In the years that I have been on Daily Kos, a lot of people have expressed an interest in learning more about survival skills and sustainable living strategies. A great number of diarists have written some wonderful diaries in this vein, from Wide Eyed Lib’s series on herbalism and edible wild plants, to Alpha Geeks’ excellent series on disaster preparedness. Noddy’s diary Practical Survivalism inspired me to create this group.
When most of us think of ”survivalists” we think of a guy who has a bunker somewhere back in the woods, stockpiled with several years worth of freeze dried food and a cache of guns and ammo that would arm a small army. We think of Y2K’ers or religious nuts or militia types. We don’t think the practice of survivalism is something that normal people do.
Our own Sara Beth once said in a post on one of her blogs:
Surviving emergencies and disaster have been on the minds of many since we witnessed live and in color the dismal reaction of the U.S. government to Hurricane Katrina. Admit it, we all think about it…but we don’t really discuss it… why not?
The reason we don’t is so that we don’t appear to be "strange." Let’s face it, over the last hundred years or so, "Survivalism", the thought of actually PREPARING for disaster on an individual basis has become associated with people on the fringe of society. Our individualism and abilities to sustain ourselves and our families in hard times has been eroded to the point where when disaster strikes in whatever form, many of us are totally helpless, clueless as to how to respond, what to do, where to go…how to survive. We have become dependant upon our governments to bail us out when disaster strikes.
And we all know now how well that works.
However, many DON’T realize that even our own governments tell us that in a disaster we SHOULD be prepared to manage on our own for at least 72 hours, as it may take at least that long, if not longer, for government agencies to respond. We forget that in emergencies the government is effected too. Roads may be impassable. The weather may be uncooperative. Flooding may prevent rescues. The very people who would normally respond may not be able to because they too are victims. The logistics of responding to major disasters can boggle the mind. And should the disaster effect more than just one region, for many of us we may well be on our own for quite some time.
Louis Pasture once said, "Chance favors the prepared mind."
Being aware of the kinds of disaster that you and your family may face is the first step in being prepared. By admitting to yourself that bad things CAN and DO happen, and by thinking ahead of time about what to do when they do, will go a long way in helping you respond in a rational manner without panic.
Wars, terrorism, climate change, severe weather, fire, flood, earthquake, social unrest, economic collapse, pandemic. How well we respond to these and other forms of emergency depends upon education and information. Here we hope to provide you with the tools, resources, and support you will need to ensure that you will be as ready as possible when disaster strikes.
And while survivalism certainly encompasses learning the necessary information and skills one would need in order to survive a disaster, there is much more to it than just that. Many people practice survivalism every single day--they just don’t think of it that way. A small farmer who grows a portion of his own food is practicing survivalism. A single mom who manages to raise her children on a low income while juggling two jobs is a survivalist. Any person dealing with adversity, in one form or another, is practicing survival skills.
So survivalism is more than just learning what to do if the apocalypse comes--it’s knowing how to manage the little crises we deal with nearly every day--from knowing how to fix a flat tire, to dealing with the loss of a job, to knowing what to do in a medical emergency--and everything in between. It’s knowing how to apply your knowledge, and skills, and common sense in any situation. It’s learning how to be self-sufficient. People who can’t handle themselves in everyday situations will surely have a difficult time if a real crisis ever arises--regardless of how much freeze-dried food they have, or how many guns and boxes of ammo they have stockpiled!
Survivalism is knowing how to make the best of any situation. It’s knowing how to make do with the resources at hand. And this is where survivalism intersects with the notion of “sustainable living.” A person, family, neighborhood, or community that knows how to make-do with the resources they have available locally is in a much better position to weather an emergency--whether large or small--than those who are completely dependent upon resources that are shipped in from far away. Living sustainably is survivalism.
So in this group, we’ll not only talk about how to survive TEOTWAWKI--we’ll talk about how to survive from day to day. We can talk about everything from fixing a broken zipper, to knowing how to stockpile food, to organic gardening, to urban homesteading. We can talk about what to do if you’re ever caught in an urban area during a riot, or what kind of preparations you should make in advance of a snowstorm.
I believe nearly everyone has something to add to this conversation. Perhaps you are very good at managing your money. Or you are an excellent cook, and can whip together a wonderful meal out of just a few ingredients in your pantry. Or maybe you know some wilderness survival skills, or how to repair things that break around the house. Whatever it is you know about, it’s worth sharing. It might be a lifesaver to somebody else someday.
I, personally, look forward to learning from all of you.
(And a big thank you to Noddy and Sara Beth for their help with this diary.)
