well as raiding parties from opposing nations and companies (yes, settlements were companies). Not one of them could survive without their “tribe” of fellow settlers.

It was tough. The weather was rough, the terrain formidable, and misunderstandings between them and the locals led to violence. They won some over and resisted others. Some settlements were wiped out, leaving no trace behind. But the majority not only survived but began to thrive. They made it and they didn’t have YouTube or Google to teach them how or social media to find allies.

Similarly, we will not be able to survive without allies. Solomon even noted this 3,000 years ago when he wrote Ecclesiastes:

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
    But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

There you have it; Tactical Wisdom from wise, old Solomon. You need help – you need a tribe.

The most common question I get is “But how do I find like minded people?”. The answer is simple…when you meet people, you tend to gravitate towards people who think like you. Start there. Learn which of your friends or neighbors are worried about the future. I’m guilty of not doing this. I noticed that my one neighbor wore tactical pants and boots frequently, but I never said a word until he walked up and asked me what I do, given my odd hours. Once he learned that I write and teach about preparedness, he was over a lot more and now we both we know we have an ally, which is rare in my neighborhood (If you know, you know).

Social media isn’t bad either, I’d just avoid Facebook who thinks all preparedness groups are extremists (remember the “Canning Group” debacle?). I tend to find my people on Twitter. I have never jumped directly into allowing them to know my plans however. It generally goes like this, I have a mutual and then find out that they are local to my area. Then, I go and meet them – YES – you have to meet people in real life. I’ve met a bunch of local guys (and some not so local guys) in real life and spent time building relationships. I know their families and they know mine – we have meals together and spend time doing things together. Several of these men are now solid preparedness allies and brothers.

One of them organizes Viking Preparedness meet-ups to link people together. I’ve spoken at a few of his meetings, and we’ve found more great people there. The only way you can develop trust and truly get to know people is by spending time with them in real life. Check out Pastor Joe Fox (he’s a fan of the Council on Future Conflict) of Viking Preparedness.

Our recent trip was another example of expanding the network. Myself, NCScout, and Jason from Wyoming Tactical were invited by the Duke of Montana (Stan, The Virginia Gentleman) to come out to the Duchy to make plans for next summer and onward. On my way, I met with Ron Moeller, former CIA Paramilitary Officer and Legendary Gentleman, for breakfast and another Twitter mutual for lunch (you know who you are). We held several days of meetings with the guys from Shield Arms and some amazing folks from the NW Montana Veteran’s Food Pantry/Camp Ponderosa. The entire purpose was to spend time building relationships for the coming times. I came away with several new friends and solid plans to build further relationships. It takes face time, and there is no substitute.

Attending classes and events is another great way. The first time I attended NC Scout’s Scout and Recce courses, I met two local men that I still interact with. One of the guys from his Michigan RTO course is a daily contact for me. During trainings, you build bonds by working together, having meals together, and spending that fellowship time together in the evenings after the training day is done.

The same thing happened when I attended the Self Reliance Festival in Tennessee. I met a lot of people signing books and sitting at the table, but the relationships were built sitting around the campfire and sharing meals (BTW – Risky Chrisky is pretty darn good at making burgers, just don’t ask him about Glizzy’s). I also ran into several Twitter and YouTube fans and just spent time with them.

Think about this – Sharing meals is how humans have developed relationships and built all civlization. From when the first caveman offered a spot by the fire to a hungry & tired family that walked up to today, sharing meals and fellowship time is how all progress happened. Invest that time. Remember just a generation ago when instead of sitting down to stream the latest garbage, families would go to their friend’s houses and play cards while the kids played? We’re missing out now.

About this point, people always chime in with “but what about feds??”. My answer is “what about them?”. I’m certainly not planning to overthrow the government or kidnap any governors and I’m smart enough to not let someone talk me into it. Just not interested. If you keep your discussion focused on preparedness for emergencies like no power, no phones, and no grocery stores, what in that is criminal? Just don’t talk about dumb things with people you don’t know well and you’ll be fine.

Let also be brutally honest: None of us are really that important or interesting to the feds. The Michigan Entrapment Plot was started BY THE FEDS because they needed to paint Trump supporters as dangerous extremists just before an election, and the entire country was already aware of the “Michigan Militia”, even though it’s mostly an unearned reputation, so they found a few barely literate dudes and went to work. Oathkeepers? Fed Op from the start. Just don’t associate with people who openly contemplate violence and you’ll be fine. To be fair, they already know your intenret search history and all your movements because of your phone, so a face to face meeting isn’t exactly going to shed new light on you. They do most of their investigations via cyber now. Don’t sit at home cowering in fear of them – that’s what they WANT. Defy them by getting out and meeting in real life.

Friends, just look at world events. We are heading either for a catastrophic power failure due to increasing reliance on electricity or a major war that impacts our supply chains and infrastructure. Either way, the effect on your life is the same. You need friends and need a tribe.

Do the work.

If you like this content and would like to support our work, you can either make a donation below or become a supporter at tacticalwisdom.locals.com. You can also support me by clicking on the affiliate links (the underlined links or the photos). I may make a small commission at no cost to you (the feds make me say that).

Also, we have books and t-shirts available here on the website.