when it comes to friends and family im the only one who believes in being prepared and learning survival skills.

while discussing it with a friend recently they asked me why, i told them because i like the idea of knowing how to live off the land if it became necessary.

because of my naturally curious nature ive always been interested in learning about primitive skills, just as others have done for thousands of years.

so i find "survival skills" to be facinating and believe more should learn them and pass them on, again the being prepared mindset.

i admit im very opinionated and i like to talk alot in general, so to baffle me isnt easy.
but then they said something that i didnt have a response for at the time.

"what happens when they drop the bombs in new york?
which in this day and age is possible.
you would either be killed outright from the blast or so hurt and or sick you`d wish you were dead and probably kill yourself as soon as your able.
no amount of stored food and water or the other survival gear you collected would save you."

i honestly didnt have anything to say against that, but for a minute it did make me second guess everything ive been doing very strongly.

i thought my friend had a point, and i will be living in NY probably for quite awhile due to personal obligations, and we all know NY is a big target.

and its not that im so well skilled (hardly) or well stocked (barely) that i expect to survive, but for some strange reason i honestly feel if TSHTF odds are i probably would be alive afterwards i cant honestly explain why.
you know the universe has a STRANGE sense of humor and it might let me live just to prove it.
so now my answer to her was \ is that its also some peace of mind knowing that my being prepared may help me (or others) in the future if needed, because im taking some sort of control over doing things instead of just going with the flow like everyone else.


so my question to everyone is the same as the title "why do we do this?"

what really ARE the odds we would survive a nuke or chemical blast and be well enough to use our skills to survive well enough in a new world?

even if its not about a threat like that, then why do you do it?
what do you get out of it personally?

i'm not preparing for a nuke or other WMD's, most of use prepare ourself for more likely accurents, ranging from earth quacks to power failure. Like on the front page, it says this is not a "survivalist" site.

We are not planning to survive on a long term base with just our kits, just long enough to get back to cilivisation or help to arrive. Or the problem has been solved.

Trying to rationalize all your actions is doomed to failure. You might be a fanatical stamp collector for no other reason except the satisfaction it brings you. If one day a friend comes along and starts mocking you for the amount of time and money your spending on what amounts to sticky bits of paper, does that make stamp collecting wrong?
Preparing for a disaster might not increase your chances of survival at all, but its no more of a waste of time than stamp collecting.
As for my reasons for "being prepared"? As I mentioned in
a previous post its brought a good deal of order to my way of living. I'm forever learning learning new skills and aquiring knowledge. (everything from building shelters to learning how fast I 'm going to hit the ground whilst trapped in a falling elevator!). Above all though its peace of mind, a kind of alternative investment plan which I hope will never get used.
Lastly it's fun. Trying to light a fire in a force 10 gale with rain lashing against your face, I find comical and slightly ridiculous, but I still enjoy trying. If at the end of the day, our survival skills are never used, we'll all have good stories to tell our grand children.

For me, as a nerdy geek type who programs all day long under fluorescent lighting, it's fun. I like having with me something someone needs. I like being prepared.

On the serious side, I don't want to be part of the panicked multitude if/when an emergency occurs. I want to know enough and be prepared enough to get home. Or to hold out until help arrives.

On the lighter side, I want to live long enough to be a burden to my younger sister. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

It surprises me that the more I learn of survival the less I need.A lot of the things we have are just a security blanket but knowledge provides.If I am still breathing I CAN do something to improve my situation.It just takes the willpower and energy to do it
BOATMAN
John

Probably like the rest of us, I, too, rest easier knowing that I'm prepared for however the cards are dealt.

I've come to these 2 conclusions:
1) no matter what the scenario, the odds are in your favor that you'll make it, and more so if you're more prepared
2) it's the stupid, little stuff that usually gets you. (ie more people are killed in car wrecks because they weren't using their seat bets than those by chemical weapons). It comes down to reducing risk. I know there's some saying about a superior sailor using his superior judgement so he doesn't have to use his superior skills.

I recently attended a presantation entitled "Mother nature is still the greatest terrorist". It drives the point home that the survival situations we're most likely to encounter are fires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, ice storms, etc. and that we can learn a lot about preparedness in general, by knowing what it takes to be prepared for a natural disaster. In NC, more people usually die cleaning up from hurricanes (heart attacks, accidents, etc.) than from the actual storm. (see conclusion #2)

So, short of an out and out nuclear holocaust, the sheer numbers are pretty much always in your favor.

I think the answer to this question is simple...just being prepared is a common sense "no brainer".... it doesn't have to be a wilderness situation or a terrorist situation... I take pleasure in my own urban preparedness...what happens if the car breaks down on a deserted highway in a snowstorm? what happens if you are in a building during a powerfailure and you are in the pitch black? Just having some basic items to make yourself and your situation as comfortable as possible is the reason I do it...My everyday carry is a mirror image of Doug's "Don't leave home without it" gear, and I don't know how many times I have used each of thses pieces of gear to make a bad situation more bearable...how many times (before you learned to be prepared) did you have to confront situations that were very stressful or uncomfortable that could have been a "walk in the park" had you been prepared...being prepared just makes things easier when the going gets tough !! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

You could have worse hobbies than being prepared. It doesn't have to be for TEOTWAWKI, either. I'm talking about the hurricanes and blackouts that occasionally hit our area. Primitive skills are fun to learn. Learning how to make fire without matches might even win a few bar bets. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

For me the basic skills are definitely fun stuff. I´m also a bit curious. The aquired skills and accumulated stuff in my pocket frequently help to solve everday problems. Those are definitely positive side effects. In addition the practice helps to avoid the usual traps.
Mastering some basic skills also helps to understand advanced techniques (just think about math and pocket calculators). If nothing else the preparedness is recreation.
You could easily exploit the extreme example for your purpose. It may be true that you get killed when they drop the bomb on your residence. On the other hand if takes such extremities to prove that your preparations are insufficient, there can´t be much you have to worry about.
My experience also shows that the little things usually get you. So IMHO being prepared for those gives a lot comfort and peace of mind.
Eventually you´re going to die anyway. Of course there´s no reason to hurry it or to miss opportunities to enjoy your life just because someone thinks you´re wasting your time with things you like.

The threat of annihilation to humanity is a very old part of our psyches and cultures. We came very close to getting snuffed out in europe during the Ice Age and many world religons record, or predict catastrophy; Hinduism has Vishnu the destroyer, Tuetonic/ Scandinavian people Gotterdammerung, Christianity the Tribulation and Hopi predictions of this world ending. We've endured everything from biblical blights of locusts, The Black Death, The Holocost, nuclear bombs and accidents. Quess what? There were survivors. Those european reindeer hunters went on to live in flea infested cities and then kill their nieghbors in two horrific world wars. Now we're doing our best to trash the planet globally. The attitude " we will all die in a major catastrophy anyway" is a self indulgent reaction not unlike burrowing deeper in the blankets when the alarm goes off. It's easier to hope the party won't end and that somebody else will solve the problems without to much inconvenience to us. These are the people who buy surplus gas masks and think the problem is solved.

Why?

Heh...I've been asked that question many times. My response has always been:

"It's better to have the skills and not need them, than to need the skills and not have them."

The same quote is used when explaining why I carry so much stuff.

Personally, I got hooked on it after my SERE course. I realized that these were skills that could save my life. As in, "Learn this stuff and have stories to tell at the bar. Ignore this stuff, and they'll talk about you at your wake."

Granted, time has gone by. Those who know me laugh outloud at the thought of me 'roughing it'. These days, outdoors is where the car lives, not me. But still...I know how to survive *if*...and that's a big *IF*...I ever need to.

1) TEOTWAWKI is not a scenario I plan for ;
2) preparing is fun, both gear and skills to learn ;
3) in everyday situations, it's useful/helpfull for me or co-workers or friends, to be prepared.

Mostly in an Urban/Office environment, I can't leave home without a knife and a light ; and it is not difficult to have a few more items along.

At the end of July, I will have a 6 days solo hike in the Vercors (Alps area) : nothing difficult, a few hours walking each day and a good hotel every night.
But I will have enough gear, water and food in my rucksack to be able to spend a night or two outside if anything happens : it's so easy to sprain an ankle ... and not to be able to go on.
(please : I chose the "sprained ankle scenario", it's the least painful but handicaping I thought of, don't give me worst examples of what could go wrong .... <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />)
If I ever have to wait for the rescue teams, I want to wait in comfort !!! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

[ it's so easy to sprain an ankle ... and not to be able to go on.
(please : I chose the "sprained ankle scenario", it's the least painful but handicaping I thought of, don't give me worst examples of what could go wrong .... )]

Your pick of a sprained ankle scenario is an excellent one. However, just be aware that a sprained ankle can be extremely painful and debilitating, even more so then many fractures. Pete

Yes, I know how painful it can be.....
I just didn't want to think along the "open fracture" kind of stuff .... <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

(crossed fingers ...)

i dont plan on a nuclear war either, but i must have been having an off day to let it get to me like that.

like joblot said:


and sguidos quote


that sums up how i usually feel about learning new skills and buying any new gear.

its the journey not the destination.

Chris, are you sure that you don't also have a degree in psychology too.

While this is not exactly an answer to your question, NY RAT you might want to read this,

http://www.memoware.com/?screen=doc_deta...ic%20bombings~!

It is a historical account of the effects of the atomic blasts at Hiroshima and Nagasaki including accounts from survivors.

No, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> ( for our overseas members, this is a commercial. A guy performs various amazing feats; field surgery, wins intellectual game shows with a 3rd grade education etc. When queried about his credentials ( none) he makes this reply, indicating a great night's sleep.)

I do this because I'm a private pilot who flies over remote locations, and a backpacker and snowshoer who frequently is miles from civilization on challenging routes, including trailless peak ascents and bushwhacks.

So, my survival kit is meant to actually be used if things go awry, and I've in fact used it several times (never for a life-threatening situation or for being "lost in the woods," but for small emergencies and repairs.)

I don't plan, nor collect gear, for the "EOTWAWKI" scenarios, though I do occasionally think about what might happen with civil unrest or the declaration of martial law here after a terrorist strike.

- Steve

I do this because
- it's sad to die for a dumb reason
- because I have kids I want to protect
- because people count on me to help them
- because it's a moral obligation to my fellow man to be able to help those who can't help themselves.
- because I like flashlights
- because it makes me feel like I have some level of control over things.

One thing I've noticed is that I need to actually USE my survival skills for real for this all to sink in. That's why I'm a Volunteer Fireman, because that's the way I get into situations where I literally NEED to be "equipped to survive" not just sit here and type about it.

I learn the difference between gear that's interesting versus gear that you need when you're in a dangerous situation. I've learned that you dont' want to be alone in a survival situation if at all possible.

I do all of this, the emergency planning, the equipment, all of it because it just feels right for me.

NY RAT,

Try explaining to them that the best time to fix the roof is when it is NOT raining; the same applies to being prepared.

Take the time to learn new skills, read up on history, the mishaps and misadventures etc. of others. Learn from their mistakes. Realize that not everybody has the mindset that YES, bad things can, will AND DO happen to good people.

Think about whom you'd really rather be, the person looking for help because they did not take the time to prepare for the unexpected (and/or reasonably obvious) to the most likely of mishaps to run into,

OR

for example, the person that stood back and said, hmmm..."you know, it IS possible that I could be that person on the side of the road changing a tire without a flashlight, hey, I better do something about that >and starts carrying a flashlight (with good batteries and spare lamp, or better yet a light emitting diode type of light) and starts checking their tires on a regular basis to help prevent being part of the cause of the flat tire.

As far as their comments about "the big one" or "the end of the world as we know it", I view them as just rationalization, along the lines of "if I can't survive [fill in the blank with a big ugly unlikely happening here] then there is no use in being prepared at all." OUCH!

Well if the worst does happen, then there may be little that we can really do to be prepared except to hole up in a cave etc. However the reality of it as I see it, is that we need to continue our lives and it is much more likely that we will be able to prepare for many of the other hopefully less drastic possibilities without getting crazy about it.

Many times I've found that being prepared is often some relatively small actions or items that make a big difference for myself of others around me. Hopefully it will always be the smaller things that crop up and we won't have to use the bigger things, tools, knowledge etc.,

BUT

if we do need them, isn?t it much better to be at least as prepared as practical for the given circumstances rather than being stuck saying one of the many rueful mantras such as: "I could have, I should have, I wish I'd have done this or that differently".

Hey, when someone is not appreciative of your efforts to be prepared and mocks your efforts, just let it slide off, it is not your fault that they have not experienced the "Ah HA!" moment (yet).

Often it seems that when I turn the question around and ask them ?Why NOT be prepared, if even just a little bit?? many times they cannot offer any kind of real practical answer as to why they have not prepared themselves for any of life?s little (or big) misadventures that seem to lie in wait for us (along with Murphy's Laws to create opportunities for us to solve their challenges which generally seem to occur when we are least ready for a new challenge).

Can we actually be prepared for every possible contingency? Rather unlikely. My approach is to be prepared for the events that have the most likelyhood of happening, and customizing the preparations for the different scenarios in my life, i.e. Home / Office / Travel / Boating / etc. Be flexible and take the appropriate approach to each situation that we anticipate being in with the most likely contingencies being addressed. Between that and trying to remain aware of ones surroundings and what is going on in your vicinity, you will find that you will be better prepared (and hopefully less surprised / off guard) when soemthing does go awry.

Something that has been remarked upon by folks (with more knowledge than I) is that with Mother Nature (and Life in general) the exam is often given first, and then the lesson is taught. This can be a painful educational process, hopefully it will be survived, sadly however, it is sometimes taught to the dead and/or dying and the lesson never gets passed on to help others.

When I?m able to help others I try to do so, I try to avoid confrontations when able, and I try to help educate folks when the time is right, and sometimes I?ve had occasion to believe that perhaps Mark Twain was entirely correct when he said something along the lines of, ?Never try to teach a Pig to read, it?s a waste of time and it annoys the Pig?. There are those that simply either aren't ready to learn / can?t / won?t listen or learn or simply believe that "the system" and/or everyone else in the world will help them out anytime that they need it. Sometimes all that can be said to them is "hey, the bus is leaving, with or without you".

The bottom line for me (as nicely stated by others posting above) is that it is better to BE prepared and (hopefully not need) than TO NEED AND NOT HAVE.

>Hmmm...I'll climb down of the soap box now. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <grin>

Regards,
Comanche7

Commache7:

Great post!

I wish I was that coherent, then Chris wouldn't have to keep shutting down some of the posts I go a little too far on.

I have one that I use which most of you on this forum seem too good hearted to use, but it works.

I ask the individual if they really feel the action I am taking seems so futile and unnecessary. If they say yes, I thank them and tell them they have saved me a lot of time as now I can eliminate any thought of helping them because they were not prepared for something that I was prepared for. Often times the look on the faces reflects the "Ah ha" moment of realization that they would not otherwise experience. Some of you may think this cruel or antisocial, but I find it is the safest way for the recepient of my discourse to realize just how quickly they can be all alone in a bad situation.

Bountyhunter

There is, of course, the issue of major catastrophe. For myself, I am more concerned with the daily potentials. I hike in the White mountains, commute over an hour each way each day through rural andurban areas, I do home repairs and auto repairs, live through snow storms that put out the power for weeks at a time with an electric well, Being prepared to deal with these things is a very similar thing to dealing with any survival situation of any scope. Most of these situations resolve themselves within a month or so. I learn to melt snow, make fire and water, grow, hunt and harvest food, mend and manufacture clothing and shelter not because I expect to be living beyond thunderdome but because I want to be a little better prepared to deal with life. If I happen to be one of the few who survive to live beyond thunderdome then I will be better prepared for that too. That is not a goal just a positive happenstance.

Bountyhunter,

Thank you. I've enjoyed reading many of your postings and learned a bit from them.

In the context of using the right tool for the job at hand, your response line may very well be exactly the line of logic / reasoning needed to help clarify the issue for some of the un-prepared / un-concerned that question the value of being prepared.

Reflecting back, I can recall several instances where that line would have been extremely appropriate to use. Thanks for sharing it.

Bravo, Marty, very well said.

I like your style, bounty, some time we've got to meet up so I can buy you a drink (booze or tea, your choice <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />).

wildfire163:

My writing style must be giving away too much of my psyche.

Most people would have offered booze or coffee. I am a tea drinker (Maximum 3 cups a day.) ever since I gave up coffee (About 16 big cups a day.) over 30? years ago.

I am still an addicted Pepsi freak, although I have cut back significantly. The marketing people at Pepsi actually helped me cut back when they went to a 24 ounce six pack and I just did not feel like drinking that much, so I quit buying it. If Pepsi reads this, someone in marketing is going to lose their job.

Bountyhunter

thanks for all the replies on this, it has helped me explain it better to those who dont yet beleive in being prepared (for whatever reason\ situation) as we do.

and that "ah-ha" moment is something indeed.

but i do understand what bountyhunter meant there, some people just WONT be prepared no matter what, some will learn to on their own some need a little nudge in the right places to help them understand and develop the proper mindset.

i didnt think it was cruel its jsut a fact of life, not all baby turtles make it to the ocean.

when relaying this to friends and family who dont prepare as i do it basically comes down to the ants and the grasshopper parable.

prepare now for what might happen later, even if there is now big e.o.t.w.a.w.k.i. event as my friend brought up.

because if your ever caught in an emergency or natural disaster or civil unrest,etc then to those unprepared people it might feel like the end of their world.

but i still keep trying to help the others become more interested in being prepared, im stubborn to quit yet. (im irish what do you expect?)

NY Rat:

The cruel and antisocial remark was not about the emergency that might arise, but my response to individuals that ridicule my beliefs and then expect me to help them in their hour of need.

Example:

An emergency arises.

Someone I don't know from Adam isn't prepared and has never considered being prepared winds up in an emergency situation. I am there also, I will help them as best I can.

Someone I don't know from Adam has expressed disdain for my mindset (to me or in general.) regarding various emergencies I try to prepare for finds themselves in such an emergency. I am there also and capable of helping them. I will not help them! If the lesson to them results in discomfort, damage, or their death, so be it. That is the part that may seem cruel or antisocial to many of you.

Now if the same person is someone I know and care about, it would be very hard to refuse helping them even if they have shown disdain for my positions and I hope to never have to be tested in my resolve by friends or strangers.

Bountyhunter

I have thought about what your philosophy is regarding helping those who ridicule you or intentionally make the conscious decision not to prepare for an emergency and as always it is your right to believe as you do.

I for one cannot adopt that philosophy. I know we (the forum)have discussed this issue before and my position remains unchanged. I feel a personal responsibility to help those in an emergency situation regardless of the reason, their lack of responsibility or even their view that I am foolish for being prepared. This philosophy is who I am; it is why I became an EMT almost 30 years ago and a Firefighter/Paramedic over 10 years ago. In my volunteer career (I was a part time paid FF for awhile, but it just was not right for me) I have been cursed at, spit on (and much worse), punched, kicked and threatened by people who could care less about my well-being or I will go out on a limb and say they most likely even hated me at the time. So why do so many others and I put themselves through that type of hell. I can only answer for myself, for me it is the right thing to do, I could not live any other way. Whether or not my assistance will change the person’s view or not, is irrelevant to me. While I would hope a light bulb inside these people would turn on, my action is not dependent upon that response.

This is in no way a slam or downing of your position. You have every right and maybe many reasons for adopting your philosophy. Pete

Pete, the world would be a much better place if there were more people like you.

Paramedicpete:

My concern is NOT that all people should think like me, and I love the remark attributed to General Patton. As I stated in the first example, I would help the unprepared or uninitiated.

My concern is that people who ridicule good prevention ideas that might help them and others tend to influence fence sitters on the subject that will be swayed to their way of thinking. These same people usually figure someone will always be there if they get into trouble.

One of our threads was that "ONE IN FOUR UNPREPARED", or something to that effect. The consensus on that thread seemed to be that one in four was overly optimistic. If one person has enough rations for 3 days, and they have to share them with three more people, in simple math that comes out to about to 18 hours of rations for the four or them. If one of those people had ridiculed the idea of preparedness and had not changed the mind of only one fence sitter you might have had two people of that four prepared and assuming a 3 day ration supply each, you would have 6 days of rations for four people which in simple math would be 36 hours of rations for four people or twice the amount. If you then further eliminate the nay sayer, you have 6 days of rations for three people, or 48 hours of rations. Under those circumstances, I have no sorrow for the person who condemned being prepared.

Like I said from the very first post, my feelings about most of the people here are that you are more kind hearted than I in such a circumstance. But one reality we all have to face, is that you cannot save the world alone and you sometimes have to choose who or what is more important at that point in time.

For those of you that wonder, I love kids, do not kick dogs, and love holding warm loving women.

Bountyhunter

i totally agree with, and share your philosophy there bountyhunter.

sorry if my last post seemed to misinterpret what your quote meant there, i thought i was making the same point as you but possibly not as well.

I would never let my ego stop me from helping someone and possibly even be responsible for their death, no matter how much fun they have made of me or of what I do!

Why? Because when it comes right down to it, we have the choice either to be prepared or become a victim of our own ignorance. In an emergency, ignorance can be deadly.

Hello. I'm Sarah. I've been "into survival" since I was a little girl growing up mostly alone in rural southern California. Always a tomboy, my idea of a great adventure was getting into my brother's scouting gear, filling a backpack with snacks and water then taking off into the hills with the dog to hike around and see what there was to see.

From these humble beginnings came a love of archery and edged weapons, and a healthy respect for both the beauty and destructive forces of nature; wildfires, landslides and of course, earthquakes.

I was six miles from the epicenter of the '94 quake. Of all the people I knew, I was the only one having a good time. Why? Because I was prepared!

Others (including my now EX-husband) used to make fun of my hoarding; water, non-perishable food, candles, matches, "holders for dead batteries" and medical supplies. They would laugh at my "bug-out bag" and joke that I was going to raise my son as "John Connor Jr." because of my interest in preparedness.

Yet those were the same people that came to me later and said "I wish I had listened to you before."

Yep. I'll bet you do.

Unless they're 'in the mindset' of preparedness, people have a VERY limited memory for disasters... Heads in the sand. Crisis forgotten.

Not me.

Now that I'm in Florida, I have a whole new set of disasters to prepare for: tropical storms and hurricanes. Yet even here where they happen every single year predictably, people still aren't prepared. Well, more are here than there ever were in the People's Republik of Kaliforniastan. But I still see a lot of last-minute water-gathering and battery-buying.

If anyone knows the old story, they'll appreciate the reference. "I can sleep through a storm."

Let the PHRASECENSOREDPOSTERSHOULDKNOWBETTER. bleat and throw themselves against the fences of their ignorance. I can sleep at night.

I'm prepared.

~Sarah

03lab:

It is not about ego on my part, it is more about tough love!

If you read all the posts, one of them deals with people who take issue with preparedness in general, not me in particular.

The people to whom I say this to their faces now, while no emergency exists stand a better chance of preparing for their own safety than the people who espose everlasting desire to help fools in an emergency. Fools are those who have the mental, physical, and financial ability to prepare, but do not do so.

There are many people the world over (far fewer in the United States.), where day to day existance does not allow them the luxury of extra supplies for some errant emergency. If something serious happens in the place I am (We just recently had an earthquake whose epicenter was in Illinois shake me in my recliner. It was kind of strange having my world rocked and there was no loving woman with me.), Wisconsin being a very nice stable area, and I end up with some Valley Girl or pompous CEO, or an average person with more boats or cars than they need asking for help, any of them that derided preparedness would be refused help by me. Those who were just too busy trying to get by in life and didn't have the time, intelligence, or money to be prepared would be helped by me as much as I could.

I admit this now and openly to all. Those who laugh at ALL of us for our mindset have a chance by knowing my type exist. Those of you that wait and end up experiencing cries for help from so many that you cannot help at all are more likely to harm the masses because you are making them complacent with the idea that you will always help.

If you cannot swim, and you jump in to save a drowning person and you both drown, your conscience may be clear, but you still did not help. Force as many people as you can to learn to swim by telling them that you CAN NOT or WILL NOT save them, and you will live, and they will live, and together you can help more people. This example applies to preparedness because if you are in an emegency with 3 days supplies and you see two hundred people coming to you with no supplies, you cannot help, and you will end up giving them very short term hope and probably hurt yourself because your conscience makes you try instead of accepting the futility of it all, turning away and saving yourself for 3 days.

Peace!

Bountyhunter

Where were you back when I was single???

I kind of took it that you originally meant "the gene pool needs more chlorine", and I couldn't agree more! <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Troy

welcome to the boards sarah, thanks for posting.

how about some info on your bug out bag and kits?
a few members usually post theirs, sometimes it inspires others to reevaluate their kits for the better.


doing my part to help motivate others especially my family who arent prepare minded, ive been constructing a b.o.b and a 72 hour kit for my siblings and showing them whats what.

hopefully it will spark them to do more in that regard.

Bountyhunter, I do understand where you are comming from, I was just trying to post my opinion and didn't mean to attack you directly. Your post just got me to posting in the first place, because my approach is different from yours. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Obviously none of us can feed 200 people, but even if I couldn't swim I could still help the person drowning. Try to get a rope or some sort of a float, if none of that is around just call EMS or whoever has the means to help (if they arrive too late, you still tried!). There is no reason for not taking reasonable action and besides, not helping would even get me into jail in this country. A person in danger will most likely think about prepardness and survival differently afterwards and I think everyone deserves that second chance.

I think the Boy Scout processs, even if you know how to swim, is reach, throw, row, go.
Applies to much more than just a drowning person.
FWIW.

03lab:

I may be wrong, but to the best of my knowledge, the only one you are obligated to help is a peace officer asking for assistance; unless of course you were on the Jerry Sienfeld show, in which case you get a year in jail for not helping.

I do not condemn anyones benevolent actions, and I greatly admire people like Mother Teresa for the saints that they are. My concern is that if we can get people to understand that help will not always be there for whatever reason (not just people like me who would refuse for reasons already stated.), but also because help can not always be there, and even when it is, it may not have what you need.

I have no animosity for people who have different viewpoints because as I have stated before, you don't learn anything from people that agree with you, and I might see a viewpoint which I had never considered when dealing with people who disagree with me. General Patton had it right!

Bountyhunter

Hi there.

I do it because, having lived through a couple of disasters, I found that I would be a lot more comfortable being just a little more prepared. I can't forsee every emergency, but living comfortably through them can be an acheivable goal through wise preparation.

I was there for Hurricane Andrew. I left Los Angeles mere months before the 92 Riots, where I was everyone's token "gun-toting maniac"...amazing how many people managed to get my phone number in Florida and say, "Hey, Dave, you got an extra gun?"

"Sure do. Lots of 'em. Right here. Don't you wish you'd treated me better while I was there?"

"But..."

"Have a nice life." *click*

All my life, I've been told "You can't do that."

All my life, I've done it. And I keep doing it. Much to the surprise and chagrin of those around me who disbelieve.

For me surviving is the ultimate thwart on "You Can't Do That."

Oh yeah? Watch me.

Panz

Bountyhunter, here in Germany everyone is obligated to help in an immediate emergency, accident, etc. That of course does not mean that you have to get yourself into danger by doing so, just calling 911 for instance is fine. However, passing a car wreck without attending to the injured (or calling EMS etc) is a felony. <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

03lab:

Sorry about that, I was talking from the American prespective.

It may interest you to know that we in America had a Supreme Court ruling saying that our police are not required to help us. Kinda scary if the people hired and paid to protect are not obligated to protect. As many have often said for one reason or another; "Only in America!".

Bountyhunter

Hey! This has been a blast of a thread to go through. It brings back memories of my family playing the 'What If' game at the dinner table.

I was once able to stop a mocking freind of mine(who has since gone one knife camping with me) when he said that it was a waste of time to do this 'survival' stuff. I reminded him that less than five minutes before, he had bemoaned that he didn't have a tool to do something in a dark place under his computer desk. I handed him my VicMultitool out of my pocket and held the flashlight I have on a lanyard on my belt as he fixed whatever it was. Wasn't it good that I had been prepaired to 'survive'?
Utter silence for a few minutes with a glare in my direction.
I was gloating for a week after that. And gave him one of my old Scout knives to go along with that crow.

Rena

I love surviving. I think that there should be a specific urban survival course for those in the city.

\
www.skinstore.com/store/category.asp?catID=1621

well if anyone knows of such courses post them on here folks.

if anyone in the NY area is interested theres a site that runs tours to learn about wild and edible plants around NYC.

http://www.econetwork.net/~wildmansteve/body.html