Welcome to Issue Six of SURVIVE.
This magazine was forged in the image of the original SURVIVE publications of the 1980s—hard, practical reading meant for people who understood that comfort is temporary, and stability is never guaranteed. Those pages dealt with nuclear war, street crime, food shortages, economic breakdown, and living off your own hands when systems failed. That mindset wasn’t paranoid then. It was realistic. And it matters now more than ever.
I’ve also taken inspiration from The Modern Minuteman, a monthly newsletter that focuses on the journey to be a modern minuteman. It’s worth your attention.
As 2026 unfolds, it’s becoming harder to ignore the direction things are moving. Prices climb. Wages lag. Trust in institutions continues to erode. Social tension simmers just beneath the surface, along with areas where eruptions are occurring. Global conflict feels closer than most are willing to admit. This is not the year to coast. This is not the year to assume someone else has it handled.
This is the year to inventory your weaknesses.
The year to tighten up loose ends.
The year to prepare on purpose.
SURVIVE exists for one reason: to help you think clearly when others freeze, to act decisively while there’s still room to move, and to build real capability before circumstances force your hand.
If this issue sharpens your thinking or pushes you to act, pass it along to someone who needs it. Preparation spreads best person to person.
Stay alert. Stay ready.
— Jake Martin
Editor, SURVIVE Magazine
OPINION: This Is No Longer Just Division
Jake Martin | Modern Exodus
***Note: The unrest occurring in Mineopolis and other cities over the deportation of illegal immigrants is another example in a series of unfortunate events that showcase not only a defined division within our country, but one that is heavily funded. The continued rhetoric from celebrities, media pundits, sports personalities, and many politicians is pushing a dangerous, violent agenda and motivating many to go to the next level.
Stay aware……and ready.
Something fundamental has changed in this country.
For years, Americans were told the rising anger, distrust, and hostility were just political noise—election cycles, social media drama, temporary outrage. That framing no longer holds. What we’re seeing now is deeper, more organized, and more permanent.
The nation is no longer just divided by opinions. It’s divided by reality itself.
Large segments of the population no longer trust institutions, media, law enforcement, or even their neighbors. Others view those same institutions as illegitimate or hostile. These groups aren’t simply arguing online—they’re organizing, coordinating, and positioning themselves in opposition to one another.
This is what long-term internal tension looks like before it turns into something worse.
The Line Between Protest and Conflict Is Blurring
Civil unrest today doesn’t resemble the spontaneous protests of past decades. It increasingly shows signs of structure: coordination, communication discipline, role assignment, and persistence. These are not emotional outbursts that burn out in a weekend. They are systems designed to endure.
At the same time, trust in federal authority continues to erode while local governments send mixed or conflicting signals about enforcement. This creates space—space where parallel systems emerge, where people begin acting outside traditional civic boundaries because they no longer believe those boundaries protect them.
History is clear on one point: once parallel systems take root inside a society, they don’t simply disappear because people calm down.
They harden.
A Population Pulled Apart
This tension is not confined to one ideology or region. It’s visible everywhere—urban and rural, left and right, young and old.
Families stop talking politics at the dinner table. Friends quietly drift apart. Communities fracture along invisible lines. Stress levels stay elevated. Tempers shorten. People feel watched, judged, or targeted for what they believe.
When a society reaches this stage, the danger isn’t a single flashpoint. It’s the accumulation of pressure.
That pressure eventually releases.
Sometimes it looks like widespread violence.
Sometimes it looks like prolonged instability.
Sometimes it looks like something history later names a civil conflict—whether or not anyone wants to admit it at the time.
Preparing Is Not Panic
Preparation is often mischaracterized as fear. In reality, it’s a rational response to uncertainty.
When systems show strain, the responsible move is to reduce dependency on those systems.
Self-reliance is not about expecting disaster tomorrow. It’s about understanding that volatility increases risk—and risk should be managed.
That means:
Producing more of what you consume
Relying less on fragile supply chains
Knowing how to provide food, heat, water, and security without outside help
Building strong relationships with a small, trusted circle
Lowering exposure to dense population centers where unrest concentrates
None of this requires paranoia. It requires honesty.
Why Low Population Density Matters
Conflict—whether political, economic, or social—always hits cities first and hardest. High density amplifies chaos. Supply shortages become immediate. Law enforcement is stretched thin. Misinformation spreads faster. Tensions escalate more quickly.
Low population areas offer something increasingly rare: distance.
Distance from flashpoints.
Distance from crowds.
Distance from reactionary decision-making.
This is why throughout history, people who saw instability coming didn’t wait for permission to move. They quietly repositioned.
They chose space over convenience.
Control over comfort.
Preparedness over optimism.
The Modern Exodus Is a Risk Reduction Strategy
Leaving dense areas, simplifying life, and rebuilding around essentials is not about abandoning society. It’s about insulating yourself from its failures.
A Modern Exodus doesn’t require fleeing the country or cutting ties. It means stepping back from the most fragile layers of modern life and rebuilding something more durable.
Food you can grow.
Skills you can use.
Shelter you can maintain.
Community you can trust.
If tensions cool, you’re still better off.
If they don’t, you’re not caught flat-footed.
Final Thought
No one knows exactly how far this goes.
What we do know is that societies rarely reverse course once division reaches this level without significant disruption along the way.
Preparation is not a declaration of conflict.
It’s a refusal to be helpless if conflict comes.
The question isn’t whether instability exists.
It’s whether you’re positioned to weather it—or trapped inside it when the pressure finally breaks.
That choice is still yours.
Keep preparing.
— Jake Martin
The above short video showcases several digital preparedness resources available at ExodusReadyGear.com
Instant download and very budget-friendly.
Thoughts on Working Full-time and Trying to Start a Homestead
We moved into a small, five-acre place in the woods of central Maine that had been used as a hunting camp—rough, unfinished, and far from comfortable. We came in during the middle of winter, which meant a lot of things didn’t show themselves right away. Once the snow melted, reality set in. The “driveway” turned out to be nothing but dirt, which became a deep mud pit in spring. The garage had no power at all. Inside the cabin, we found wiring, plumbing, and construction that clearly weren’t up to code. There were no washer or dryer hookups, and the old sink connections were brittle and failing.
While working full-time jobs, we slowly turned the cabin into a livable home. We installed washer and dryer connections, replaced sinks and plumbing, added cabinets, brought in a kitchen table and a couch, and made the space functional and comfortable. That first full year was spent fixing problems we didn’t know existed and improving what we could, one project at a time.
After that, the focus shifted toward building a small homestead. We established two separate garden areas for food production, planted five apple trees, and added blueberry and raspberry bushes. In 2025, we finally added chickens. We brought in a new Amish-built shed and continued improving our firewood storage for the wood stove that heats the cabin through Maine winters, backed up by a propane heater capable of heating the whole place.
We’re now heading into our third full year on the property. Progress has been steady, not fast—but it’s progress. We’ve taken our Modern Exodus as far as we could with the time, energy, and resources we had. And we’re just getting started. A lot more is planned, and I’ll share that in a separate post.
~ Jake
Quick Movie Review: Terminator Salvation
Hello all! Just rewatched Terminator Salvation and gotta say, I’m a huge fan now! At first, I was kinda disappointed when I saw it in theaters years ago. It felt different from the classic Terminator vibes. But after watching it a few times, it’s really grown on me! The action is intense, and I love how it dives into the future war with John Connor. Compared to some other Terminator movies that I thought were straight-up awful (Terminator 3 and 5 - no offense if you like them 😅), this one’s solid. My all-time fave is still the first Terminator—nothing beats that classic!
What’s your favorite Terminator movie? Drop it in the comments! 👇
Jake
On Stippling
I’ve stippled a fair number of magazines, and I’ve done two pistols as well—a S&W Shield 9mm and a S&W M&P9 Gen 1. Nothing fancy. No wild patterns. Just simple, small craters, done clean and evenly.
And honestly? It made a bigger difference than I expected.
On the pistols, those shallow craters completely changed the feel. Sweat, rain, cold hands—doesn’t matter. The grip locks in without feeling sharp or abusive. It’s not sandpaper. It’s not cheese-grater aggressive. It just works. The gun stays where it’s supposed to stay.
On magazines, I experimented more. Different crater sizes. Different spacing. Some lighter, some more aggressive. The result was the same across the board: better purchase during reloads, especially when things aren’t clean or ideal. Gloves on. Wet hands. Cold fingers. You notice it immediately.
Stippling isn’t about looks. It’s about control. If a firearm or magazine feels slick, especially when conditions go bad, a well-done stipple job fixes that problem fast—without adding bulk or gimmicks.
Stay safe,
Jake
Check out Palmetto State Armory for some of the best deals on firearms, ammunition, and magazines.
Free Survival & Preparedness Downloads
Information is valuable. Power grids, communication networks, and the internet may go dark—but what you know and what you’ve stored will remain.
Here we have compiled a collection of printable PDF downloads covering essential topics such as food storage, first aid, homestead security, and more. These files can be safely stored on rugged USB drives or SSDs, ready to access offline using a tablet, phone, or laptop when you need them most.
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Stay ready. Knowledge is power.
Mr. Heater Buddy
Winter doesn’t care about good intentions. When the power goes out, and the furnace goes quiet, heat becomes priority number one—fast.
That’s where the Mr. Heater Buddy shines.
It’s simple. Portable. Reliable. No batteries. No internet. No nonsense. You crack a window for ventilation, fire it up, and suddenly a cold room becomes livable. In a long outage, that can mean the difference between riding it out safely or being forced to leave.
I’ve also run the Ozark Trail version from Walmart, and I’ll say this plainly—it worked excellent. Same basic concept, solid performance, and a good budget-friendly option if that’s what you can get your hands on locally.
Out of the box, these heaters run on 1-pound propane canisters. That’s fine short-term. But here’s the real upgrade: with an adapter hose, you can hook the heater to a standard 20-pound grill tank. That turns a few hours of heat into days. Huge difference in a Maine winter—or anywhere cold.
No heater is magic. You still need common sense and ventilation. But having one of these on hand gives you options. And in winter emergencies, options matter.
Quiet heat. Proven gear. One less thing to worry about when the lights go out.
🔥 Jake
Vaseline & Cotton Balls - the Perfect Fire Starter?
Looking for fire starters that are as good for the backpack as for the backyard? Look no further. Using Vaseline and cotton balls is as simple as it can be, and incredibly effective. While there are many commercially manufactured fire starters, the Vaseline cotton ball works just as well and is superior in many cases.
Making the Vaseline Cotton Ball Fire Starter
You cannot get much simpler - or cheaper.
Putting these together is easy. First, buy a container of petroleum jelly. This does not have to be the brand-name Vaseline, but make sure it is 100%. The dollar store has them as well.
Next, get a bag of cotton balls. Make sure these are 100% cotton as they take a spark the best.
Then, grab a cotton ball and swab it inside the jar of Vaseline, covering up to 3/4 of the fuzzy ball with the petroleum jelly. While you could cover the entire cotton ball, I prefer to leave some of the cotton dry so it can be ignited with a spark.
Lastly, throw the Vaseline-covered cotton balls in a Ziploc bag.
Fire Starting Tip: Save an old prescription bottle and fill it with 10-12 Vaseline cotton balls. This is a very lightweight supply of fire starters that can be used many times.
Starting a Fire With the Vaseline Cotton Ball
These small petroleum jelly-covered cotton balls are highly flammable. They can be ignited via any spark or flame source, including ferro rods, matches, lighters, etc. The dry cotton fibers can be targeted for ignition, or the jelly itself can be targeted. Using a ferro rod a spark or two hitting the cotton will generate flake - and then ignite the petroleum jelly.
Below, I am using a ferro rod and tool sharpener to shower sparks onto a Vaseline cotton ball.
Are Vaseline Cotton Balls The Perfect Fire Starter?
Vaseline cotton balls are wind-resistant, waterproof, lightweight, long-lasting, inexpensive, and easily ignited. If these features match what would be considered a “perfect” fire starter, then I guess they are. The only drawback I can find using Vaseline cotton balls is that they can be a mess to make. That’s it.
Vaseline Cotton Balls: Not Just For Survival
Can’t tell you how many times I’ve started a fire in the backyard fire pit with cotton balls or dryer lint covered with Vaseline. I bring out a Ziploc bag with the messy concoction and work my magic.
Yes - Vaseline cotton balls are not just for survival and sitting comfortably in a bug-out bag. Perfect for camping and the backyard as well.
Jake
JOIN OUR TELEGRAM GROUP: The way we share information has changed—fast. I grew up with magazines and books, then early bulletin boards, then blogs like this one. Now most people get their updates through videos, audio, and quick posts. I’ll be honest, I was slow to adapt.
One platform that’s taken off is Telegram. It’s simple and clean. Videos, audio, photos, and written posts all live in one place. No jumping around. No clutter.
That’s why I started The Prepared.
At its core, it’s a direct line between us. Real-time updates. Real conversations. What’s happening in the world, what’s happening here in Maine, what we’re cooking for dinner, what we’re thinking about, and what we’re keeping an eye on. I post as things happen. Easy in, easy out.
If you’re uneasy about where things seem to be going…
If you want to be more ready for uncertain times…
If you’re looking for a community of people who actually understand what’s going on…
You’re welcome here.
It’s free.
It’s not a scam.
And it’s definitely not a circus.
Join us inside The Prepared → https://t.me/theprepared
For more information and ordering, follow this link 🔗
SCENARIO: EMP in a Small Town in Georgia
The town sat quiet on a two-lane road in rural Georgia, more than an hour from Atlanta and far from anything most people would call important. About 600 folks lived there. Everybody knew everybody. Life moved slow.
Then, without warning, everything stopped.
The power went out. Phones went dead. Radios went silent. Cars that had been running rolled to a stop and wouldn’t restart. By nightfall, it was clear this wasn’t a normal outage. An EMP had hit, and almost every electronic device in town was fried beyond repair.
Ninety-nine percent of modern life was gone in an instant.
Most vehicles were useless—new trucks, SUVs, farm equipment with computers, all dead where they sat. But a handful of vehicles still worked. Older pickups with simple engines fired up like nothing had happened. A few newer cars also survived, likely because they’d been parked inside a metal shop or barn, shielded just enough to avoid the worst of the blast. Others may have been spared because the pulse didn’t hit them clean, blocked by hills, trees, or distance.
Those running vehicles became priceless overnight.
With no way to call for help and no news from the outside world, the town was on its own. People gathered in the church parking lot, talking face-to-face for the first time in years. No screens. No alerts. Just questions, rumors, and the uneasy feeling that whatever had happened out there, life wasn’t going back to normal anytime soon.
What happens now?
🔗 Visit Exodus Ready Gear to see our selection of unique products……..
That’s it for Issue 6.
I appreciate your stopping by. As I continue to develop the Modern Exodus Substack, it is very helpful every time you Like, Share, and comment on any post or note.
We offer a paid subscriber option. This is a great way to support what we do. No begging. If you can and are willing to help, thank you.
Final words: You don’t need me to say it, but I will anyway. The world is becoming more uncertain and increasingly violent. Knowing this, I urge you to act accordingly.
Anything you would like to see in the pages of SURVIVE or on Modern Exodus - please comment below.
Stay safe all.
Jake Martin | Modern Exodus
Again very informative and to add, we talk about survival but many of these things are about action and supplies and gear.
What about survival of the Soul about sharing our Faith, because we’re in a Spiritual battle of huge magnitude
Awesome, thanks!