Rules of Wisdom

PSYCHOLOGY/PHILOSOPHY
1) Always watch the eyes, they give the first indication of imminent action.
2) "If you see the head guy running, run faster. Whoever survives will be the next boss."
3) "I don't have to outrun the bear, I just have to outrun you."
4) “When you choose an action, you choose the consequences of that action."
5) Just having stuff doesn't mean you are ready. Know how to store/move/use it properly.
6) Age and Treachery will overcome Youth and Enthusiasm
7) All of this will happen before. All of this has happened again.
8) Depend on yourself, help those who are not able, and teach those that are.
9) Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me, I want people to know "why" I look this way. I've traveled a long way and some of the roads weren't paved
10) Do not follow where the path may lead...go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
11) "Never marry an ugly woman, it'll take the life right outta ya"
12) Age and Treachery will overcome Youth and Enthusiasm
13) I think the mistake a lot of us make is thinking the state-appointed shrink is our friend.
14) No matter how essential one person may be, there's always someone else that can do the job. That person got trained somehow.
15) Let no one think of me that I am humble or weak or passive; let them understand I am of a different kind: dangerous to my enemies, loyal to my friends. To such a life glory belongs.
16) "We become what we habitually do. If we act rightly, we become upright men. If we habitually act wrongly, or weakly, we become weak and corrupt"
17) What you know isn't as important as knowing what you don't know
18) If it was easy everyone would do it
19) "There is nothing so frightening as ignorance in action."
20) Knowledge is realizing that the street is one-way, wisdom is looking both directions anyway.
21)

MILITARY
1) The first casualty of war is... all of the pre-war planning.
2) The first casualty of peace is... the truth.
3) Any decision, even if it is flawed, is better than no decision. (decision errors will usually become apparent with enough time to adjust/correct)
4) "The pointy end goes in the other man!" - The Mask of Zorro
5) Never share a foxhole with anyone braver than you are.
6) No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy.
7) Friendly fire ain't.
8) The most dangerous thing in the combat zone is an officer with a map.
9) The problem with taking the easy way out is that the enemy has already mined it.
10) The buddy system is essential to your survival; it gives the enemy somebody else to shoot at.
11) The further you are in advance of your own positions, the more likely your artillery will shoot short.
12) Incoming fire has the right of way.
13) If your advance is going well, you are walking into an ambush.
14) The quartermaster has only two sizes, too large and too small.
15) If you really need an officer in a hurry, take a nap.
16) The only time suppressive fire works is when it is used on abandoned positions.
17) The only thing more accurate than incoming enemy fire is incoming friendly fire.
18) There is nothing more satisfying that having someone take a shot at you, and miss.
19) Don't be conspicuous. In the combat zone, it draws fire. Out of the combat zone, it draws sergeants.
20) If your sergeant can see you, so can the enemy.
21) Never let anyone closer that your comfortable shooting range with out knowing there intentions.
22) "Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him." The Art of War by Sun Tzu
23)

NAVIGATION
1) The 2 outside stars of the Big Dipper's cup generally point towards the North Star.
2) The scabbard hanging down from Orion's Belt, always points South.
3) When in an area of many open iron ore mines, question what your compass says.
4) If something is in your way, like a fallen tree, go around it. Don't blindly climb over or try to navigate everything in your path. Going around obstacles saves injuries. I have seen more stupid accidents by people trying to go over, under or through obstacles, rather than simply going around them.
5)

WOODLANDS/URBAN SURVIVAL
1) A practiced Tracker is always aware of the previous week's weather.
2) Priorities in the wilds: shelter, water, food, warmth.
3) If you are in town, always have a dollar per mile between you and home. In cash.
4) In the field, always carry twice as much water as you think you'll need between refills, gather five times firewood as you think will be enough for the night, and carry meds and food for at least a third longer than you planned to be out.
5) Don't try to travel in the dark unless you're used to it, or possibly if you're in the desert.
6) Don't wait until dusk to find shelter. Try to get everything you need to do done in daylight.
7) Don't be afraid of wolves or coyotes, they aren't a danger unless they're rabid. Bears and cougars are something else.
8) Pay attention to your surroundings. Look back frequently in case you have to backtrack -you'll know what it looks like. Don't be one of those airheads that travel the woods listening to music.
9) Don't signal for help and then keep moving.
10) The Golden Rule: If you think you're lost, STOP! Unless you need to take shelter from the sun/heat, park yourself out in the open during the day, where you can be seen from the air.
11) If your situation changes, you have to change your plans to fit what is happening now. Don't try to force the new situation to fit the old plan.
12) "Learn survival skills when your life doesn't depend on it."
13) Most people overestimate the amount of food necessary for a short trek but underestimate water consumption.
14)Water consumption is a serious factor that should always be carefully considered. 4 liters per person is minimum. This does not take into account washing.
15) Even in temperate zones there is a possibility of encountering temperature extremes this time of year. Opressively hot during the day but very cold (just above freezing) at night. A hat and/or scarf or bandanna is mandatory to protect the head and neck from the sun while reducing heat loss at night.
16) Heat, sunburn and dehydration are closely connected. So are fatigue and physical exertion. All these factors will impair your ability to make rational decisions. Being in good all-around shape is important. When travelling in a group however some individuals will always be in better shape than others.
17) Distances may look short on the map but the situation on the ground may be much more difficult. It takes a lot of time and sweat to travel any distance over rough, rocky, heavily wooded terrain. More so if you carry a lot of gear. Never underestimate the terrain and always plan your route realistically.
18) Study the map and check your course frequently with a compass. Failure to do that may mean missing your destination completely. However, it's also good to develop a feel for the land and terrain features.
19) When carrying heavy equipment it's usually only practical to follow existing paths or trails. However, the trails may not always go in the desired direction. Check your bearing consistently and do not wander too far off.
20) No matter what the label says a light sleeping bag will not suffice on a cold night. More so if you neglect to prepare your shelter properly.
21) Building a good shelter is a very valuable skill that is best learned beforehand. Proper insulation from the ground is critical. Spruce branches work best in my environment but dry moss (if available) is also a good alternative.
22) It's almost always better to stick to a simple but versatile type of shelter such as a poncho tent or lean-to because it's easy to build and can be adapted to almost any kind of enviroment. More elaborate shelters may look great in a book but take far more effort and equipment to make. They are also not as foolproof and may perform poorly unless they're built perfectly.
This goes especially for any kind of shelter suspended from poles or trees which may be quite uncomfortable or fail unexpectedly in the middle of the night (as a friend of mine learned the hard way).
23) Bringing a large sheath knife once again turned out to be a good idea. Particularly when it comes to building a shelter.
24) A sharp hatchet is indispensable but unfortunately most people do not know how to use one properly. Lending your hatchet is almost always a bad idea. One should always use a stump to cut wood with a hatchet. The blade should never come in contact with the ground, rocks, equipment or your own limb. For some reason most people find that very hard to understand.
25) Store what you eat. Eat what you store.
26) 'Prepare for the worst-case-scenario, because the worst-case-scenario is: not being prepared'
27)

COMMON SENSE
1) Buying a car is not a question of how much money you did or didn't save, it's actually a question of how BIG or how LITTLE of a screwing you actually took! “Book of Bo Vol II”
2) If it sounds too good to be true, then it is most likely, FALSE!
3) Always cut with the knife moving AWAY from you.
4) Never lick a steak knife
5) Never drink anything blue
6) Trust everyone, but cut the cards
7) PPPPPP Proper Planning Prevents [censored] Poor Performance
8) "Nothing is foolproof, because fools are so ingenious."
9) The best luck is that which you make yourself “Book of Bo Vol II”
10) If you live poorly, die properly, as that is all that will be remembered in a generation's time. If you can neither live nor die with honor and dignity, then it is better to have never lived at all.
11) Our most important survival tool is our brain, and for many, that tool is way underused!
12) If you feel cocky, worry.
13) Advertising is just advertising. Truth often doesn't have anything to do with it. If Madison Ave. told me the sun came up this morning, I would step outside and check.
14) "Never squat with your spurs on!"
15) Never go faster than the speed that you want to hit something at. “Book of Bo Vol II”
16) "It's a legal system, not a justice system!"
17)

- It can always get worse!
- Everything depends on the situation.(you can't approach every situation the same way)
- When in doubt, take cover!

There are no solutions to problems, we only trade off consequences.

"The Native Americans found out that uncontrolled imergation won't work"

"We as a human species have yet to figure out, that nature just dosn't care."

Life is about how much you can do, not how little you can get by doing.

Love people and not things; use things and not people.

Spud

That is why when I become Evil Overlord.... I mean, Enlightened Leader, I plan on betraying and elimnating my former mentors and those students of theirs I do not trust AND have something to hold over. I won't even trust it to my Legions of Helpful Minions, this is a DIY thing. It should be from the heart.