Today we’re gonna talk about some common misconceptions in outright delusions that people have of their capabilities when it comes to preparing for crisis scenarios.
Mistake #1: Rely on survival manuals
You’re not going to learn survival skills on the fly. In the best of conditions people train with increasing technical difficulty so that they can perform various tasks in less optimal conditions.
Learning new skills like how to make a friction fire with a bow drill or Start A Fire With A Lemon. It is challenging task even when you have a full stomach, a clear head and you’re well rested.
It’s going to be ten times harder to learn in a crisis situation.
This is not to say it’s impossible to follow the instructions of well-defined survival manual’ within one of these crisis scenarios but you’re likely not going to have the energy and the mental resilience to do.
Your survival skills must be fine-tune beforehand. Leave nothing to chance and practice all of your survival skills
Mistake #2: Not being practical
Some people are prepared for the apocalypse but they’re not prepared to change tire on their cars.
There is a principle called 95/5. This principle reflects the tendency of some preppers and survivalists to put 95% of their focus into things that are only 5 percent likely to happen.
For example a well-rounded prepper would have a contingency plan for something like an electromagnetic pulse but they may not have a first-aid kit in their car or a glass breaking tool or a fire extinguisher
Those are things which are far more likely to need so don’t let prepping for the big stuff overshadow prepping for the small stuff.
Mistake #3: Prepare a bug out bag that you’re incapable of carrying
The truth is unfortunately most preppers that I’ve met are not going to be able to carry their backpack for prolonged periods of time.
Many preppers and survivalists I know have very adequate well thought out fully stocked bug out bags but very few have the physical fitness necessary to transport this gear in suboptimal conditions.
The tragic reality is and the reason why I always stress the importance of physical fitness is that most people are not going to be able to transport the 35 plus pound bug out bag on perfectly flat paved roads with no impediments .
Never mind the conditions that would simulate a crisis situation things like varied terrain, climbing over debris and rubble climbing over if you’re at a forest perhaps you might have an injury. (If You Have A Towel, I’ll Show You How To Stop Any Severe Bleeding )
You face the whole adrenaline rush of the situation, the anxiety of the situation. You’re gonna be hungry, dehydrated, fatigued . it’s gonna be hot rainy, buggy. How To Keep Mosquitoes At Bay (Safe & Organic Way)
if you can’t hike your bug out bag for a mile in the perfect conditions laid out by the urban landscape, the thinking you’re gonna be able to do it on the multi-dimensional landscape of an shtf scenario is downright delusional
Regular endurance and strength training is absolutely necessary for preparedness.
The truth of the matter is that the average person needs a lot more than they can carry to survive comfortably even for a week. Never mind periods of time that are longer than that
The more you can carry the more capable you’re going to be when you get there.
Mistake #4 : Mini survival kit delusions
Carrying an ultralight minimalist bug-out bag is not going to work for the majority of the population. The reality is you’re gonna want as much food and water as you can carry in one of these situations and how much you can carry is gonna depend on, how fit you are
A lot of these miniaturized survival kits that you see being marketed can only be effectively utilized by people with experience using the tools within them
Check out => 16 In 1 outdoor survival kit
You need a good luck snaring an animal with a brass wire in your miniaturize survival kit if you’ve never done it before. These micro survival kits can be highly empowering to those with the skills to use them.
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Indeed even if you don’t have experience, it’s arguably better than nothing but many people will be in for a reality check if they ever have to put one of these kits to use.
Because they’re not going to know how to use the tools within it.
This is why more gear if you’re able to carry it is always a good thing. Knowledge may weigh nothing good gear is a force multiplier for that knowledge.
This can mean the difference between just barely surviving and thriving.
Mistake #5: Scavenging delusions
The reality is you’re not going to be the only one scavenging for resources. visions of lone survivors traversing a barren post-apocalyptic wasteland is a common misconception for Preppers
The truth of the matter is that if you are forced to bug out then you’re likely not going to be the only one. You’ll have the company of droves of refugees who are fleeing the same thing that you are fleeing.
All of you will be devouring resources along the way like a swarm of locusts through a farmer’s field.
There’s going to be competition for resources and thus there will be conflict. This is why if you are thrust into one of these exodus scenarios that you need to be thinking two steps ahead.
Mistake #6: ” I will adapt to the elements”
The truth is most people in the developed world are simply not built for the wilderness.
The majority of people never leave the comfort of their home to travel the world in a hotel never mind a travelers hostel
Even fewer still will go camping at a roadside attraction with a Motorhome or a trailer and even fewer people will partake in what’s now known as rustic camping aka tent camping.
And almost nobody with the exception of the miniscule fraction of the population that our bush crafters are ever going to spend a night in a shelter made of solely natural materials.
You may be one of those who harbors a delusion that you are going to be able to rise to the challenge and weather the elements of nature when you are forced to.
But the reality is your domesticated body is simply not built for the stress of the natural world.
You may in the off-chance be able to prolong your life long enough to be rescued. The lifestyle that most people who have no conditioning to the elements are going to lead is going to be one of hardship and abject destitution
The best piece of advice I can provide along this dimension is that you routinely challenge yourself to get out of your comfort zone so when this involuntarily happens to you you’re not going to in foreign territory and you’re gonna be able to adapt much faster.
Mistake #7: “I’m never coming home”
The reality is you will not survive indefinitely in the wilderness and most people will not even survive for a short period of time.
The most seasoned survivalists can barely last a few months in the wilderness before getting rescued. Never mind surviving there indefinitely.
The reality is there is no escaping civilization. Humans need each other in order to survive.
Along with this comes the myth of total self-reliance. In order to establish a homestead initially, you need the tools of civilization to build and thereafter maintain it
The best you can ever hope for is a limited interaction with your hominid counterparts. Post collapse isolationism is a myth. You need other people in their special skill sets in order to thrive.
Mistake #8: “I will survive 5 weeks without food”
It’s true that the human body can go six weeks without food after but ten days without food, the lethargy, fatigue and diminished brain function that you’ll be afflicted with will turn you into an immobilized zombie who is incapable of procuring the food.
so even though you’ll technically not starve to your end for about six weeks depending on your starting body weight, it’s likely that , after a week or two without some external help especially having someone aid you in the refeeding process which is not as simple as just stuffing your face, you likely are not going to make it.
so don’t bank on not being able to eat for five weeks at a time.
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Mistake #9: “I’ll survive 7 days without water”
Most people aren’t going to last even a couple days without water and still be mentally sound. Just like in the case of food the body is going to become largely incapacitated long before its deceased.
While the body may technically last several days without water after just a couple days in mild conditions, most people aren’t going to be able to move without cramping up.
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Remember that your brain is three-quarters water and without it you’re not going to be able to think properly. You’re gonna have cognitive impairment. You’re going to be temperamental and you’re going to be making mistakes.
You’re losing two to three liters of water per day in the best of conditions from basic bodily processes.
Just like in the case of food you will lose the physiological wherewithal in order to procure water long before you die of dehydration. 7 Signs About Dehydration That People Learn TOO LATE
Mistake #10: “All i need is AMMO”
The reality is combat is so multi-dimensional that to think you’re going to survive it without any combat experience is foolish.
The best thing you can do in most cases is try to avoid a fight at all costs. All it takes is but one round too late to rest your run-and-gun and fantasies.
Even the most seasoned veterans of the sport can be caught off guard in the first skirmish. Never mind having to battle over and over again which could be a reality in a situation where the justice system was not functioning.
If it gets as bad as that, why bother? Easier to open arteries and let the darkness come. Even if you survive the apocalypse, the army, police, special forces will be on the lookout for stragglers and shoot them anyway. It makes no sense to live in a world you are no longer allowed to live in. The rich bastards of this planet (our planet) are prepping for our demise as I write this, they have super viruses, bombs and more weapons the world has ever seen, why do you think they have amassed so much? They are getting ready for the great population cull and it isn’t far off now.