The Guide to Living, Volume I: Urban, Rural and Bush Survival

By Thomas C. Stowe

Copyright December 2011, Thomas C. Stowe

Please direct correspondence regarding this title, republishing or rights to only to:

contact@survive2.com

contact@thomasstowe.info

Preface

About This Book

Let me start out by saying that this isn't a survival manual. It’s not chock full of clever ways to dodge bullets, both metaphorically and literally. This isn’t merely a list of things you can do either. My aim when creating this book wasn’t to create a guidebook consisting of a compilation of How-To documents. This also isn't an abortive attempt at a guide to what your lifestyle should be either. This book is my thoughts on it and resources that I’ve found that may be helpful and useful to you. I guess some might look at it as geared toward a "homestead junkie" or “prepper”, but in my opinion it’s not. It’s geared toward everyone. The reality is that there are ideas and concepts that you can do to defray the cost of your not taking the time to prepare for situations where that time and effort could make a big difference, if not be vital. We do these things not to prepare for “The End Of The World As We Know It” or after a disaster, a time “Without Rule of Law” but to ensure our continued well-being before emergencies and disasters.

There are some terrible situations that take place every day. I’m not telling you that “the world will end”. I want you to consider… just consider that your world may have already ended without you knowing it or that it was never what it seemed to be in the first place. What many of us often think of as civilization provides a picture of safety throughout your life only in what we tell one another. In many countries “outside of the First World” I imagine that some of this may be more useful, but nonetheless I hope that I can provide information that will serve you well in your lifetime and with the amount of information I am providing, I believe it will. That’s what this is about. Coincidentally or not, many things you can do that will be priceless in a bad situation also reduce costs and increase your safety in any situation. Those that don’t prepare for situations will wind “Darwin Awards” and those that prepare for the worst should only do so when their other needs are met. Without meeting other needs before you take care of “What Ifs”, you’ll lose your life as surely as if you’d never given preparation a second thought before a disaster.

The goals I have by writing this are there because when I heard someone say that “We’re no more than 3 meals from a revolution”, I rightly took that as “we’re no more than 3 meals away from a riot” and thought to myself “How many meals can I provide myself in a natural disaster, am I prepared for anything?”. My primary goal is to help you develop a sense of focus on preparing for possible situations, whether those are dire emergencies or minor inconveniences. The things that you can do aren’t necessarily ideas, concepts and actions that you have to adopt into your everyday life. These are things that you can put aside the way that you put away work when you go home. I encourage you to develop a sense of your security at all times along with a situational awareness wherever you are. My secondary goal is to provide resources of information which you may not have encountered before. Not the obscure, but the rare and the hard to find that will serve you well. Life didn’t come with a guide to living and I sure as hell don’t think that this book is for everyone to live by, but I’ll do my best to give you some information you may find valuable, especially if you’ve been thinking or are beginning to wonder if looking at the world with a prepping or survivalist slant might be beneficial.

Perhaps some of this could be compiled by you as well but most likely not all in one place and if you’re reading this, you probably don’t have the time to write books about this topic. In fact, most of it probably could, but we read books often so that we don’t have to spend much more time than it would take to read the book to find the information within. This isn’t a guide that you’ll be whipping out of your glove box or “Bug Out Bag”. This is the guide that’s intended to be read, digested and set down. When reading and afterword, I hope I leave a lasting mark with at least one piece of information that will be useful to you or that you’ll think about in the future. When you’re planning and preparing for emergencies in the future, if you reflect on one thing or have a better handle on what you’re doing then I’ve achieved my goal in writing this book and it’s been worth every penny to you. Hopefully this book help you increase your knowledge so that later on you can have better planning skills and ability to take care of yourself and others. You need to get used to planning because having a plan, even a redundant plan is may be meaningless when things go wrong with the plan you have. That means that if things don’t go the way you need them to, you can plan your way to your intended goal.

I'm not the go-to guy for teaching someone how to win a fight, how to treat a bullet wound and I’m being as honest about my background up front so that maybe you’ll get some insight into who I am and why you should listen to me. Just like you may, I’m going to research it in a book and if I have to deal with it in a practical fashion I’m going to be as prepared as possible without having been through the experience before. I’m a normal person (well, I think so anyway), just like you. I have been and will be doing my due diligence when researching these things because my life and those who depend on me may depend on the quality of this information and the same goes for you too. Don’t take my word for accuracy of this content; make sure that you do this yourself too. You can pick up the things I have too and possibly take them much further than I have. I was a boy scout in my pre-teen years and have always had an interest in information, computers and spent more time in a library than most librarians. This has led to my adult years being filled with interests and the ability to find obscure or well-known information on interests and skills I’m learning with a high degree of accuracy and detail. So, free up your mind and get our your favorite mind mapping software or a pen and piece of paper, write down what you may encounter and wish to think about in this book and research it yourself too. Who knows, you may end up becoming motivated to write a better book than mine. If you do, please do let me know and if it’s reasonably priced I’ll buy a copy.

To be honest, I've probably read more books than most of you will in your lifetime. I have no military background, but that's because of a perceived medical condition that prevents me from meeting the standards needed for me to join. Apparently they don’t want people with past issues with PTSD and depression to join. =) That’s fine and though I’m a bit sarcastic about it, I know there’s a good reason. I also know that I missed out on some things by not being able to take that opportunity and after some clear thought about it and growing up a bit; I wish that I could’ve followed in the footsteps of my grandfathers, as well as some of my family and friends.

The closest I’ve been to a real battlefield is living in a “dangerous area”. Heh, I don’t think that computer and console video gaming and plotting out scenarios while wondering what tactics and strategy a group of Roman soldiers might have used and how at various battles on paper counts for much. After reading Musashi, Sun Tzu, Clausewitz, Machiavelli and others that are esteemed by soldiers, leaders and philosophers and talking to people who’ve been leaders of men I feel I’ve gained a relatively deep understanding of these how these situations might be to the best that I can without experiencing them firsthand.

Survival situations include warfare and defense. It’s funny sometimes to find out how some people hide what they know, burying lofty concepts in their lives so as not to appear pretentious. Some of the most unassuming people I’ve encountered are the most knowledgeable and learned, while speaking with a twang, speaking poor English, saying “ain’t” and generally seeming like they’d fill the part of a simple person quite well. While I think a great deal of it is affectation, I believe it illuminates that we’re talking about life skills, not a science or area of study that’s not practical and also the old “drug through the mud” axiom that “You can’t judge a book by it’s cover.” I believe some of the principles that are used in desperate situations should be applied to everyday life and when I say that, I can only state that while I won’t write it an all capital letters, it is advice with great gravity that I want to stress. These are life skills that if not all can come into practice every single day of your life, you can carry them with you, keep sharp and adopt some things into your everyday life that will help you in any situation.

I have the utmost respect for many in the US, Canadian, British, Russian and Chinese militaries both modern day and of the past. I really don’t know as much about the rest of the world’s militaries, but hopefully someday I’ll be able to spare the time to learn about them. I definitely want to acknowledge that the interest in militaries of the world that was initially generated by my family history played no small part in my interest in survivalist concepts and things that we can do to make our lives much safer and better.

A lot of the mental skills that are involved in combat roles also apply to survival and timely action in any emergency. Namely, I mean being constantly aware of everything while accomplishing your goals. I also have a great respect for our world’s scientists. However, I don’t have a respect for “average individuals” and their ways of thinking. It seems like the most apparent ideas and actions are those that are bad. What ends up in the daily news most often ranges from foolish and idiotic to terrible. Most “common sense” that people have today involves the prediction of outcomes in “status quo” urban living situations. “You shouldn’t wear white after labor day.” and other things that clutter are minds, while novel and in some cases amusing don’t amount to much of anything beyond navigating being social. I’m not saying you can’t have great information and poor information together or that it’s entirely un-useful. I’m saying that many people don’t have the useful information that will help them navigate their life no matter what situation arises.

I’ve asked myself time and again what my grandparents might do in my situation at many times in my life. My parents didn’t follow in their footsteps and sadly because of circumstances I’ve been unable to as well. My paternal grandfather was enlisted in the United States Army and my maternal grandfather was an enlisted and then an officer in the United States Air Force. Whether you're ground pounding in the Army, kicking ass any and everywhere in the Marines, sitting in your chair in the Air Force (just kidding, well maybe) or playing video games and watching Japanese anime TV in the Navy (again, mostly joking) I think that learning basic survival skills for yourself and others may definitely potentially serve you more than it does your average person. It’s obvious who’s prepared and comfortable planning out their survival. If for nothing else, I’m thankful that professional militaries exist if for that. I wouldn’t know what I know or have access to many of the resources that exist without their existence and continued struggle to find better ways of keeping people alive. If you’re in the armed forces in my opinion you might find that you have a higher aptitude for this sort of thing, whether it is nature or that it’s been nurtured in you by your work and those around you. At the very least I’m of the opinion that you’re more likely to take life more seriously and give it the respect that it deserves. Don’t believe that it’s just part of your job; it’s something you’ve learned on the job that’s important in any part of your life.

So, I've written this to provide not a guide to survival, but as a way to impart my thoughts and feelings about living. I feel it’s needed. With this book, I’m doing my best to impart what I know about resources that I believe are valuable, whether or not I wholly agree with their background. You may be asking yourself, "What could he not agree with in regards to survival and living?" If you are, well Kurt Saxon's ideas, Ragnar Benson's ideas and other Paladin Press books for the most part. If you’ve read any of them or about them, you’ll get my meaning. I don’t believe that retreating from society in a way that some people took it is a great thing with government being a terrible force in the world. I definitely don’t think that you should build arsenals of home-made 9mm machine guns, improvised explosives and man-traps to prepare for a confrontation with them.

Secondly, religious and "prophecy" believing groups like the Church of Latter Day Saints, Fundamentalist Christians and also the “wack-jobs” that believe the Mayan Calendar’s World Ending prophecy in 2012 are some of the others. I’m not attempting to defame the legitimate religious organizations, I just don’t agree with their philosophies and beliefs. Many of their methods are another story. I see value in Ragnar Benson’s books on trapping for food and pelts, the LDS preparation guide to learn how to store food. I’m amazed by some of the valuable water storage and other valuable information on one of the crazier sites I have linked in the “online survival resources” list that talks about a pole shift coming to end the world in 2012.

I'm personally an atheist and though irritated by some ways religion influences my life (really, more the intolerant attitudes of others towards those that don’t share their faith than anything), I don't hold anything against those with faith in a religion they do own or that they have owned in the past. Furthermore, I have learned that with religion, politics and the other things we make one another furious over, you can't change some one's mind by arguing with them. I wish more people would learn that. =) They’re also there as a function in our lives. What's more, many of them have my respect from being great people. I've attended Lutheran, Protestant, Scientologist (yes, really), Catholic and other meetings or services and overall the whole of what I’ve learned can be said as that being around people is a great way to stay healthier, network and be social. It’s also a great way to pick up new knowledge, speculative information and skills. You could probably adopt a cat or a dog and stay healthy and break any major loneliness you might have, but nothing beats socializing with people, especially people who can appreciate beauty and creativity in so many varied ways as so many religious people do. The networking is definitely ideal for finding like-minded people.

I want to be able to survive and live in a manner that’s conducive to doing so. I'm going to give you first, second and third hand information that's been fact checked to the best of my ability. My aims may make sense in a way that appeals to those at comfortable with seeing themselves and the world as it really is, those who have goals and in some cases more so toward people with a religion that suggests preparing, being successful and having children. I want you to become at home with protecting yourself and teaching those around you that are open to doing so, to do so.

I'm not a religious man and I'm not a religious expert. But, I want you to consider one quality that all religions share for the most part, or at least those that have been largely successful do share. It's the same that all life on this planet has innately as a biological function and to some extent all memes on this planet have. Surviving, and in a sense religion survives, is about living and to do so, to "spread the word" or "spread genes" you need to reproduce. It makes sense to desire the survival of that which you love as well as what you love, even so much as see advantages in preparation. I’m not saying that “Those that don’t prepare, don’t love.”, though that’s a matter of debate I’ve seen hashed out before. You’re responsible for yourself and for those that you care about, whether they feel that being prepared for things is important or they don’t, for whatever reason.

We all know that stress is a big problem in our lives and focusing on your preparation can take your mind off of things and if you're in a family, give you an opportunity to do things together. With younger family members, this is an outlet for you to teach something that may save their lives someday or save your grand-children’s lives someday. That goes for what you learn for yourself and gain for yourself now as well. Keep that in mind before you write yourself off the map. It only takes one disaster to kill you, even when you prepare but if you're prepared you'll get out of situations you'd think were impossible otherwise. To not learn, prepare and plan is the ultimate in irresponsibility and though you may receive some charity sometimes, in many situations and in terrible disasters, most likely you’ll be the one who provides for yourself and those you care for.

There are many guides out there on surviving disasters with solutions to your needs and posing problems and the ways to solve "worst case scenarios". In fact, I have a chapter in this book dedicated to other books that I feel give good opinions, advice and resources. Additionally, I've put links to resources on my web site that's associated with this book, http://www.survive2.com and most, if not all of those at the time this book is published will be included in this book. I also accept new suggestions for resources for my own use and to publish on my web site, so if you have something that you'd like to share with myself and others, please feel free to contact me via e-mail or the contact form on my web site. My web site for this book is http://www.survive2.com and my e-mail address is contact@survive2.com so drop me a message at any time. I’ll reply as I can.

I ask that you please don't pirate this book and share it around because the bulk of the information can be found by a dedicated searcher and a lot of it can be found on my web site. I've priced it at $2.99 for a digital copy to be more than fair to individuals and their families. If you know someone who could use a copy but doesn't even have $3, please tell them to e-mail me at the aforementioned e-mail address and I'll make sure that they get a copy, one way or another if they can give me a good reason why they can’t afford $3 yet are able to have a phone, computer or Kindle to view the book on. I’ll provide this book free to those currently employed or retired from careers in EMT, Police, Fire Department, Wilderness, Outdoors, Military or Medical careers in any country upon request. I don’t require a copy of your work ID or anything, just tell me what you do for a living and if you feel like it, share a story with me about your career and preparedness whether it’s a paragraph or a page, giving me the right to publish it on the my website or quote it in another book at a later date. I'd also appreciate it if those that read it publish their review on Amazon if they like it. I'm trusting that no one will e-mail unless they really are or were in one of those careers and wanted the book or something to read in general.

I take requests for corrections, further research, suggestions, feedback and advice very seriously. So, if you find something wrong (factually) with something I've stated or something I've linked to (other than what may be noted); please do e-mail me for that as well. For those corrections that I’ve not had submitted previously and suggestions, feedback or advice I believe have merit, I'll try to find some way to make it worth your while if I can, even if that's an additional copy of this book for one of your friends or a copy of my next book for free.

You may find some of what I have to say a bit in line with what Wikipedia has to say on the subjects too. That’s because I love Wikipedia as a starting point for research. While I appreciate original work, there are only so many ways that a good set of information can be packaged. That said, I’d like to thank all of the authors I’ve read and in a general sense anyone who creates or prepares information for others including all of those whose works contributed to my motivation or who created content that I’ve included in or included web links to in this book.

Also, please don’t hesitate to contact me to write original articles and other types of content for you. My rate is 5 cents per word and I can easily be reached at contact@survive2.com or contact@thomasstowe.info. Furthermore, if you feel you gained more than $2.99 out of this book or wish to donate in appreciation of the content and my continued work, either of the e-mail addresses above will work for donations made via Paypal.

Thanks for your time, I appreciate you reading this book in the hopes that I might have made or will make some positive impact on your life. This is my first book, though not my first published work. I’ve produced over 100s of pieces of writing in the form of article and website content, both published under my name and ghost-written for others. I want you to know that by purchasing this book you have made a definite positive impact on my life that will encourage and allow me to produce more information for you and others in the future. Have safe journeys, keep your wits about you and be prepared for anything.

Thomas C. Stowe

12/11/2011

Table of Contents

Waypoint 0: My Survival

What It Takes To Really Survive

"First ask yourself: What is the worst that can happen? Then prepare to accept it. Then proceed to improve on the worst."

-Dale Carnegie

"He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy, who is not, will be victorious."

-Sun Tzu

"Does history record any case in which the majority was right?"

-Robert Heinlein, “Lazarus Long” in his book Time Enough for Love

Contrary to the isolationist loner with antisocial tendencies image many have of the survival-minded, survivalists come from many walks of life. Survival is definitely not always about "me". Keep in mind that losing this “me” mindset is necessary to survive in any situation. While some people do practice a diligence toward their interactions with others, more and more demographics are acting to become prepared for any emergency situation. While some may say that preparing for everything is comparable to hypochondria, in my book it’s better equated to be an enjoyable insurance policy you’re paying toward.

There are various types of “survivalist” mindsets and most often what people are doing is common sense. Those with backgrounds in specific fields or are in areas where it’s a reality of course prepare for situations that are close to home. I’ll briefly go over some of the types of survivalism and you may be surprised that you already fit into one, or perhaps not. I believe you may find it a bit ironic and perhaps even reassured because of the fact that many of those that might be stereotyped as “Soccer Moms” or “Stay At Home Dads” are more prepared than many of the wilderness lovers and the hunting enthusiasts among the peoples of the world. Many people fall outside of these categories because to them it’s prudence. These days a new movement of survivalism has developed, colloquially called “preppers”. This is more an all-around preparing for any situation more than focusing on one cause. Though, many to believe that a SHTF, TEOTAWKI or WROL situation may be coming to where they live, our nation or our entire world for one reason or another. These beliefs usually aren’t at odds with various types of preparation, but instead promote them all. Here’s a short list of situations that people often prepare for.

Wilderness Skills

Urban Skills

General Safety Preparation

Self Defense

Medical Emergency

Natural Disaster

Terrorism or Warfare

National Collapse

Next Holocaust

End Times or Apocalypse

I think that the last three on this list have the least place in anyone’s thoughts and the last two especially. Don’t go overboard from something that you read. Make it a hobby and if you find you like doing what you’re doing, keep doing it and make it productive or profitable for yourself and your family if you can.

Without others you won’t do as well as with others and in a group, you’re better off by having more hands to pitch in with work and in some cases ideas to ensure your success. This doesn’t just apply to situations that are so far fictional here in the US that some people describe as INCH or “I’m Never Coming Home”. As a person taking on the tasks of survival solo, if you get sick or attacked your chances of living through the situation are far worse than if you’d been in at least a small group. There are other things to consider and those are common sense and choices to be made on your own. The reason I bring up the issue in the first place is that in a SHTF situation some of you might be considering camping or living in the wilderness alone and it’s just not that easy.

Taking advantage of every resource available to you and realizing that 99.9% of people outside of your family or a pre-organized group won't consider you when it comes to their own survival versus yours. You’ll be lucky if someone stops on the side of the road if your car dies. The “nuclear family” models work so well because of this. Traditions are more often than not positive strategies for living and survival. Those that run counter to them may do well, but they are there for a reason. Yes, some have no place or reason other than to continue a tradition that was passed down however many are directly tied to groups’ survival.

Hoping for a “tribe” to develop is realistic too, though when things come together like that they’re likely not going to be built upon fairness and equality to all members of the “tribe”. Those things take time, laws and great people. Sometimes being in a group can leave you vulnerable to many things. This includes violence and uncaring theft by others and more. Things like the social passing of disease whether that’s an airborne illness, a contaminated food, water or shelter; there are just so many ways that being around others can be a bad thing. If you’re not comfortable around others, ask yourself why. If you’re at a disadvantage and vulnerable to the desires and whims of others whom you cannot trust, you should really ask yourself if that’s worth it. Consider if it is possible you can get by living away from a group. It’s more than a binary solution set, but one has to decide if something like feudalism is acceptable to them. Most “tribal group” power structures aren’t going to be acceptable to some people and both corruption and the betterment of a select group of individuals while neglecting others are possible.

Many believe that "number one" is most important in survival and while this is valid to an extent, for long-term survival this is a flawed strategy if taken as looking out solely for you only. The major flaw with only looking out for you and yours is that in the future, there has to be some interaction with other human beings if you want your family to thrive, be a part of a community, trade or share resources or other social activities. In immediate or potentially harmful situations, by all means get out of dodge but consider carefully what your plans are and what possible events may unfold in the future.

In long term living and in survival there are many needs that go beyond the immediate. For instance, social activities, mating (yes, you want to have kids your kids to have kids or at least have company) and the like are not exclusive to the human race. However for instance with wild rabbits or deer, or really any other animal they aren’t going to need to depend on their neighbor for their survival and well-being. They forage and are pretty much fine until the land around them ceases to give food, they happen to get sick or a predator happens by them and they have the worst day of their lives. This is not to mention common sense like being stuck far from medical care with no one there to help you through being sick or injured. We humans are kind of high maintenance in that we need more all the time and it’s not just a physical need. The demand for variety and our curious natures illustrate that quite well and every bit of extra help or resources raises your chances of surviving a situation.

Avoiding potentially making yourself a target is one way to look at doing things on your own. Many people aren't going to have the resources to do things alone. For the loner, antisocial people, gangs or the desperate in a really bad situation, the answer to the question "Hey, what's in your survival kit?" is what a friend of mine replied half-jokingly to the same question, "What's in my survival kit? My shotgun and someone else’s survival kit." Even the kindest people may find themselves being the victims of other kind people in terrible situations. For example, take the following as a fictional satirical dialogue relating the matter.

<Persons A & B are hiking fifty feet from the side of a grassy highway outside the tree-line with backpacks full of what they could take from their house. They spot a guy driving slowly down the road in a fully loaded truck, grocery items and tents obvious in the back. He continues to come toward them, and they start talking about asking or taking something from him.>

Person A: "Now honey, be nice, he may be able to give us something! Anything he can offer would be a help!"

Person B: "Don't worry; I'll be as sweet as can be."

Person B goes out nearer the road and sticks out her thumb. The driver starts slowing down to stop near them. >

...<2 minutes go by...>

<3 Loud Shotgun Blasts Come Out of Nowhere>

...<45 seconds go by...>

Person A: "You shot him? I thought you said you would be sweet!"

Person B: "Well, the first shotgun shell was loaded with rock candy because we ran out of #5 shot, but like I’ve told you before Honey “You can't reason into doing what you want by just being polite.” He got a load of sweetness, like I promised."

Person A: "<Sigh>"

I know that my amusing example above may be a little over the top, but please consider that others may help you, but the odds are slim if they have little enough as it is. You may roll your eyes and think “Oh, he means in an apocalypse or in a war zone, that’ll never happen.” If that’s you, wake up. Remember just years ago in New Orleans when Katrina wiped out much of the city? Looting and violence like that happened there, too. In a situation where no food or aid will be had for an even few days to a week and people know it, it may not become that bad but things will get rough. When people know for sure that they’ll have to go months without outside help or don’t know at all if help is coming in more than a vague hope, the game begins to change. People there ended up blocking off their neighborhoods and guarding with neighbors against looters because it was a very real threat. This wasn’t in the worst neighborhoods or bad parts of the city that these things happened. When people are desperate, they’ll do anything they think will help them gain or take advantage of others when they are vulnerable because of a desperate situation. I know that this example is used again and again, but historically in riots and in modern times in other countries like Egypt, people have taken up whatever arms they could find to protect their families, friends and neighbors.

People aren't going to give much thought to where something came from if they have run out or will run out of food or water and you have what they don't, whether you're able to share or not they likely won't take a chance and ask. I’m not saying that in an earthquake or hurricane struck area you’re going to have people come to this automatically, at least not a large number of them, but you will have to be mindful of looters. The more time that passes without aid during a situation that turns everything on its ear, the worse people will behave toward one another.

What do we need to survive in a "We’re Stuck", "Stranded", "GTFO" (Get The Frack Out), "TEOTWAWKI" (The End of The World As We Know It), WROL or SHTF (Shit Hit The Fan) situation? Gummy bears, licorice and gum drops. Seriously though, my ideal answer to this is the following. Think about it yourself. What do you really need to plan for, even if it’s just a notional set of ideas you want to put together. Do this on paper (or a computer in a digital document) and ask others, keep searching and you'll find your own answers. Prepare for what you think is reasonable, but don’t let history dictate what you prepare for. If you can afford it, do your best. If you can’t, adopt things into your life that will give you an edge like stocking up on food by buying it at bulk stores like Costco and Sam’s Club as well as preparing non-perishable canned jars and other items at home.

All of the answers you might come up with to questions and solutions to problems you encounter vary from situation to situation and the best you can do is always keep learning new skills and picking up information from my research and conversing with others. Keep these skills from getting rusty, because you will lose "their edge" after a while. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best and in the mean-time take care of yourself as well as you can in the present for that possible bad situation in the near or far future and every other grey-area problem that pops up in the mean-time.

For long term survival, in my opinion capable people make life easier and better. More people mean more security, whether in large numbers of people or with a small group of people. These should ideally be people you trust and not random strangers. Two or more families of acquainted people working with one another will make for tasks toward your mutual survival much easier. The force multiplier comes in with rapport, the ability to trust one another and knowing you'll be able to rely on one another. Nothing else can offer that when people get together and sometimes the confidence in knowing that can be more than enough. This can be problematic if someone doesn’t want to pull their weight or didn’t prepare like they stated they would. The only situation I can think of where you’d share the little (or large) resources you’ve put together is if you know you can manage with your entire family taken care and it’s either a close friend or family that you feel obligated to help. “Family is those people that if you need to go to them, they have to take you in.”

Necessities like sources of food, water, stable shelter in the form of protection from the elements a bountiful environment (or stores) and other necessary-to-living items are things that you can’t go without. Needs never end except in death and at that point your family or those that you’re with will continue to have needs.

I'm putting these ideas to words because I want you to explore yourself and what makes up your world and what’s ticking in your “clock of life” that doesn’t immediately come to mind. If you're diligent, your world doesn't end when you "bug out" or end up stuck in a situation where you have to make do with what is at hand in the world around you. Make do, prepare, gain knowledge, cache and carry if you choose to and keep in mind that your goal is to live. Not just live as in stay alive and subsist, but live your lives. Some people personally define living as having a functioning body.

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