Are we really prepared?

I've had enough of you guys. Too many books already and now I've got two more on the list this week. Sheesh.

Keep this in mind. We're talking about TEOTWAWKI but these lessons in "mental preparedness, common sense and the lengths you are willing to go to survive" are valuable in everyday life. I have seen people on the job, faced with minor setbacks, who practically fell apart. Whining, walking off, leaving the solution to their life problems to the rest of us.

Former Boy Scouts, military veterans, people who have been working for money since they were very young, all tend to have a more resilient outlook than that. But most of us could use a more explicit view of how to overcome hardships.

So I'll buy the books. :D
 
Esav Benyamin said:
I've had enough of you guys. Too many books already and now I've got two more on the list this week. Sheesh.

Keep this in mind. We're talking about TEOTWAWKI but these lessons in "mental preparedness, common sense and the lengths you are willing to go to survive" are valuable in everyday life. I have seen people on the job, faced with minor setbacks, who practically fell apart. Whining, walking off, leaving the solution to their life problems to the rest of us.

Former Boy Scouts, military veterans, people who have been working for money since they were very young, all tend to have a more resilient outlook than that. But most of us could use a more explicit view of how to overcome hardships.

So I'll buy the books. :D
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great job buddy!!!!!
 
Esav, we need a books sticky, this books list thing is rediculous- I have about 10 stickies all over my appartment of book list must reads and most wind up on the floor or in the garbage.
 
Too many stickies could be a problem. Too many sticky topic could be a problem. I've organized that sort of data before. I even started a blog for it but never put up entries.

See what you can come up with for a list, however organized or not. Book, author, topic. Then I'll see what we can do.

Deep Survival, Laurence Gonzales - http://www.deepsurvival.com/
Air Force SERE manual - ?
U.S. Air Force Search & Rescue Handbook
 
All I can say is, yes, it is hard when you have been through a lot and you are by yourself. That is the most important time to stay in prayer!

Keep focused on what the final outcome will be and don't give up!

Some people handle being alone better than others, and there are those who can't stand being alone but can't live with others either, LOL.

Life is harsh and is fixin' to get a lot harsher, I am glad to hear you have studied and are prepared.

Esav makes a VERY good point!
 
PastorMarko said:
All I can say is, yes, it is hard when you have been through a lot and you are by yourself. That is the most important time to stay in prayer!

Keep focused on what the final outcome will be and don't give up!

Some people handle being alone better than others, and there are those who can't stand being alone but can't live with others either, LOL.

Life is harsh and is fixin' to get a lot harsher, I am glad to hear you have studied and are prepared.

Esav makes a VERY good point!
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YES!

i do very well in crap hits the spinny blades situations alone. I prefer it actually.
 
Bushman5 said:
the only way to prepare yourself psychologically is to put your self in situations that stress you psychologically. Obviously one would want to do this with trained people standing by.

for example, our army used to (dont know if they still do, perhaps Fonly can chime in) "kidnap" recruits, blindfold them, strip them and tie them up and put them in cold cement cells for days on end. No food, no water, mild torture, fire hose sprayings, endless lights and noise etc etc. It was to prepare them in case of capture.

thats just one example......

actually this gives me one hell of an idea for a business. Preparing people psychologically for the wilderness by exposing them to controlled wilderness scenarios and breaking them down, in a well staffed and safety backed up setting.............
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I'd help you out with that.
 
Something to read then realize that you don't want go far.
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This is one area that I am very thankful to the BSA, USMC and SERE as well as the Scout Sniper program for. As an individual practices the skills they become more and more confident in their ability to make it through whatever they are facing.

One point brought out in Deep Survival is the tendency of folks thinking and abilities to become boxed in, thus preventing them form seeing unconventional (to them) solutions to their situation. That is why it is VERY important to constantly train and study in new techniques and knowledge from many sources. While much may be repetitive it helps us stay openminded enough to find solutions and improvise even under exceptionaly stressful comditions.

The other thing practice does is get one used to acting immediately and reflexively thus cutting off the tendency to become paralyzed and panic. I noticed this in myself when I went through a disaster pesonaly a number of years ago. Even while moving forward a bit in shock of what had taken place I was unconsciously scavenging the materials needed for a shelter etc.

As to the subject of faith. Faith in God as one sees Him has sustained many through exceptionaly rough times. However most of those folks who made it were of the attitude that God wouldn't help them much if they didn't get off their asses and do something.
The Plymouth colony did indeed loose a number of folks to starvation, they did much better the next season when they implemented the horribly cruel policy of "no work no eat". After that they thrived. A bit better organization would have helped. The skilled laborers who arrived the next year saved their butts.
 
wildmike said:
One point brought out in Deep Survival is the tendency of folks thinking and abilities to become boxed in, thus preventing them form seeing unconventional (to them) solutions to their situation. That is why it is VERY important to constantly train and study in new techniques and knowledge from many sources. While much may be repetitive it helps us stay openminded enough to find solutions and improvise even under exceptionaly stressful comditions.
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In business situations, we also studied an opposite effect: paralysis by analysis, the tendency to sit and study instead of getting up and getting to work.

It's good to have facts and figures, but not to the point that no amount of data and theory seems enough to start doing something.
 
Loosearrow said:
Faith and hope get many people through hardships.
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that's not a survival strategy, that's being dependent.

belief in a higher power is one of the things we should prepare ourselves for so we are psychologically resistant to it.
 
zyhano said:
that's not a survival strategy, that's being dependent.

belief in a higher power is one of the things we should prepare ourselves for so we are psychologically resistant to it.
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It is not dependency when people's faith inspires them to fight through to a successful outcome. We aren't denigrating your principles. Please show others the same courtesy.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
It is not dependency when people's faith inspires them to fight through to a successful outcome. We aren't denigrating your principles. Please show others the same courtesy.
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I don't want to be denigrating. But I get where your remark is coming from. point taken.
 
zyhano said:
that's not a survival strategy, that's being dependent.

belief in a higher power is one of the things we should prepare ourselves for so we are psychologically resistant to it.
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As much as I may agree with your apparent feelings on religion, a great deal of reading I have done on the subject of long term survival under extremely adverse conditions as well as college and academy classes on survival all stress faith and hope as major factors. Mind you, faith and hope in and of themselves regardless of whatever one might have faith in or hope for. It is actually a fairly common sense psychological phenomena, a mind which believes in something better to come is much better prepared to persevere through extreme hardship than one without hope.
 
angle iron said:
As much as I may agree with your apparent feelings on religion, a great deal of reading I have done on the subject of long term survival under extremely adverse conditions as well as college and academy classes on survival all stress faith and hope as major factors. Mind you, faith and hope in and of themselves regardless of whatever one might have faith in or hope for. It is actually a fairly common sense psychological phenomena, a mind which believes in something better to come is much better prepared to persevere through extreme hardship than one without hope.
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true. it's not a strategy that will produce consistent results though...:rolleyes:
 
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