The real knucklehead though is the overweight couch potato who watches this stuff and comes away thinking that he's ready for anything, and then goes out and gets himself and/or others killed while flaunting his own ignorance.
I am reminded of a story of Oedipus and the Sphinx at Thebes in Greek Mythology. Hearing that a monster had taken up station just out of the town on a major thoroughfare, and killed every man who approached if he failed to answer the Sphinx's riddle, young Prince Oedipus took on the task of the riddle himself. "What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three in the evening", went the Sphinx's riddle. Oedipus' correct answer that allowed him to draw his sword and kill the Sphinx was that the creature was man.
"For," said he,
"in the morning of life, or in babyhood, man creeps on hands and knees; at noon, or in manhood, he walks erect; and at evening, or in old age, he supports his tottering steps with a staff."
The reason I bring this up is that many of the "overweight couch potatos" here are indeed in the evenings of their lives. For some this state of being comes with advanced years, for others with infirmities over which they have no control. Still, the best part of the human spirit strives in even the oldest, most physically challenged of us, that is the drive to learn, and by learning, to continue to survive.
There is a thing I have heard referred to as the "arrogance of youth". It is not a bad thing by any means. On this, nations have risen and fallen. For in the youth lies a sense of immortality, of nothing known but life and steadily increasing physical strength and prowess. That is why youths are chosen to be Marines, Seals, and military men of all ilks by all nations. By and large, this paradox is completed by the fact that they are led by old men who have wisdom gained by living long, though they can no longer wtand up to the rigors of the feats they expect of the young men.
All this, I relate from experience. When I was young, I could go without sleep for days if needed. I could, without thinking, run straight toward a deadly situation without pause, believing myself to be invincible, bulletproof and ten feet tall. I later could still swing a sledge, move tons of dirt with a shovel, carry objects my own weight or more, then on the way home from work stop off at a local park for a timed run to the top of a thousand foot peak and back.
In middle age, I still did the work, albeit now paced. I began to find easier ways to accomplish tasks than by using brute force. My runs became jogs. And I was now cognizent of my own mortality as my peers and family went spinning one by one off this "mortal coil", and I had children of my own.
Now, in the autumn of my life, there are many things I can no longer physically do. I still work hard, but I also work smart. I endure failing body parts, a few removed, some repaired, one or two replaced (such as the twin hearing aids I now wear).
And yet the drive to survive continues. And with it, a strange inner need to share what I've learned to help my children and friends survive by teaching those who will listen what I have learned in my own life about surviving. Maybe it is just the natural progression of the mind of a man who is now a grandfather five times over. At any rate, that is what I am doing here. And whether a man is overweight, homebound quadropolegic ( I have a few friends in that state), young, old, or inbetween, they can be mindful of what they can do to take personal responsibility for themselves when a "root hog or die" situation arises. As I keep repeating, preparation is great, but more than physical preparation, mental preparation that results in a positive attitude is the key, the "prime directive" to survival.
Codger with a full pot of Folgers this morning
Edited to add: OTE, please do not think I am picking on you, I am not. Your opinion is understood and respected. You refer to "armchair survivalists" as we also refer to "armchair quarterbacks and generals."