The Basics of Survival

What does the survival mean to you? Struggling across deserts or living for weeks in the wilderness? Well, you're right, but survival can also mean knowing how to stay alive in the worse case, which is probably more important for most of us. So, my definition of survival is the ability to look after yourself with a minimum of equipment in any given situation. You must take into account the laws of nature and the safety of any one taking part. Some of the skills discussed in many of the books available on the subject must be used with care. Many of the tips in the books available are taken from military manuals, and consequently the suggestions which these books contain are not always practical.

The main enemy for any one trying to survive is fear of the unknown. This is made worse if you're injured, without food or water, cold or hot, or on your own. The main way of combating fear is by practicing these skills, so that the unknown becomes the known. Many of the basic skills required for surviving are what could be called basic scouting skills; such as shelter building, fire lighting, etc. We will be looking at a number of required skills but you must practice them until they become second nature to you, because you may need them when they're least expected.

Let us look at some of the important factors that will mean the difference between living or dieing. The ability to find or make shelter, being able to make a fire, making your water safe to drink, finding your way without a compass or map, and being able to find simple foods. Having with you the right tools, required to do all the above. The most important thing is to have practiced doing all of the above before you really need to do them. A real desperate situation is not the right time to have to start learning these important skills. Practice with family, friends and neighbors.

I'll will be doing follow ups on each one of these skills in future articles.