As far as we can tell, definition means “honest description”. There are many creative and intelligent ways to phrase honest descriptions. One of our definitions for the phrase “survival kit”, and one which we feel quite reasonable, is “a kit containing the items necessary to ensure survival is a distinct possibility in basic worst-case (life-threatening) scenarios”. And yet, subpar definitions seem to be all the rage these days.
A currently popular definition of “survival kit” seems to be “to increase the likelihood of successfully performing certain tasks which might or might not be part and parcel to the livability of an ideally anticipated survival situation.” Definitions such as these are easily thought of as the design criteria for many popular “survival kits” that include such things as travel sewing kits, pencil and paper, and of course fishhooks. The one that comes immediately to mind is the “Altoids Tin Survival Kit”. Kits such as these do not adequately address the needs of many basic survival situations, such as amputation, snakebite, hypothermia, dehydration, self-defense, etc. Our thinking would have our survival kit address the most fundamental survival concepts, ensuring that immediate basic life-saving first-aid needs and immediate subsistence needs can be met.
On the other hand, we do not feel that the “Altoids Tin Survival Kit” has no place in society. Instead we believe that in order for the charm of the “Altoids Tin Survival Kit” to survive in this highly competitive and ever-changing world, it is necessary to understand that if such kits are to serve any real purpose at all, they must serve as nothing more than the idea-goal for what we all think would make an ideal kit. The space constraint is obviously the number one priority for this hypothetical design challenge, as it “must” fit into an average sized shirt or pants pocket. This priority assumes that the kit is also lightweight, and lightweight is necessarily implied as the number two priority. Imagine that, a survival kit that fits in a shirt pocket! Wow! Hold on. Remember that this representation, this “Altoids Tin Survival Kit”, does greatly rely upon compromise with regards to our definition of “survival kit”. Simply stated, we do not at this time possess the miniaturization technology necessary to fit all the items necessary to a true survival kit inside of an Altoids Tin. Maybe when the year 3058 rolls around, our inventiveness will give us the ability to create boxes lined with energy fields to the effect that all things placed within them suddenly shrink down to 1/20th of their original size. But as of course we all know and realize full well, as of today, a truly viable “Altoids Tin Survival Kit” remains but a sci-fi fantasy. Thus, the “Altoids Tin Survival Kit” cannot be thought of as able to serve our purposes with regards to our definition(s) of “survival kit”.
So, we have arrived at the professional opinion, that is, it is our opinion here at TQS, that since an Altoids tin cannot possibly be lair to the basic items we feel are necessary to provide for immediate basic life-saving first aid needs and immediate subsistence needs, the “Altoids Tin Survival Kit”, should more honestly be described as being the “Altoids Tin Survival Kit Design Challenge for a Sci-Fi Inspired Future”. Blah, blah, blah...
I’m not just kidding! I have a little survival kit dream of my own. I actually wanted to tell you all that I could have woken up this morning to find that my left thumbnail might actually be hinged and I thought that if I discover the mechanism, I will lift it to find it reveals a slight hollow containing all my survival essentials neatly organized in a color-coded manner, and to my joy I will realize that all the extra survival kit I need to carry in a pocket, or better yet, around a short length of paracord around my neck, are the fine-point tweezers necessary to grasp the tiny items when needed. Ha, ha, ha!!!