The evolution of the survivalist.

I am 101,102, and 201. I prefer to be called a serious prepper rather than a survivalist, although if conditions warranted it, I'd evolve to survivalist. I visit many forums that have little or nothing to do with prepping and I see a growing number of people currently in the prepping stages. This speaks volumes.

 

I understood Seacowboys post as you can't learn the will to survive and the mindset, not that you can't learn techniques that our ancestors knew and practiced for eons...Of course everybody can learn the techniques...None of us was born with the knowledge, nor were we born in a tribe 100 centuries ago...Living through hard times can give a person stronger mindset and more hope and determination when SHTF, but knowledge is something no one can take from you, no matter what...As for will to survive, you must have a reason in order to build the will...And everyone is different...
For example: the number of suicides in the world is high...I bet that no people from ancient tribes ever committed suicide! They died from animal attacks, tribal wars and diseases, but I don't think any of them killed themselves thinking "Oh, I can't pay the mortgage, I have nobody, I was fired, Stock marked crashed, I have no reason to live thing...
And there's another thing...I was like feeling around among my colleagues, friends and family what they thought about prepping and SHTF possibilities, freaky weather, strange magnetosphere changes and stuff like that, and I saw it would be wise just to keep my mouth shut, or I would be declared psychiatric case...
My sister even suggested that I would probably be happy if some doomsday SHTF would really happen...I replied that she should be happy I couldn't put my hands on some uranium or plutonium...

 

I haven't read anything here that I believe is wrong, including myself being called an asshole. Certainly there is a need to learn survival skills and definately there is a need to make preparations. I just beleive that way too many folks rely on having all the tools and parts but no real desire to fix the problem. No-one enters a survival situation deliberately, well except for maybe those guys on TV. I just think there are mainly two types of people that become "Survivalists"; those that learned from their mistakes and those that want to live long enough to make mistakes to learn from.
I would be curious about just how far +one would go to "Survive"?
I think most would kill to eleminate an immediate threat, I.E. an armed bandit? But how many would beat to death another innocent human that threatened to capsize your life-boat?
Would you steal fruit from a tree? Would you steal food from a neighbor? Would you fight off marauding Church members that would take your precious supplies? Would you resort to prostitution to survive? Would you sell labor, endenture yourself? Would you sell blood? Would your mate share her breast with a strange hungry child? Would you trample over fallen bodies in the panic to flee a burning theater? All of these and a thousand other questions of morality and rationalization are part of the evolutionary process of becoming a "Survivalist". That line is not clearly drawn in the sand and it shames me to know just how far I, myself, would go to survive, especially given that my days as a breeder are done and the only compelling reason to stay is to either admit selfishness or to try and help those that I can.

 

I was just working and doing my own thing, then pop I hatch and I was a full scale prepper.

 

Broker...that's as a product, not a client...

 

I would!...I mean..women paying me to have sex with them? How can I go wrong there!...Hehehe...Bane, the sex toy!...

 

I don't think anyone called you an AH, and I'm sure no one has opinion like that for any other of us here...
In my country we have a proverb that goes like: The fear keeps your goods safe...If I had no kids, I would probably take all this SHTF and prepping thing in a different, more easy way...But since I'm afraid for my kids, I'll do anything to make them survive any SHTF.
Would I steal, kill, and-what-not? Hell yes! I would also have no problems of eating people if SHTF and no other source of food! What I'm saying is that you need a "reason" for doing all that. If I was alone, no one to think about, any SHTF would be MUCH easier...I could always find food for myself, but kids?
People don't understand one thing (non-preppers, all-will-be-forever-ok people)...once SHTF, all bets are off! Humanity is gone, morals are gone, friendships are gone (unless in a small, tight community of preppers)...
Most of the casualties will be from other people, not famine or drought or anything similar...
Bottom line: I would go as far as I must to make my family survive, and I'm not one smallest bit ashamed of that! Heck, I'm bloody proud of that!
A person that is not willing to do ANYTHING possible (and even impossible) to protect and feed his family, doesn't deserve my respect or friendship...

 

Amen "Sea.."!
Life is what me make of it.
I do NOT regret one single solitary minute of the hardships, heartaches, and school of hard knocks....
It made me the person I am today, be that either good or bad!
I am a survivor, in that I have outlived and outdone many my age and younger.
It's not easy being green!

 

I believe it's never too late to have a family, or to make one. The entire world is slowly and quietly turning into a sewage pool of humanity. For a long time I have a feeling that propaganda is working hard to destroy the concept of "family". From the stories of my parents and grandparents, they don't remember that in their times ever was such a thing as a divorce! And today? Over 80% of all marriages worldwide are ended within first 5 years! And in our grandparents times, most of the marriages were prearranged and bride and groom saw each other for the first time at their wedding!
Family values are crumbling fast, families are dysfunctional, parents spend more time at work chasing money, kids are growing and educated by the street and TV...
Homosexuality and adultery are viewed as something normal and "democratic", porn industry is on fire, drugs, prostitution, etc...I view all this as a conspiracy against the family unit! Why? Because strong families make quality gene pools, stable and happy society, and thus, strong social and national bonds!
If a father decides to leave his wife and kids for young bimbo for sex and fun, what does that say about the moral norms of that society? If a mother neglects her children in order to make a career, what kind of mother is she? What are her priorities?
I tried to watch soap opera's and other bs series and Oprah type shows...I was disgusted pretty soon and stopped watching TV all together...
If I was alone, and no family, I'd try to find a woman who's also alone, or even with kids. When SHTF, single women with kids will be the first to go! If I could prevent that happening to one of them, and make a family of my own, no matter if I was biological father to the kid or kids, that's what I would do...
Family can only make you fight harder and stronger, even if it means pulling the cart harder or longer!
Sorry for the rant...just my 2c...

 

Being whatever anyone prefers to call themselves, be it survivor, survivalist, prepper, or..?
I do know that it can overtake you, and you can easily lose sight of important things in your life.
I know.
It cost me a lot in the way of having a REAL family life.
But, it is what it is, and I am who and what I am, made by circumstances....
Some by my own hand, some by others.....
Long ago I made the determination NOT to lose....not if I can help it!
So, I began to prep for whatever came along, Murphy's law, or his brother O'Brien!
Now it's true I am not the greatest or DAD OF THE YEAR, and never will be, and that's ok...But IF and when things go awry for the kids, they know where to go, and who will be there to assist. Seems it's been that way for ages....at least as far back as I can remember anyway!
For me, that's a good thing too.
More than once, I threw it all away, sold off all the guns, gave away all the books.....and I always returned, more determined and wiser than before!
It was NEVER about me, it was about being able to help others......
Family, friends, whatever/whomever comes along.
It's in my nature to help others, and I seem to get a kick out of that part of life! This is one more opportunity to really put my money where my mouth is!

 

Wow, what does the family unit, divorce and a woman having a career have to do with being a prepper or survivalist anyway? Just curious.

 

Are you really asking this, or just pulling my leg? Do you have a family?
Why do you think we prep? For ****s and giggles? Because we are bored?
Some people maybe, but i do it because I want to be ready when SHTF, and I want my family to survive! For me, this is not something to do to kill time! And if you do not have the support of your family, especially your wife, all the prepping will be very hard, if not impossible.
If you get a divorce and move out (and fathers almost always move out, and kids stay with women), what is left from the family bonds, trust, love, the relationship? If family unit breaks up, what is the chance of survival of woman and kids? And if the woman is chasing a career, and is divorced, what is to be with the children then? In, so far "normal" life? And what happens when SHTF? I take my family and this prepping business VERY seriously, because I know how little it takes to end this planets way of life and technology...All it takes is a silent Solar "burp", and all that's left is the ways and knowledge of the old... I know my priorities, and I do what I do according to them...

 

Bane, no, I'm not pulling your leg at all. Yes, I have a family:husband, and two grown sons and have been a working woman my entire life, as well as a prior divorce. Trust me when I say that my survival depended upon breaking up a family unit and moving on:returning to school, being employed at a far better job, remarrying and retiring early last year.
I thought this thread was about the "evolution of a survivalist" and not what others perceive to be family values. Such generalizations are not fruitful.

 

At the risk of offending some again, this topic is now actually beginning to deal with the "Evolution" of a "Survivalist". It is not about if the chicken or egg come first; its about if the chicken was stolen and how the egg was horded or shared. Its nice to see mainstream begin to take steps towards self-sufficiency, but most of the serious preppers I know have two things in common:
1. they don't like being labeled a "Survivalist".
2. Some event in their life started the push in that direction.
There is a third thing that is common too...they are not going to give you their fish but they might show you how to catch one, if you want to learn.