Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse

“The global tally of coronavirus infections has passed 10 million, with surges in multiple regions and the death toll approaching 500,000” reads the New York Times headline a few days ago. This and the feedback from my article “Coronavirus pandemic or the Zombie Apocalypse”, on the similarities between the Zombie Apocalypse and the current 2019 novel coronavirus pandemic, has inspired me to do a follow-up. 

Here’s the link if you missed it: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/coronavirus-pandemic-zombie-apocalypse-nicholas-mcdavid. When replying to a “concerned” reader who wrote to me personally, I told her I was a former scout and like the motto says “Be Prepared”. This motto was the inspirational spark for this short narrative!

Now, I drew the title of this current article from an entertaining movie of the same name, that I did not remember while writing my first/previous article. However, my article has nothing to do with the plot of the actual movie (even if there are similarities), but rather what I learned during my scouting days at the Sts. Peter & Paul Prep Cub Scout Pack positioned against our coronavirus zombie apocalypse situation.

I tell my wife Francesca that it is a MUST that our (2) sons enrol in the scouts. I see it as an incomparable life-lesson. So, what did I learn and how will it help with our Jamaican, Caribbean and worldwide “situation”? One of the very first relevant things imprinted on me is the companion system. We scouts never walk alone! Whatever endeavours we did, we did it in pairs or were split up into small groups. This is an essential rule for the zombie apocalypse! 

Zombies can be cunning, and usually, where there is one there is another or several. Therefore, a cohesive unit is always best when on guard duty, patrolling for survivors or looking for food, medicine and water. This is key! Drawing inspiration from the phrase “Science fiction to science fact”, and in today’s world where literary fiction may become literal fact, one must travel in good ole fashioned packs like the wolf pack strong throughout the storied history of scouting.

Essential survival skills will become a must! From early we were taught as scouts to utilize things from a “raw environment” and make them useful. As public services and utilities shut down because we have become overrun by zombies, the clock will be reset and one will have to live like “original man”. Back to basics! Therefore, the skills imparted on us through our scout training such as setting up camp, making a fire, cooking by campfire and using one’s camping knife for just about everything will make a huge difference.

We were also deeply ingrained with a sense of community. That nobody is an island. That we must look out for others and always help the helpless and those in need/in need of assistance. As world-systems collapse, more than ever will we need to be there for one another. To get ourselves back on track society will have to rebuild through communities and community action! As one of the most profound African proverbs states “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

Next on my guide is the code of honour. Any situation like this, mass crisis, inevitably tests trust and doing the right thing among human beings. The times will be challenging and things will erode to a dog-eat-dog situation. No matter how hard, no matter the pressure, a scout is always forthright and forthcoming. Our training and our ethos allow us to stand tall in any situation! No matter what, a scout is someone you can always count on!

Lastly, and very importantly, we were taught to always be prepared! That life is filled with challenges and rocky roads, and that we must have a mindset ready to embrace and hurdle those challenges. That we are human, we will stumble, we will fall, but we must never accept defeat or be self-defeated! Jamaica as with many parts of the Caribbean Community is at a point where many (especially the youth) need these kinds of messages RIGHT NOW!

Will the Zombie Apocalypse fully come to reality? Who knows! Like a bookstore photo, I saw on the internet said: “The science fiction section has been moved to current affairs”. So who knows! But this is what I know for sure! Scouting has declined in Jamaica, and we would do very well to have it re-energized for the sake of today’s and tomorrow’s youth! The lessons I have learnt at the Sts. Peter & Paul Prep Cub Scout Pack I carry with me still 30 years later and shall continue to do so!