Has watching any of the 'survival' shows changed your ideas/priorities on survival ?

Seeing those shows is mostly a reminder of why I don't watch TV, and to spend more time Outdoors and at Bladeforums. :D

The things I do find interesting about them: the scenery, and insight into foreign environments like the frozen tundra or tropical jungles.
 
sideways said:
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:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: John
 
I like Chinese food. I like hot showers. I like a big fat cable package. No, I have zero fantasies of sleeping in leaves, biting bugs and filth. I do have a love of the outdoors and I have been semi stuck in a few lousy climate scenarios. So I take the basics seriously and whatever bits I have picked up in TV shows, have been explained in much greater detail on this site. So I would say that this site and real world practice has been more beneficial to me than tv. Oh ya, I have a few handy books also. That pocket version of the SAS survival guide is quite good. I never really knew or cared much about a Shemagh or whatever you call them, until I researched them, now I have three. It is helpful to see something on TV, in a book, on video or explained on a web site. But what really matters to me is doing it myself. I have found that some things are not necessarily as quick or as easy to do, until practiced many times.
 
Most of these shows are a load of crap. Just because your out in the woods, with a pack full of gear, food,medical supplies, and water behind the camera, and knowing what to expect is in no way even close to survival. When you can see the stress in their face, hear the panic in their voice, and having no idea what lies ahead, and all they have is a pack they normally would carry, and filming everything themselves, then thats more legit. I prefer to watch instructional videos and how to videos on specific skills or gear. You actually learn much more that way, and then you practice what you learned. Even still, you want to know who the teacher is, how did they acquire these skills and how long have they been doing it. But the #1 survival tool we all have is our mind, our willingness. But our mind can also be our worst enemy as well if it becomes full of fear, doubt, and panic. Only the individual themselves can learn to do that. My favorite quotes from respected individuals- " If you think you can, or if you think you can't, either way your right, it's the thought that makes it so." -Henry Ford. " what the mind of man can conceive, and bring itself to believe, it can achieve." - Napoleon Hill.
 
My wife and I watched Alone but we don't have TV so we had to watch is through the internet. It was a terrible bother so I just prefer to read books. I can still read them even when the internet goes out or the guy down the street is downloading crap and killing our bandwidth.

But it was very entertaining. I appreciate the mental aspect of survival more than anything. I think the will to live is the one thing most long term survival instructors can't teach. You either have it or you don't. The people that gave up early didn't have it. It's like some of the more elite military training regimens. Once you get to the point that you realize it's mind over matter, you never give up. You can kill those guys with physical labor but they'll never give up mentally. You can't teach that.
 
The shows HAVE to be entertaining or they will fail. If you want strictly an instructional video, I suggest going to school and read books. The survival shows are meant to entertain and teach a little at the same time.
 
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