*Spoilers if you’re not caught up on season 4 of The Walking Dead!
AMC’s The Walking Dead is one of the biggest shows on TV – but it’s more than just zombies and drama. With millions of viewers each week, the show is breaking records left and right, and it’s already been renewed for a new season next year.
UC Irvine even created an online class called Society, Science, Survival: Lessons from AMC’s The Walking Dead – you can still enroll if you’re interested in learning more about how the show can adapt to real life situations.
If our world was to ever be overtaken, you could use some of the show’s life lessons in your own quest for safety and control during a zombie apocalypse. Some of these skills can even be adapted in your zombie-free life, including trust and surrounding yourself with good people. If (or when) the zombies come, you can take these tips and use them to ensure your safety.
Find Shelter… But Be Prepared To Leave At A Moment’s Notice
Whether there’s a zombie apocalypse or some other natural disaster, a safe shelter is key. You need a place to make as close to a “home” as possible, and that place needs to be impenetrable from both zombies and other possibly-dangerous humans.
After finding your safe place, remember that nothing lasts forever. We first met The Walking Dead’s survivors at a campsite at a quarry and that was safe until it wasn’t. The camp got overrun with walkers and the group had to make a run for it – it ended up with lots of casualties and people getting split up. If only the group had been more prepared, they would have been better off at the campsite.
That disaster got the survivors prepared for the next time they had to take off unexpectedly. When Hershel’s farm was overrun with walkers, Rick and team were more organized and had a plan. Now they’re living in the most secure shelter yet, the prison. Too bad this time, there’s an infection inside making people sick. Who knows how much longer they’ll get to call the prison home.
Stock Up On Supplies… Or Plan Your Trips Carefully
When you get the chance, you’ve got to grab as many supplies as possible. Food, water, weapons, ammo, medical supplies – you’ll need it all, and you’ll want to have all of it handy for emergencies. The CDC recommends being prepared for all emergencies – and then you’ll be prepared against zombies as well. Just make sure to have some weapons on hand, too.
Stock up when you can and take as much as you can because these trips can be incredibly dangerous. On the show, Daryl, Rick, Michonne and others often have to make runs for supplies . These trips can often end with casualties if they’re not planned, like in the case of Shane and Otis’ trip to get medical supplies when Carl was shot. Even when trips are planned, you never know what might happen with hordes of zombies out to get you. Be careful out there!
Find Weapons… And Make Sure You Know How To Use Them
You can’t survive a zombie apocalypse without weapons to defend yourself. Find quiet weapons to use and keep the guns for emergencies since they’re loud and attract more unwanted biters. Guns and ammo are key to survival, but also gather knives, swords and other quiet weapons. The hundreds of Walking Dead zombies have been killed with a plethora of unconventional weapons – an important part of survival.
On The Walking Dead, we’ve seen many instances of the survivors learning how to use weapons. At the beginning of the series, Shane gave Andrea a lesson in shooting that saved her life. More recently, Carol began hosting a “story time” for the kids at the prison – and story time was just a cover up to begin teaching the kids about how to use knives to kill walkers. Even though Carol did this against Rick’s wishes, it’s unfortunately important that everyone know how to use weapons to protect themselves and others.
Trust Is Crucial… And It’s Hard To Earn
And it can be even harder to keep. You have to know that you can trust your group and that they can trust you. Even once-mutual trust can be destroyed in an instant if you mess up.
For instance, Rick and Carol had a strong bond until Carol took the groups safety into her own hands without Rick’s consent. When Rick learned that Carol’s actions led to two people being killed, he abandoned her and sent her off on her own because he wasn’t able to trust her anymore. There’s a fine line between protecting your group and hurting it – and in Carol’s case, she didn’t solve any problems because the spread of sickness at the prison was not stopped with the death of Karen and David.
What do you think are the most important skills or lessons we can learn from The Walking Dead? How will you survive the zombie apocalypse?
Guest Post By:
Kevin Fischer is a freelance writer. With a passion for TV, technology, sports, movies and music, Kevin is best considered as entertainment-enthusiast. In addition to keeping up with his favorite programs, teams, gadgets, and celebrities, Kevin enjoys going to concerts and exploring his musical talents. Tweet him @KevinTFischer.
