Modern Moroni Mental Simulation

Intro

I was reading in the Book of Mormon about Chief Captain Moroni preparing his people and the cities for the tribulations they would soon undergo. I decided to simulate in my mind what it would be like if I were in his position in the 21st century. Not to compare myself to this great man of God, but as a mental exercise, and it turned out to be both interesting, fun, and a little daunting.

Some scriptures that came to mind were Alma 50, and 3 Nephi 4:4.

This would not be meant to be undertaken by a single person or family, but by a network of people with the knowledge to come together to make this an attainable goal. It would be too much of a burden for any one family to try to manage by themselves in an effective way, but a groups of people could purchase the items, or bring what they have with them, and learn the skills needed to survive and thrive without modern conveniences.

Much of this is specific for a gathering location outside of towns and cities, in the mountains, or at least in the woods, but the same principles could be used in towns, in your own homes and with your wards and neighborhoods. For instance, we will still need to all have water filtration, and use football fields as farmland, and a defensive guard patrolling the borders of the town.

Reign of the Judges: Title of Liberty

Food

Farming will, of course, be the primary source of a self reliant community. Hunting will be short lived, and unreliable. If farming wheat, beans, rice, vegetables, and berries does not sustain us, nothing but manna from heaven will.

Farming may be difficult at first depending on the security of the land, the elevation, and weather, which is what will make the year supply (or more) of food so important.

People say, "Well, not everyone has a year supply, so perhaps it will not be a year's worth of tribulation and we will be sharing!" Some will even count on their neighbors sharing with them under moral obligation, instead of following the prophet's counsel and getting their own.
These people are under the false assumption that the population will remain the same after war, disease, or natural disaster occurs. Obedience brings protection. Plan on food for at least one year. It's not as expensive as you think, but start it now if you haven't already.

Needs: farming equipment/tools, manpower, seeds, knowledge, land, waterways, cooking equipment (furnaces), fuel to cook.

Water

Water will be the first thing we would need to establish, first for ourselves and animals, second for farming and sanitation. We will likely be camped near either a running or standing body of water. Filtration will be important to avoid disease.

For waterways, if piping is unavailable, #10 cans will work if riveted together correctly.

Needs: filtration systems, knowledge on how to make more filters for every family, tools for waterways.

Shelter

Tents will likely be our first shelter, but hopefully not our final one. If we are fortunate enough to be at a boy’s camp or girl’s camp, some can use those cabins, but they will be crowded and have little privacy. They will be nice and warm for the winter since they are so packed, but we will want to make more. We will also have to make our own furniture.

Native Americans used Long Houses for community homes. An apartment/motel like structure would achieve a similar function, while allowing for privacy. It would allow heat to be shared during the winter, and save room in the community area, vs everyone having their own yard and need to fuel so many individual fires.

Needs: tools to cut down trees, shape the wood, or to make brick/cement/adobe homes, knowledge on furniture making.

Animals

Some animals will be a liability, others an asset. Most livestock (pigs and cows) will have to be bred before it can be enough to feed everyone. Horses will be great transportation, milk cows, chickens, and goats all obviously have their uses, but none should be eaten until there is a surplus.

There will likely be too many dogs. Some will be good for hunting and others as watchdogs, most will just make a mess and a health hazard, and unfortunately eat more food than they are worth. There will likely be too many cats as well. Some will be useful in controlling rodent populations, most will be a health hazard, make a mess, and eat more food than they are worth.

Tools

Metalworking will be very important. Welding will not last long, so knowledge of how to cast our own tools will be very important. We can bring our own tools, but they will break, and need repair/replacement.

A kiln could be made with clay.  To make hard iron, you could add carbon by draining the used motor oil (not synthetic!) from cars that will never drive again (either from an EMP or gas shortage).  Once you have the metal super hot, you dip it into the oil, which adds the carbon in between the molecules, and then you cool it quickly by dipping it in water.

Needs: a heavy duty furnace, knowledge of casting/blacksmithing

Medicine

Doctors will be at a disadvantage at first as they will not have power or new supplies/modern medicines. Herbs, oils, and traditional medicine will take over, though doctors will still play a vital role in important medical care.

Midwives will become very common, and need to learn the way ancient midwives cared for mothers and babies. There are many tools that they can gather now to be used for later.

Cross training between midwives and medical doctors will be important, the more people who know how to stitch people up, set broken bones, and birth babies, the better we will all be.

Needs: Herb seeds, knowledge of herbs, dopplers will be incredibly useful, so have backups and batteries, reusable equipment, a medical care facility, cross training between midwives and medical doctors.

Communication

One of the most important commodities will be information. Scouts, lookouts, and radio operators will be required for safety, security, trade, and direction. Radios will be a useful, and dangerous means of communication. Other methods include mirrors, flags, handheld laser lights, smoke, flares, bells.

Develop codes to prevent secure information being transmitted to someone that would do you harm. Locations, populations, supplies, and movements are all secure information. Keep them coded.

Needs: HAM radios and operators, the radios need to be safe from EMP at least until one happens (some predict there will be two EMP strikes for good measure). Back-ups, back-ups, back-ups. Handheld HAM radios for scouts, radio towers, knowledge, lookout towers, gas-free vehicles for scouts (horses, bicycles, backpacks, camo), tools.

Energy

This would be a difficult one, gasoline will be gone or unusable within 3 months (either from EMP strike, or , so we will have to rely on solar, wind, water, and thermal power. They will be used primarily for communication and perhaps administration, but most admin will be on paper.

Water power will be useful around rivers, wind generators in areas with high wind, and solar generators in sunny locations, assuming volcanic ash hasn’t blocked out the sun.

Needs: Solar panels, windmills, watermills, alternators, tools, power cables, light bulbs.

Defense

Everyone should be able to defend themselves, self defense classes would be a great blessing to those living in refuge gathering areas. A guard will be posted day and night, more than one person at night, and sentries posted in watch towers all around the area. Formations, tactics, and drills would be run to prepare against roving and violent bandits.

Outer towers should be focused on seeing without being seen. Keep them in trees or camouflaged by rocks and dirt on top of mountains. Keep an eye out for herd animals, storms, enemy movements, and refugees.

Inner towers can be for defense and looking out, but they will be easy targets as well. Building underground tunnels and bunkers will be more secure in actual defensive combat.

Needs: Self defense tools, watch towers, HAM radios, power for radios, defensive clothing, knowledge of making different tools of defense, tools, courage, faith.

Sanitation

Outhouses will have to be build and the waste disposed of in a way that doesn’t infect the farming area or water supply.

Needs: Nose plugs for the unfortunate souls who get stuck with that stinky job, tools to build, willpower to say goodbye to the toilet.

Administration

Leadership would be decided by the Lord. In fact, none of this would happen without the Lord’s servants directing us. Any who try to take you out before the Lord’s servants are not following God’s plan, and you will be better staying close to the Brethren.

Stake Presidents would preside over their stakes, bishops over their wards. A central hub of communication and organization would be made for every gathering location.

Refugees will flee and may find their way to you. Be ready to help them. Do so carefully, they may carry disease. Have a quarantine area for new arrivals to prevent unnecessary diseases from spreading. Medical doctors will play a vital role in this area.

Needs: The Lord’s anointed servants, faith to follow them, oil in our lamps.

Religion

Every home, meeting house, and heart an extension of the temple. We will only live by the grace of Christ. We would be like children in the forest, wanders, unsure of how to survive like our ancestors did, but with Christ we will survive and thrive.

Needs: Firm faith in the love of Christ, hope in His salvation, charity for one another.