Survive yourself?

I've heard from other people that I stay calm in extreme situations (never really happened), especially when those situations don't involve other people.

Originally posted by TheRedneck


Second thing, Dan Tanna, you are the one person I would want to meet (or maybe not want to meet?

) in a life-or-death struggle. I appreciate your attitude and your intensity. Keep it up. I see the survival forum as a place to pick up a few pointers, sure, but moreso a place to try and spread the info I have about surviving. This in hopes that someone else will make it (I'd hate to have to rebuild society alone.

). Your posts assist me in both ways.

No one here knows what a SitX situation will be. We are discussing something that could range from loss of cable TV and having to drive an older car, to living in a mudhole and eating dirt while dodging heavy arms fire. I think far too many people have never had the experience of losing everything, of starting again from scratch, without help from anyone. That's a mind-chiller that will make you sit down, hang your head, and wait to die.

There will be the other side. Just never forget that.

TheRedneck

Loss of cable TV to having to drive an old car... Dammit! Is SITX going to be THAT bad?!?

As for me? I live in an unheated barn through a northern winter because I had no where else to live. I fished my fish, I snared my rabbits, I shot my birds with a old air rifle. I ate at night by candle light and heating was a single fire. Cooking was over a fire I built myself. October to march. Thats when you know whether you have 'it' or not. Had I not been who I was, I would of folded for sure. You ever woke up from sleeping with ice in your hair and water frozen in a cup? yeah, thats how 'warm' my barn was. All winter.

And Redneck? I love the stuff you and every one else brings here - I just hope I can keep doing the same.

Originally posted by AGENT_T

Ray is the survival expert's expert.
If you can stay that 'well-padded' in the bush for weeks at a time filming and living it rough..then you know he's got it down VERY naturally.

[edit on 21-7-2008 by AGENT_T]

man that hurt so much i don't know if I can breath deep or not...

Man, I love Bear, he is my type of guy. But then when i met ray Mears I was so speechless all i could do was smile, thrust my book at him to sign and smile like a loony bin patient. serious, i was awestruck.

reply to post by Dan Tanna

As for me? I live in an unheated barn through a northern winter because I had no where else to live. I fished my fish, I snared my rabbits, I shot my birds with a old air rifle. I ate at night by candle light and heating was a single fire. Cooking was over a fire I built myself. October to march. Thats when you know whether you have 'it' or not. Had I not been who I was, I would of folded for sure. You ever woke up from sleeping with ice in your hair and water frozen in a cup? yeah, thats how 'warm' my barn was. All winter.

I congratulate you. Most people would consider that situation unlivable. You considered it a trial and a test.

Right now I live with my family in an old trailer. Cooling is by fan (too many drafts to do AC, believe me, I have tried). Today the temperature outside is 99F. In the winter, it drops to about 20F, and we make do with clothing, blankets, and a kerosene heater. So far I haven't woke up with ice in my hair yet. Still, this situation is amazing to other people.

I will not borrow money for a house. I own this land free and clear, and I have my little shop and equipment to make almost anything I need to live. I have plenty of room for a garden, and plenty of good hunting area. I do not wish to move, because it would mean losing all this that I consider vital.

On the other hand, I am building a house. Right now there is a foundation wall all around my trailer; soon there will be walls on it. In the meantime, we wait and work and plan, and do the best we can do. When that dream is realized, it will belong to us, not to some bank or mortgage company. We will do the work ourselves, and we will reap the rewards from it.

Just this morning, my wife and I were talking about this. We had just returned from buying a new TV to replace the one that finally is going bad. We agreed that, despite the trials and the hardships, or perhaps because of them, we had something even our neighbors don't have but wish they did: the guts and the will to keep going, no matter what the odds.

That's true wealth.

TheRedneck

reply to post by TheRedneck


Red,
I was talking about this the other night - why people are so miserable in modern life. You know what we came up with as a conclusion?

Modern man is so miserable because they are bored; they have everything they desire yet nothing at all; it all came easy with no sacrifice or hardship attached, so they consume more and more to squash an emptiness inside that claws at their very souls.

I had a hard life, but a life full of learning and growth. I wouldn't swap my life history for all the diamonds in Africa.

reply to post by Dan Tanna
All I can say is "Amen".

I think the ease of making money is the primary problem. I know a lot of people will scream money isn't easy to get, but it really is. At least it is if you're willing to sacrifice freedom, self-sufficiency, morals, and self-respect for it.

I consider those things more valuable than truck loads of green paper. I've been on top, and I've seen the bare bottom, and through it all, I was still me. Maybe that's why I am a generally happy person, regardless of circumstances. And maybe that's why I will survive, because I have more to keep me going than a number on a bank computer.

When I built my shop, there was a pride that went with it. I didn't hire someone to do it, I drove the nails and cut the lumber myself (with my kids' help). That shop means so much more to me than one I could have bought, because it is uniquely mine. It doesn't represent a number with a dollar sign in front of it, it represents work and thinking and ability.

I got my first car at 13. My dad bought it, but it barely ran. I had to fix it, paint it, tune it up, and keep it running. I even had to buy the tools to fix it. It was an old 1967 Volkswagen Beetle, but it meant so much more to me than that new Mustang meant to the rich kids. My car represented my work, my ability, and my perseverance, while theirs represented Daddy has a lot of money. When their Mustang was rotting in a junk yard, my old Bug was still on the streets. Every time I think about that old car, I am thankful my Dad was smart enough to let me work for what I got.

I see folks so often with big houses, nice new cars, nice furniture... and they are miserable. Every conversation with them turns to money. This cost so much, and I had to finance such and such, and I wish I made more money. When I sit out in my shop or in my mountain, I don't think about money, I think about what I can create. It's satisfying in a way that cannot be bought.

That is why I am posting here now. I see money becoming a quick free-fall into despair for so many of the present population, and without that constant injection of buying, what will they have to live for? I will have plenty.

TheRedneck

Dan you make perfect since. Every one consumes because they don't understand true hard work. They aer burden by the material things in life. Those materials things cost them time, money, and most importantly humiliation and despare to pay for them all.

Make what you need and live for what you believe.

reply to post by TheRedneck


A man I can look to and admire. You took your own skills, raised your own shop, take a living and provide for your family, and not a drop of your blood sweat and tears goes to the banks.

I Sir, Salute you!

Dan and TheRedneck, thank you for those very inspiring words.

Well said Dan and Red.

You dudes are in an excellent mindset and position for SitX, I can say no more that hasn't already been said.

Survival Leadership/2IC in SitX no doubt!

Agent T, you are the extreme dude of the roaming variety man!
I thought my style of bike touring across Asia and traveling was edgy!
Good attitude man, you've taken some knocks and knocked back a few times too!

Fred, keep it real and ride that wave man.

My attitude is to stay loose and keep a watchful eye for things.

A few quotes below, the last I made up.

'Livin's how you live it, you either live free or you die.'
'A rolling stone gathers no moss.'
'The free-moving man follows the beat of his own drummer.'

Being a slave to mortages and banks is a kind of dyin' to me anyway.
Not my style. Be your own man and not someone elses.
SitX comes along and a lot of folk will be smashed mentally.

We don't make the rules though you just gotta find the right vibe and flow right along with it.

For me I did some years in the forces, no massive deal but it gave me the basics of outdoor survival and woke up my sleeping self a bit.

My style is more the everyman all-rounder. I pick things up along the way and just buzz my way through riding the wave, hoping not to fall.
Preparation and planning is key though so my angle is more 'reduction of hardship' in the event of SitX.
Whenever the meetings can fire up we'll be pooling info there too.


For those who dread the hardship/loneliness you need to start embracing introversion and the winds of change.
Modern day society pushes the overcrowding and mass-machine-like mentality too much. It'll make a bitter pill to swallow for some of you, if you even choose to swallow it at all!

Life boils down to that at both ends of the spectrum.
You can't take it with you so be ready to dance the good dance with what you've got when the tune starts a-playin'

Keep on truckin brothers!




[edit on 21-7-2008 by WatchRider]

[edit on 22-7-2008 by WatchRider]

Originally posted by WatchRider
Being a slave to mortages and banks is a kind of dyin' to me anyway.
Not my style. Be your own man and not someone elses.
SitX comes along and a lot of folk will be smashed mentally.

I had the opportunities and the career to be just another statistic in the 'mortgage' stakes.
It scared the living poop out of me.. the idea that..
'if I take this house I'm stuck for life'

So glad I didn't.. yeah I might be 'up' a quarter million now.. but I'd be down a whole 20 years worth of living and traveling.
20 years of worrying about whether the next pay cheque will pay the bills instead ?

I certainly wouldn't disrespect anyone who has taken the 'family' lifestyle..I'm just saying not for me.

Now it must be terrifying for those people who took the 'investment' route in these times of huge bills/inflation/taxes.
They can't tax me Jack .. coz I got nowt.. yup zero.

I work my little trade..bare bones of a salary..enough for my meager bills and some toys but I'll never get rich with it.

Dad was a miner..brother too.Now they're honest working bus drivers after the redundancies in '80..
I'm proud to come from a working class family with no silver spoon jammed up my crevasse..but I'd be terrified to be stuck in the same dead end job for a lifetime..that's more terrifying than any 'sit-x' I can think of.

Just gimme a great big field or a wood with no stupid bye-laws and I can turn it into paradise..it might be a bit rickety but it'll do me just fine.

reply to post by AGENT_T



You all wanna belly laugh? well you know I have a little girl, but what you haven't seen is her 'home made snugpak suit'. The wife ran it up on her mad sewing skills - its like - 15'C rated double thick snugpak made into a suite for her.

Also its in a fetching dark forest green. (It was made for deep winter when we may not have 'elaboarte heating' available).

You know how much i owe the banks? £55 quid. LOL. They hate me and the wife as we are not debt slaves.

Mann how true is that statement

Originally posted by WatchRider

Being a slave to mortages and banks is a kind of dyin' to me anyway.
Not my style. Be your own man and not someone elses.
SitX comes along and a lot of folk will be smashed mentally.

[edit on 21-7-2008 by WatchRider]

I'm reveling in my freedom now, I dont have nothing to tie me down anymore so I can go where I want when I want, its a far cry from 6 months ago when I had the excellent job and great money but no real happiness and no real freedom.

Being your own man is the way to go...it gives you a totally different outlook on life

reply to post by Dan Tanna


Cooool.
Those Snugpak suits aren't cheap to buy.

Where have all the traditional skills gone down here?

With a step toward equality/maybe a bit 'girly' for some..I want to try my hand in basket weaving.
Once you master the basic structure it's a transferable skill.From baskets to windbreaks.from hampers to fishing pots I'm reckoning.

---

BTW..
The first 'homemade' item I ever wore was made by my mother too.It was a school jumper in blue..except I went shopping with her and some silver flecked blue wool caught my eye..
BIG MISTAKE..wore it once..

For the rest of my school life I was called Gary Glitter.

I think that's what got me into boxing

My good lady wife will make you a mean willow basket crabbing pot. I mean I have to collect the wood but she makes it....lmao.

She can wizz one up in an afternoon easily from just bare minimum gear. She can also salvage and mend clothes like Armarni.

Not saying how much I owe B/card lol..
I earn enough to pay them off steadily..but come sit-x I wouldn't be too worried about 'getting to a bank'

BTW got the 'lifesaver' bottle through last week.. primed and operating..using it to filter the crappy chlorinated tap water till I get a real test sorted.

I was wondering if you could use it to filter Jameson's to get a concentrated 'hiker's ' brew.

( It says water only..booo )

reply to post by AGENT_T



How did you rate your life saver? still waiting for mine..


Do you rate it? easy to use/ good water flow? Whats your general thoughts on it?

reply to post by AGENT_T
I played the debt game myself back when I was young and stupid(er). I had a good paying job fresh out of high/technical school and few bills. That left me a lot of free money to buy toys with. I hated my job (government) with a passion, but I could get drunk on the weekends and play with my toys, so I guess I thought it was an OK life.

I took off the week of July 4th that fateful year, two weeks after the executives in charge of the agency I worked for came to the plant and announced to everyone that we all "had a job as long as we wanted one". One day I stopped by a local marina to look at a boat. There sat the prettiest little bass boat I had ever seen, with all the bells and whistles. I had a good job, a secure job, and I-1 credit. The salesman filled out the paperwork for the loan and handed it to me.

As pen touched paper, I had a sudden thought to stop. I told the salesman I wanted to sleep on it, and to keep the paperwork warm until tomorrow. The next day I was on my way to get my new bass boat, and I stopped by the local general store to get a cold drink. When the owner (who knew me) saw me, he asked "Are you getting laid off too?" They had announced the layoff the previous day.

In short, I was laid off in a community where everyone else was being laid off as well. Economically, it was dead. That plant was the only real game in town. I managed to do some odd jobs to continue a couple more quarters in college (went hungry for a solid week during that time), but eventually I had to move to find work. In short, I spent years working my tail to the bone to pay everyone back what i had borrowed. Still, my credit rating went to pot and I had to have a cosigner to get the last car I bought on credit. I avoided bankruptcy, but I doubt it could have been much worse than the hell I went through.

Eventually, I was even able to move back home. But I learned a few things from those years:

• The only job security is being good at what you do
  
• Trust no one with your future; they only care about theirs
  
• Government may help you a little, but you'll pay for it 2-1 later on
  
• Debt is slavery; I don't like slavery
  
• Friends are easy to find when you're on top, and rare as hen's teeth when you're not.
  
• Toys do not bring happiness; they can destroy it, though
  
• That which does not kill us really does make us stronger
  
• I can survive, on my own, with no one's help (except God's)[/link]
  
  TheRedneck

reply to post by Dan Tanna


So far.. Excellent..the manual takes a few read-throughs before getting to grips with it.Pumping 30 times before undoing lid to screw in carbon filter mainly..

Fill with water pump 5 times..leave to stand and empty water..refill
Pump through filter chuck water and repeat twice more n you're ready to go.

I've never been able to stomach the tap water here.. but this makes is taste TOTALLY clean/fresh..
I'll fill it from a barrel of rainwater next shower to see results then take it down to local stream..which is known for having a little chemical pollution..
Human guinea pig.. lol.

EDIT ADD

Pumping is effortless,flow rate is plenty fast enough to quench an immediate thirst.Built is solid.Instructions/use is straightforward after a go or two.
Weight is not too bad too. size is on the largish..but not too much.. like a 1litre thermos.
Very happy with it.

-----

Redneck I certainly agree. debt and interest is not really the way to go..but for the sake of having my survivo-toys I'm willing to taking a calculated risk.

Chances are they wouldn't let me have them during a sit-x.and they're so pretty and shiny..woooo.

As I said.. repaying wouldn't be high on my list of priorities come Nibiru-induced-ice-age-globo-eco-collapse-tsunami-quake time


You sound like I did when I was considering my bungalow way back when.. Something just tells you the time is NOT right..Keep trusting your instincts..The force is serving you well

[edit on 21-7-2008 by AGENT_T]

Redneck and Dan it is very true what you say about modern man being unhappy and people generally being miserable. The worship of money has got everyone going mad. I'm still guilty but i'm changing my ways, getting to 25 i suddenly got fascinated in small holding, growing your own veg, beekeeping (the gift that keeps on giving!) making my own beer and things of that Ilke. I derive much more enjoyment from this than anything else, a simple pleasure is an honest pleasure. I have also found a co-operative local group online where i can swap produce (like 10kg Honey for Hams or chickens).

The simplest of things have been lost in this modern age, fresh bread you made yourself. Eggs from your own chickens, carrots and new potatoes from your own garden. Yesterday i planted my herb garden, its such a simple thing but it feels great. (plus a fresh mint Mojito is great as the sun goes down).

The only problem is i'm away so much, i miss it.

I am building my barn but it is not as austere or spartan as Dan or Rednecks place. Ground source heating and such will hopefully make it a little warmer.

Gents,
I have been aware that sitx was on its way for a long time as well. However, life's circumstances have me living in a city of 80,000 next to a city of 200,000. There are a million people within 45 minutes of me. I know that the worst of it all will be in the city. But I have to be real, I can't sell my house now and move to the country. So I can't grow my own food in my backyard because it will all be stolen since I can't watch the garden 24 hours a day.
I've a couple firearms, ammo and stored food. The way I see it, this will be my Alamo, there's nowhere to go, I have no family here and besides my family, 1000 miles away, live in a city also. I figure I'll "take care" of anyone who comes into my home looking for food, but after a certain point, I will either run out of ammo or the roving gangs will burn down my house with me in it.
What would you do?