What Does It Take To Survive?

what does it take to survive?

What does it take to survive? Many people have their own ideas about what it takes to survive. The topic has inspired entire (expensive) books. Here are my opinions on the issue, from the most essential to weakest:

1. The Will To Live

man sitting on mountain edge
what does it take to survive?

Above and beyond all of the other things you might need to survive an emergency, there is one thing that will make you alive is your will to live.

There is no way to survive in a perilous scenario without the will to survive. There isn’t much of a difference between being trapped on the road and being lost out in the woods. If you don’t HAVE the desire to live, everything is ruined.

In the face of incredible adversity, many people have defied the odds by refusing to give up when their bodies and minds were screaming at them to do so, despite having no training, skills, or instruments to assist them.

The desire to live another day is common among those who know how to survive, whether they are children, women, or men.

Fortunately, you have shown some tenacity in your quest for survival knowledge by coming this far down the page and finding this website. My capacity to determine whether you are genuinely interested in surviving tough situations or simply conducting research for an essay on “those crazy survivalists” is limited.

If you’re still breathing, let me pat you on the back. You’ve been exercising your natural instinct for survival that Nature has endowed us with since we first came onto this world to learn how to survive.

We may be surprised to learn that the majority of us are just as curious about you and why you’ve chosen to put your own well-being in the hands of that amorphous entity (society) with which you seem so smugly pleased.

In my view, the numbing effect of “civilized society” on the human mind may be seen in the increase in suicide and suicidal tendencies as urban areas grow. That, however, is a separate issue.

2. Ability

person carrying yellow and black backpack walking between green plants
what does it take to survive?

Ability can (and usually does) refer to a wide range of ideas, but it is used in this case to imply mental and physical wellness.

Because of dementia, alcohol or other drugs, religious or cultural beliefs or taboos, peer pressure, or because you are physically prevented from doing so by others, your chances of surviving an imminent physical or environmental hazard are severely diminished.

The phrase “physical handicaps” does not always imply this. Having a physical disability can actually improve a person’s other talents, such as their tenacity to succeed where others may give up if they will to survive triumphing over any feelings of self-pity or helplessness.

You’re in a very advantageous position to weather the storm if you have a strong desire to confront the most difficult situations. That is if you’ve been paying attention.

3. Awareness

two human standing between the mountains
what does it take to survive

Like a muscle, awareness of one’s own survival improves with training. A “sprained” wrist may result in serious harm if utilized incorrectly.

Instead of a confident assurance and self-confidence that comes from knowing what’s going on around you, sprained awareness can lead to paranoia, over-cautiousness, hesitancy when action is required and indecision (and which way to jump if things go wrong). There’s a reason why school buses come to a halt at every rail crossing.

Trains are notorious for eating automobiles. We live in an incredibly complicated planet that is rife with threats of all types. In the “civilized” regions, we have traffic, crime, and drive-by shootings.

On occasion, unknown heights cause various solid things to fall without obvious explanation. Some of the most unexpected places for underground natural gas, water, and sewer pipes. Construction cranes and high-voltage power lines are among the more unusual features in the environment.

Stairways and cracks in the sidewalk appear to be a matter of chance waiting to happen. There are also chemical plants, as well as planes, that smash into buildings.

Being aware of your location and destination is an important aspect of being prepared for survival, as is being cautious of the perils you may encounter on the road. Considering what you’re doing and the risks associated with a lack of attention.

Proactivity, avoiding needless dangers, recognizing unavoidable hazards, and doing all you can to ensure a good result are all essential elements of acknowledging an unavoidable risk’s existence. It is critical to have a strategy for dealing with and reducing the influence of unavoidable risks.

Isn’t it amazing how much effort goes into something so simple? While this is true, there’s nothing to it. The correct proactive measures for those who practice their survival awareness on a regular basis become more and more “automatic.”

4. Knowledge

woman in black and white floral long sleeve shirt lying on green grass field
what does it take to survive

It’s conceivable that learning about survival might take a lifetime. Despite the fact that this site has over 100 pages and tens of hundreds of links, I’m still discovering new things and remembering old ones. I’d call it difficult to come by, understand, recognize, or even compile all of the knowledge.

Even though I’ve given it a good go, I’m discovering that I have far too much spare time on my hands. There’s no need to be an expert in all possible scenarios as long as you aren’t OCD.

When it comes to survival skills, you should learn some of them since you can’t live in every possible aspect of life. If you don’t intend on sailing, flying, climbing Mount McKinley, or trekking to the North Pole, you don’t need to know how to survive there.

Knowing what you need to learn and why you’re learning it are critical aspects of survival knowledge.

Tsunamis in the Gobi Desert may provide amusement for the locals, but it will not aid your chances of survival unless you are really, really desperate for entertainment. It’s doubtful that your expertise with the best mosses and lichens in Alaska will keep you fed in the west Texas desert.

5. Skills

Man Checking Bonfire at Forest
what does it take to survive?

When it comes to fire-starting, shelter-making, setting a broken bone, and flying an airplane, simply knowing isn’t enough. Skill, on the other hand, is not synonymous with knowledge.

Skill is the capacity to apply knowledge in a precise and efficient way to get the intended result, regardless of whether or not we have the appropriate and suggested toolset.

Developing and perfecting wilderness skills is only possible if you practice them over and over until they become natural to you. This is an example of how to begin your fire-starting training on a clear, dry, warm day with little or no wind and in a secure location: You start by learning the most basic technique.

You’ll be able to construct a fireplace, gather locally available fuels, and figure out which ones produce the most heat, smoke, and coals. It covers everything you need to know about tinder, including what’s available, what’s best, and how to use it if you’re in a bind.

The first step in any fire is learning how to build a fire. You may learn how to make a campfire, and you’ll be able to observe how the flames and smoke patterns change depending on different variables or configurations by burning various fuels and sizes in diverse locations. The effects of reflectors on heat and light production, as well as the conditions of a burn.

You can begin experimenting with less-than-ideal conditions, such as damp tinder and fuel, and other variables once you’ve mastered starting a fire in ideal conditions with the best tools.

In the case of a survival situation, if you can successfully generate a good fire with poor materials and the best equipment, you’ll begin experimenting with different tools and strategies.

The ability to create fire in any condition, with or without modern tools and approaches, is a skill that can be developed. You will eventually be able to start a fire in any situation. At that moment, you’ll have the power to “generate fire.”

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