The Draw to a Survivalist Life

I'm new here and I'm sorry if this has been covered (I tried reading through old posts and am pooped) or is too far OT.

I know there are many reasons to prepare. I know that I have become increasingly aware of many reasons to prepare for a sitX. However, I did some thinking about how I would feel if sitX did happen and I had to survive. Once all the rough early parts worked out (assuming I would survive that long) and went about living how do I feel about that type of life. Surprisingly, I was kind of enjoying the thought. This lead to further thinking. Would it be better? Would we as people be happier if we had to struggle a lot more to get what we need? Is life so shallow now because it's so easy? Do we have the inherent need to struggle against the adverse but have nothing tangibly adverse in our modern lives? Yes there would be more tragedy and suffering but would the lives we have be more fulfilling?

I came to the conclusion that we would be happier as a whole. What do you think?

Well, it comes down to a few things.

1. Firstly we have to agree that, for most of us, we live pretty comfortably. However we pretty much don't have to think for our selves a whole lot much. Hence the whole survivalism concept is, I guess, a form of taking control of a situation for ourselves and acting on it independantly.

2. A disallusionment with the mainstream thinking and society in general.
I think the way the society has and will continue to go down the pan until it reaches a critical mass (whatever that might be). It's been going on for the past 20 years or so has been to dumb down the masses and make us far too trusting of the powers that be.

3. Being self-reliant and able to fend for yourself, I think are a brilliant state of mind to have and give you a sense of purpose. These trends seem to of become dirty words for quite a lot of folk. In the UK a majority are urban dweller who pretty much would be fcked if a disaster struck and had to bail-out of hearth and home. Sure the authorities are there but waiting for the cavarly to show up can be a no-brainer.

4. Being able to converse and go out and about with other, like-minded folk that enjoy the outdoor lifestyle.

5. Knowing that if TSHTF / SitX then you'll stand a chance of reacting immediately and putting yourself on a journey that will, hopefull, see you reaching safety and a better outcome than not of doing anything when you could.

These are just a few of what I think are the lure/draw of Survivalism.

Right now the system is trying to convince people to depend on centralization of control... you must get your electricity from a power system out of your control, you must get your food from an agriculture system out of your control, you must get your money from a banking system out of your control, you must govern your lives with a government out of your control....

All of this is an effort by those who are bored with their lives, with more money than they know what to do with, those who have allied themselves with evil forces because they find their life's pursuits empty.... they want to destroy what is beautiful that God created, and they want to destroy those who do not depend on the systems they govern for survival...

...All of it is to get the human race to stick their necks into a noose, while listening to promises of prosperity and safety... all the while they are preparing to kick the stool out from underneath the human population... IF they can get you to depend on them.

Sign on the dotted line and you get plugged in to their system. You have a mortgage on your home (which the banks own) and you depend on your faucets to supply water (which the banks own) and you depend on the food grown by farmers who have debts to the banks (which the banks own) and you depend on the fuel for your car from the oil companies (which the banks own) and you have willingly given up every aspect of freedom which you thought you enjoyed to those who have none of your interests in mind...

They get our necks into the noose all to kick the stool out from under our feet so the great masses of us hang.

What they don't want you to do:

- DON'T set aside your land to plant a garden to grow your own food
- don't create a still to create moonshine, because you can burn it in your car like gasoline
- don't put solar panels on your roof, because you can create your own electricity
- don't grow cannibis, because you could use it to alleve many of your medical ailments
- don't create your own products, because you could barter them and avoid paying income tax
- don't purchase things with savings, because that means you won't rely on credit, putting you in debt with massive amounts of interset
- don't think for yousrelf, instead believe what you're told to believe on the major news channels, so that you will willingly send your sons and daughters to die for corporate profits
- don't believe that freedom depends on upholding the bill of rights, because the truth comes from the government, and people of this nation are inclined to lie to you
- don't believe that money comes from paper, because everyone needs to work for it, and no one gets rich from operating printing presses...


... the list goes on and on.

I too have had similar thoughts about after the SHTF.
Propably because I ussally enjoy working hard and being outside.
When Im inside and not doing anything I get bored and depressed.

Even though I know if sitx happens it will be alot of hard work.
When you go to bed you'll know that you accomplished something with all your days work.
And if and when it finally pays off you'll feel even better.

I know this is kind of a romantized verzion of sitx and that it might actually be hell.
But it never hurts to be optimistic.

A survival situation would definitely get the adrenalin flowing. First you would have to deal with starvation, dysentery, loved ones dying, etc before you could settle into an idealized routine of fending for yourself and living by your own wits.

Originally posted by smokingmonkey
A survival situation would definitely get the adrenalin flowing. First you would have to deal with starvation, dysentery, loved ones dying, etc before you could settle into an idealized routine of fending for yourself and living by your own wits.

That's the part that grounds any romantic ideas I may have. It's going to suck in a big big way and of even the best prepared only some are going to make it. Hope we never have to find out which side we fall on.

Originally posted by smoking monkey
A survival situation would definitely get the adrenalin flowing. First you would have to deal with starvation, dysentery, loved ones dying, etc before you could settle into an idealized routine of fending for yourself and living by your own wits.

Yes I know that the stuff you mentioned would really suck, but I the point I was trying to get at is that it feels good to work hard for a living.
And not many jobs these days challenge you both mentally and physically.
But in a Sitx you will have to use both your brain and your body to stay alive and avoid the bad things you metioned.

[edit on 22-5-2008 by 5ealchris]

I think this depends on your perspective and definition of the ''Survivalist Life''. This would also depend in which part of the world you live in.

This could mean:-
1. Survivalist/ism - Situation X, emergencies, etc.
2. Self-sufficiency - Small holding, growing your own,, organic/eco, etc.
3. Off the grid - Getting away from National/Local Government utilities, etc.
4. Backwoodsman - Learning to live from and with nature, etc.

Or a combination of all four of the above.

Other types include:- The Good Life, Homesteading, eco communities to name but a few.

In the US, it seems to me that ''survivalism'' is more mainstream than say here in the UK where you would be viewed as a ''nutter''.

Personally for me, I am more of a combination of all four of the above with a leaning towards 2/3/4 with 1 in the background/mind plus a smattering of several of the others.

I am not one of the ''World is going to end'' or ''Rambo'' types. I am more of the John Seymour/Ray Mears types.

reply to post by ianr5741


Excellent post. If everyone in the US was self reliant truly then it would throw the whole mass money making complex out the door and this society they want us to live in.

Well, to put it at it's most basic level, you can survive, or not survive. Not surviving IMO means being chained to all those things, mortgage, car, job, infrastructure and fitting neatly into your tiny box that you're assigned. You're surviving just as well as someone on life support. Is that survival? I think not, handing your life over to that is not survival.

Survival means making an active decision to live. By living, i mean living for yourself or family, and not for the sole purpose of corporate profit, wage slavery is not living.

Now there are millions of "survivalists" out there who think buying every item in sportsmans guide or cabelas is preparing, and while it's good to prepare, that's not what's being done. Are you prepared to carry all your "survival" stuff with you when it comes time?

These same millions i speak of are the same ones who would die if they had to make fire from sticks, or find water in the desert to survive. The same ones i'd expect to find dead surrounded by a pile of useless gear, survival manual in hand, next to an improperly built solar still, and most likely within 500 yards of good drinkable water. The same that would freeze to death because they lost their fancy firesteel and never bothered to learn how to friction firelight.

True survivalism is a state of mind and nothing more. It's being able to sustain yourself with knowledge of how to use the world around you in an efficient and sensible manner. It's the mindstate of being alive, and not just on life support.

I believe true survivalists aren't drawn to it so to speak, it's more of a realization of the natural way of life being very liberating and enlightening, and seeking that actively. Those who realize that no matter what, as long as there's some good earth left, there's no reason that one can't lead a happy and fulfilling life in harmony with the good earth, just as nature intended, and just as we have done for hundreds of thousands of years before the rise of "advanced" civilization.

Even depending on all your gear is like being tied to the infrastructure.

There have been times where I have wished for something to destroy society and throw us into a long-term "survivalist" situation, it seems like it would be a much better time than sitting at a desk job for the next 40 years.

Then again I also enjoy access to the internet at any time I choose, having a month's worth of food at any given time to choose from, electricity, etc.

I wouldnt mind finding 5 or so people/families I could pool my money/resources with and set up a big self-sufficient farm somewhere, selling just enough crops/livestock to pay for property taxes and maybe hydro, and living off the rest.

Man kind has always been drawn to the survival life style. It may not seem so to most but most really don't want to see.

If they see other ways then they fear there way may be wrong. We on this site and sites like mine call ourselves survivalist. We study what to do and how to live if and when Every thing goes wrong. Normal people don't do as we do.

That does not mean they are not survivalist. They are every bit survivalist as we are. We think of survival as being self sufficient as possible, in thought word and deed.

So do others. there idea of survival may be waiting for the government to come in and help them. Truthfully why shouldn't they? We are raised to believe we pay our taxes so we are protected.

Yes we now know that is a myth but still that is the way we are brought up. In some respect even today it is true. If some one robs my house I call the police. they come and do there jobs and a lot of the time get our stuff back and put the Lazy SOB who invaded my home away for a little while ware we hope he learns not to steal and develop enough honer to earn what he gets. Doesn't always work that way but sometimes. We have taxes to thank for that.

Last year when we had a short in the old wiring in my house the fire department came and put out the smoldering fire. I never paid a cent for that service because I paid taxes. so I prepaid for the service so to speak. So does that make me less of a survivalist? No it doesn't.

Those who will wate for the government in a total collapse will die but they are still survivalist. they just didn't educate themselves enough. They believed the fairy tales that we were told in our youth. the fair tale is strengthened every day when they drive to work on a high way that has been paid for by tax money. When they stop at the stop sign or light that was put there with tax dollars.

We are all survivalist who are drawn to the life style in different ways every single day that we drew breath.

As for looking forward to it. I have a theory. man kind has always had to fight for our existents. In the world we live in there is not much to fight to live. all that energy that we are born with to help us survive is still there. it sits just under the surface festering and building. We seek a release from that pressure. its not that we look forward to the death and destruction. its we look forward to doing what we are designed to do and what we have always done. To people like us the way we live now is not natural, but as survivalist it is very necessary.

well thats my opinion any way.

[edit on 23-5-2008 by angryamerican]