Realistic

What a wonderful idea!

I find that the first knee-jerk reaction to this type of thinking is to try to put into place what we have today, as far as rescue and compensation programs, during the pole shift. This will just not be possible. Insurance companies or the governments cannot compensate folks for loss of property. Governments will not be able to feed the entire populace. India cannot be emptied and taken to east Australia to be fed, for instance. Even if the population were moved, they would then quickly starve. The premise that Mike has put out is that there will be no denial, and no establishment protectionism such as "I've got mine, who cares if you don't have yours". Of course, this will not be the case. But given that premise, I think that whomever is trying to help the populace best will stress:

• Self help, as rescue will be almost impossible. Each must help themselves, no passivity and waiting. Even the poor can do this, even those on welfare, as having a garden and living in a shack will be more than staying in the inner city and waiting for the check. The check won't come! And seeds will spout.

• Just the basics, not the shinny new car, not the TV, not the imported foods or tailored clothes, just vegies and mending clothes and eating worms and distilling a bit of drinking water and being out of the rain. Turn a deaf ear to moaning about loss of material things. Utterly deaf.

• Accept inevitable or likely death stoically and with a sense of peace. Those on medical support systems will die. Those dependent on medication will probably die. The seriously injured will probably die. Those who simply can't adjust to a reduced lifestyle, and are endlessly depressed for self focused reasons and want out in suicide should perhaps be allowed to do so. The "if I can't have my house on the beach I'd rather be dead" crowd should be allowed to die!

• Establish priorities on who will get food, if it is scarse and it will be. If one simply says "share and share alike", all will starve. Anyone refusing to work, expecting to be waited upon or given elite treatment due to their prior status, just doesn't eat. People alive but in a vegetative state, brain dead, do not get tube fed, etc. If things are still tight, other rules may have to be put into place. Anyone over 70 without vital skills (a practicing doctor or plumber would be exceptions, etc.) just doesn't eat, etc.

And finally, the best thing, in my opinion, is to stress what can be salvaged. Music and watching the sun set and the joy that comes from helping each other, and love, will still be there! Not much different from prior centuries, when times were routinely rough.