One Single Thing

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by DarkLight, Jun 7, 2015.


  1. DarkLight

    DarkLight Live Long and Prosper - On Hiatus

    Survival can mean many things to many people at many different times in their lives. In the current context of your life, if you could give someone just one, single piece of advice, word of wisdom or direction, what would it be?

    This isn't a contest though. Don't worry about one-upping the last or the next person. This is about what you think is most important or critical or the thing that has helped the most in your journey, whatever it is.

    If I had a rule for the thread, I would ask that everyone only post one "thing". Comment on the other "submissions" freely but I'd say refrain from "Oh yeah, that's the most important thing" or "changed my mind, this is most important." Hopefully with that in mind everyone will put careful thought and consideration into their post.

    My submission will be in the next post (gotta wait like 30 seconds or it will merge them I think).
     
  2. DarkLight

    DarkLight Live Long and Prosper - On Hiatus

    For me, the most important thing to ensure my survival has been to never stop learning. There are many, many physical things that are necessary in order to survive, but your best tool and weapon will be your mind. If you know how to do something, whatever that is, you can't leave it behind or forget to pack it. Learn. Teach yourself things or learn from others and practice them as part of your learning so that you don't forget what you are striving to retain. With the proper knowledge (and yes, tools), you can build a house, devise weapons, grow food, hunt, trap, fish, make fire, purify water, heal yourself or others. All of the physical preparations in the world are useless, at least to you, without the knowledge necessary to use them.
     
  3. Gopherman

    Gopherman Sometimes I Wish I Could Go Back to Sleep

    We transfer as much knowledge as we can to paper and store the pages in a waterproof sleeves in Binders.
    If the grid goes down, No More Surfing The Web For Info! Books have become somewhat Passe over the Years as people opt for more compact Digital Books. It's always nice to have Soap Making Instructions, Canning,Tanning, Planting Schedules, ........ on hand. And if the lights go out, candle and lamp making instructions will come in handy!
    I personally have an Incredible memory, but one step forgotten will mean the difference of failure of Success, Sooooo I write it down just in case!
     
    Yard Dart, Ganado and DarkLight like this.
  4. Pax Mentis

    Pax Mentis Philosopher King |RIP 11-4-2017

    Well, DL...I'll start it out by immediately violating at least the spirit if not the letter of your only rule.

    Overall, and for all folks, I would say precisely what you did except probably less succinctly. Knowledge/ability to think critically is what will determine survival IMO.

    But I want to mention something that I was thinking of just recently and trying to figure out where it would fit since one doesn't always have complete control over it. For reasons of which some are aware, I have been somewhat introspective and retrospective over the past year. Looking back over 30 years of dedicated prepping, I think the one factor that made it possible to do what I set out to do was the presence of a partner who was both willing to trust me and whom I absolutely adored to the point that I would do anything that I possibly could in order to protect her. Motivation in capital letters.

    Like I said, we don't always have control over that one but it is still food for thought I think.
     
  5. DarkLight

    DarkLight Live Long and Prosper - On Hiatus

    @Gopherman - I couldn't agree more about the importance of having critical information backed up. I think it goes along very well with learning in general. For example, I used the ARRL study manuals when I got my HAM radio license (Technician, General and Extra). I still have those manuals around and find myself several times a month hitting the Extra manual to check/verify something. Part of my preps is a physical library, and I want part to be a hardened, protected electronic device to store a ton of information. Right now, it's all on USB drives and sticks and in the event of an apocalypse, it's really of no use to me most likely.
     
    Gopherman likes this.
  6. DarkLight

    DarkLight Live Long and Prosper - On Hiatus

    @PaxMentis - Motivation is so important as is the source of the motivation. My wife and kids wax and wane on their willingness/ability to participate, but they do try and I would literally do anything for any of them up to and including laying down my life. I have a picture of my family at my desk and I tell people that 80% of the people in that picture are 100% of the reason I come to work every day.

    Losses can be devastating and severely change your drives and motivations. I can offer nothing but my sincerest condolences and keep you in my thoughts and prayers. That doesn't always help the wound and does nothing to "fix" the problem, but it is given in the spirit of friendship and the offer of a shoulder.
     
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  7. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    I agree with Pax on this one. *shocking I know* ;)

    If you don't have a good reason to survive, love, trust, sheer stubbornness, will to survive etc .. whatever your reasons then chances of survival are not good.
     
    Zimmy, GrayGhost, chelloveck and 2 others like this.
  8. -06

    -06 Monkey+++

    After covering the basics of "food/water/com/shelter/1st aid/arms/ammo" then knowing how to use them proficiently is what I would consider "on the list" of important steps.
     
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  9. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    I put Family, as FIRST, and the most important item in Survival, and being Prepared. This is the basic Building Block of Civilization, and to survive, both Mentally, and Physically, Family is important. All the BS about being the LAST Human, on the Planet, after the Great Event, is just that BS... There are VERY FEW Individuals, that could Survive for long, as an Individual, Single Entity.... and if they were given the choice, would chose to live alone.... Partner, Spouse, Children, are all part, and parcel, of Family.... and with a Strong Family, the lose of One Member, Grief, Burden, and Healing, can be shared, through out the Family.
     
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  10. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    What drove me into prepping initially was suddenly realizing what I would lose if the residence caught fire. Since that great awakening, I've expanded to cover all the bases I could imagine.

    So I suppose the first bit of advice I'd hand out would be to figure out what will hurt you the most, and guard against that.
     
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  11. NotSoSneaky

    NotSoSneaky former supporter

    Frugality.
     
  12. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    I call that shopping for a deal :)
     
    DarkLight likes this.
  13. DarkLight

    DarkLight Live Long and Prosper - On Hiatus

    @NotSoSneaky - Learn it, live it, love it!
     
    NotSoSneaky likes this.
  14. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    Practice what you have learned, until it is part of who you are. No need for paper records, USB drives, and tablets, when the skills are part of you. They will help you pass those skills on, though.
     
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  15. HK_User

    HK_User A Productive Monkey is a Happy Monkey

    Pay attention to your body's overall health. All the goodies in the world aren't worth a hoot if you're unable to function to use them.
    '
     
  16. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    I only read the first post- nothing else.
    Confidence & optimism-
    I may not have a clue what I am doing or how to do it but I have the confidence & optimism that I will be able to achieve my goals. I just heard it tonight. My son said, "No way Mom, we can't do that" I responded yes we can, no problem. The old me would have admitted, I have no clue and it doesn't look doable. The person that has grown over these years, now thinks, what can I use, how can I do this, we have to do this and we have to try. We all have doubts so have your moment of doubt then next thought think of how you can do it. (asking advice is not lacking anything)

    I am doing this survival thing so my kids can have a future. I have to lead by example. If I show confidence and optimism then whatever life throws at them, the boys will have the confidence and optimism to survive because if Mom can do it, then they can do it better.
     
  17. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    [applaud]:5s::5s::5s::5s:
     
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  18. UncleMorgan

    UncleMorgan I like peeling bananas and (occasionally) people.

    Survival is a process. And it's one that must eventually end in failure--if personal survival is all that matters.
    That's because, sooner or later, everybody dies.
    But real survival is more than just dodging the next bullet or finding the next berry. It's having children and keeping them safe until they have children of their own. And passing on the knowledge you have gained to make their survival more certain.
    Even when we rack up our four score years and ten, the life of one person is is hardly a blink in the cycle of the ages. We are all May flies, living lives so short that they are hardly begun before they are too-quickly over.
    But if we leave new lives behind us it doesn't matter how long we live because Life, itself, can outlast the ages.
    All that we do to survive should be done that our families endure.
     
  19. DarkLight

    DarkLight Live Long and Prosper - On Hiatus

    @Motomom34 - It's funny you bring that up when you did. I've noticed that the way I handle it still has some rough edges but my mindset is changing the older I get. Case in point...my son is really into flight simulation and in all truthfulness I would feel absolutely comfortable with him landing a jumbo jet at this point.

    Anywho, back on topic. There were some problems with a couple of the plane simulations that he downloaded recently. They worked for a while and then stopped working. He was understandably disappointed since all told they cost him around $90 but he had kind of given up on getting them to work. This is where the rough edges comes in. I pretty much told him in no uncertain terms that no, he wasn't giving up looking for a solution unless he was just going to admit being taken and screwed and then walk away bitter (again, not so kid glove there). What I did do was help him troubleshoot, I helped him look up forums and other things. Eventually we found fixes for one problem and within a day of posting for troubleshooting help on the forums someone posted a configuration fix for the other.

    Didn't give up, problem solved and he now has full (and a little bit better actually) functionality on his investment...and I would still trust him to land anything with a 3, 7 or 8 in the designation (737, 747, A320, A321, etc). Btw, he's 13. Very proud. And no, he doesn't just practice taking off. :D
     
  20. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    Got another Jet Jockey, in training, there DL.... Good for him..... at least until he discovers "Girls"....
     
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