I have made the statement that somewhere, sometime, somebody is going
to discover their self in a genuine survival situation where coming through it
alive, or getting through it as comfortably as possible until they are rescued
or able to self-rescue, will depend upon their knowledge, developed skills, and
the ability to recognize and utilize available resources.
It happens all the time.
None of us are immune to the
possibility while most of us have grown so comfortable in this age of ease and
convenience that we give the possibility little or no thought.
It might be me and mine. It might
be you and yours. With the craziness going on in the world today, life could change suddenly and dramatically
for entire cities, regions, or even the continent. The situation could be a
short-term event involving a few days or weeks that is easy enough to prepare
for in advance. Some possible scenarios have long-term ramifications that require a lot more advanced preparation,
a lot more savvy, and an assortment of simple human powered tools for the
long-term.
Somewhere, sometime, somebody.
This reality is simply an aspect
of the nature of the beast. Today … tomorrow … next month … next year … ten
years down the road … ? Who knows?
I certainly do not claim to know.
What I will claim is the opinion that uncertainty ought to generate motivation
to consider the possible scenarios and ambition
to take the necessary steps in advance to prepare for the short and long term
ramifications of the possible scenarios. Cans on the shelves, gear in the
closet, and tools in the shed is a good start in the process. There is more to it.
A lot more.
It takes a generous investment of
time for one thing. It also involves tenaciousness for another thing.
There is something of a monetary
investment when it comes to gear and tools. Not really that bad of one if you
go about it with some practical sense. It is, in my mind, more of a time issue in this age where time has become a precious commodity.
Time?
There really are no tricks or
shortcuts that get around it. Learning is a long drawn out process that
requires a generous investment of time. Woodcraft and its related self-reliance
skills can be fairly easily taught to those willing to invest the time to learn
and practice, to those willing to get some dirt, smoke, and smut (and a few
other things) on their hands and clothes. We are not talking about learning
neurosurgery or doing atomic research.
Self-reliance?
In a world where we are taught to
be everything but self-reliant?
Not so easy to teach.
Sure. There are a lot of things
that can be taught about self-reliant living. There are a lot of assorted
skills associated it … skills our ancestors knew, relied upon, and lived well
by … skills that the modern ease and convenience machine has robbed most of us
of. Rediscovering, learning, practicing, and efficiently utilizing these
self-reliance skills as a “normal” part of daily life in these modern times, is
something of an exploration and pioneering effort where there is always something new to learn.
And let me tell you … from
experience … there are plenty of well-intentioned people on multiple fronts
that will frown on and do what they can to discourage your effort. The rest of
the world does not understand or operate on the self-reliant scheme of life.
This is where the tenaciousness comes
into play. Hobbying around with something is one thing. Lifestyle is a whole
different ballgame.
Self-reliance is, however, more
of a showing than a telling. It is more of a catching than a teaching. Self-reliance
is more of a mental attitude than a skill … more of a rediscovery of something
innate that parents, peers, and progress have a tendency to discourage in their
perception of our “best interest.”
I can embrace it.
I can talk about it.
I can live it as fully as I possibly
can.
But it is one of those areas that
folks have to individually grow into … one of those areas where a lot of layers
of impressed and concretized socially engineered ideals have to be jack
hammered away by individuals willing to dare to be individuals … individuals
willing to dare to go against the popular flow … individuals willing to dare to
hang on their own hook.
