Surviving and Government Dependency

In his 2009 book The Survivors Club (which I read), Ben Sherwood says people fall into three different categories during a crisis: 10% of the people just go crazy or freak-out, 80% have a deer in the headlights reaction, and 10% pull themselves together, act decisively and survive. Those deer-in-the-headlights people are usually waiting for an authority figure to tell them what to do. Meanwhile, each minute or second their survival decreases. 

This 10-80-10 rule is exactly what happened during Katrina disaster. Ten percent of the people left the city, while the rest stayed put. Even some waited for the government to save them--the 80%. Guess what: the government, the police or any other authority figure may not get to you in time to save you. When it comes down to it you have to save yourself. Heck, the mayor of New Orleans did not help anyone by taking their guns away from them and not using empty school buses to help rescue people. What if the authority figures are part of that 80% or even the first 10%? After all they are people too. A crises is an event that separates leaders from true leaders. 

To survive a person has to be like the last 10%. In his 2003 book Deep Survival (I read this book too.), Laurence Gonzales talks about twelve rules of surviving a crises. One of which is to be a rescuer, not a victim. I worry that the more the Left instills the belief into people that Big Gov't can save them (the rescuer) and the everyday person does not have to think for himself (the victim) the worse off America will be. What will happen if some major crises happens all around America like a big solar storm that fries our power grid? It has happened before in the 1800's. It could happen again. I hope if that happens there will be more Americans in that last 10%. Or else the country might not survive.

One final thought. Isn't that 10-80-10 rule similar to the Bell Curve? Just an observation.