Survival Is an Age Old Practice
Survival; continuing to live or exist, typically in spite of an accident, ordeal, or difficult circumstances (merriam-webster.com)
Being prepared is a state of readiness that if not maintained at all times can mean the difference between surviving and not, but this is nothing new, even the threats for the most part are nothing new.
The weapons today are bigger and can kill more people at once, but then again there are more people to kill today so it may all be relative. Natural disasters may cause more damage because there are more structures in the way, and because people live on the edges of oceans and in the shadows of volcanoes and on earthquake fault lines. Weapons used by humans and nature have always caused death and injury and will continue to do so as long as there are humans on the planet.
In ancient times, people died by the thousands from diseases and natural disasters, and entire villages, with thousands of people in them were wiped out by warfare in a single day.
Too Much Information
The problem that some new to prepping can encounter is information overload. Ten minutes of research on the Internet may convince some people that each crisis must be prepared for as a separate entity, separate training, separate supplies, separate gear, and it all adds up in people’s minds to an economic burden, a burden many cannot shoulder. This can mean in some cases, that people simply do not even attempt to become prepared.
There are some catastrophes however, that may require specialized gear, materials or equipment, but for the most part emergency supplies are not disaster specific.
It is time for an honest evaluation of what is in reality needed for survival, to be able to survive any situation. Take away the bells and whistles and magical devices and look hard at what it really takes to survive.
There Is Nothing New About Survival It Boils Down To Knowing What to Expect
Emergency conditioning or what the military calls battle proofing, which is a mental and physical conditioning exercise. You rehearse mentally by going over in your mind various actions you would expect to take in any given situation. In many cases you can physically rehearse as well, go through the actual motions, practice, practice and more practice.
People survive every day, every day there are varying degrees of disasters that have to be overcome.
People “battle proof” to get through every day, people review checklists in their heads, where do I turn to get where I need to go, how many stoplights are there and so forth. Soldiers before battle close their eyes and imagine the noise, the smells, and the feeling. They see themselves in the midst of what they expect to happen.
Training and Experience Builds Confidence So You Can Survive Anything
Watching a video on how to create fire using a bow and drill, for example, is not the same as you doing it. You do not have any experience yet, you only gain that by doing. You need to train, and then gain and that is gain experience by doing.
It is important that you have a reasonable expectation of how things will turn out. If you have never started a fire with materials other than matches and lighters then you can expect failure in the middle of the woods if you do not have matches and a lighter. Survival is about knowing what to do when you need to do it. Guessing is not the same as knowing.
Paranoia Is Not a Good Thing
Some believe it is necessary to be paranoid and being hyper-vigilant to some people is the same as situational awareness, it is not however. Staying informed and being able to cull out the conspiracy theories and gather real time intelligence is not paranoia.
Confidence in your training and knowing you have the experience allows you to go about your daily routines without looking over your shoulder every few minutes and it keeps you from jumping at shadows. You cannot go about your day always on the verge of panic. People panic because they do not know what to do next. Again, it is train and gain.
We tend to fear things we do not know and fear can kill, because people make the wrong decisions because of it. Take the Ebola outbreak for example. One of the reasons the outbreak is spreading is because people in Africa fear their government. Hospitals and aid workers to them represent the government and many people refuse to seek help, or to let medical professionals near their loved ones. Fear in Africa is killing people and spreading the disease.
Many in Africa simply do not understand how the disease is transmitted because they do not trust what is told to them and in addition, certain customs and beliefs do not allow people to do anything different. Some if not many people in Africa have every reason to fear their government however.
Here in the United States though, most people would not hesitate to seek medical help if they suspected they were infected, people fear the disease but not their doctors. Of course, a certain number of people will be infected if there is an outbreak and some will die, but is it very unlikely that there would be a pandemic in this country.
The only way to overcome fear so fear itself does not kill you is by gaining knowledge. Know what you can expect if there is an Ebola outbreak in the U.S., know how to protect yourself and others. Once you know what to do, the fear will subside, and this is how you increase your chances of survival.
Know what you are up against, do your own research. Do not fall prey to glaring headlines, then run out, and start gathering supplies, tools and gadgets because some article on the Internet told you to do so. Research first and then use common sense before running out and buying up everything on the list. There are lists everywhere with the supplies and materials you need along with gadgets and shiny survival tools, some make sense and others are obviously out to get into your wallet or purse.
You likely already know what is needed to survive a crisis as far as supplies and materials are concerned. You need those same supplies and materials to survive everyday right now without there being a crisis. You use most of them every day.
You do need to stockpile essentials of course. You need a supply of essentials beyond what is needed for every day use, because right now you can re-supply whereas, during a crises you cannot. You may find however, that many of the items on the lists may be right in your own home.
You cannot wait for something to happen and then try to prepare mentally, physically and attempt to gather the material things needed. Being ready is not a new concept though. It was not invented with the Prepper movement.
There are threats everywhere, and threats to humans have been present since humans took their first walk on the planet. Survival is not a new concept it did not come about because of the Internet.
What information technology has done however is made people more aware of the dangers and allows people to gather information to better survive those threats. On the other hand, the Internet has allowed people to make statements that may not be true and to propose threats that are pure fantasy. This has and will continue to cause others to act upon that false information.
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