Modern Survivalism

Here is a definition of survivalism from Wikipedia:

Survivalism is a movement of individuals or groups (called survivalists) who are actively preparing for future possible disruptions in local, regional, national, or international social or political order. Survivalists often prepare for this anticipated disruption by having emergency medical training, stockpiling food and water, preparing for self-defense and self-sufficiency, and/or building structures that will help them to survive or “disappear” (e.g., a survival retreat or underground shelter). Anticipated disruptions include:

1. Natural disaster clusters, and patterns of apocalyptic planetary crises or Earth changes, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, blizzards, and severe thunderstorms.
2. A disaster brought about by the activities of mankind: chemical spills, release of radioactive materials, nuclear or conventional war, or an oppressive government.
3. General collapse of society, resulting from the unavailability of electricity, fuel, food, and water.
4. Monetary disruption or economic collapse, stemming from monetary manipulation, hyperinflation, deflation, and/or worldwide economic depression.
5. A sudden pandemic spreading through the global population.
6. Widespread chaos, or some other unexplained apocalyptic event.

With a basic definition of what survivalism is I need to clarify that I am not a doomsday wacko who thinks or tries to predict when the world is going to end. I am also not naive to the fact that something could  happen tomorrow that could disrupt everyday living. Having the tools and the knowledge beforehand is key to surviving any situation. I compiled a list to get you on your way to adopting the survivalist mind frame (I am working on this list as well, so I may not have implemented all of them myself). Good luck!

1. Have a disaster plan implemented so everyone in your house knows where to re-group in case of fire, tornado, earthquake…etc. For more information read this article Family Disaster Plan.

2. Have a bug out bag ready in case you need to leave your house quickly. What is a bug out bag you ask? It is a bag that has all essential items for survival in an emergency situation. Here is a more detailed description from Wikipedia:

A bug-out bag is a portable kit popular in the survivalism subculture that contains the items one would require to survive for seventy two hours when evacuating from a disaster. It is also known as a 72-hour kit, and other popular names include GO Bag and GOOD (Get Out Of Dodge) bag. The focus is on evacuation, rather than long-term survival, distinguishing the bug-out bag from a survival kit, a boating or aviation emergency kit, or a fixed-site disaster supplies kit.

The term bug-out bag is related to, and possibly derived from, the “bail-out bag” emergency kit many military aviators carry. The concept passed into wide usage among other military and law enforcement personnel, though the “bail-out bag” is as likely to include emergency gear for going into an emergency situation as for escaping an emergency.

Contents of a bug out bag:

• Water. It is recommended that a person have a gallon a day.
• Non-perishable food/cooking supplies
• First Aid Kit
• Fire starting tool
• Battery or crank operated radio
• Firearms
• Crowbar
• Cash. In case of a grid failure credit cards will be useless.
• Knife
• Duct Tape
• Maps
• Knowledge of local emergency shelters and having a plan to get there.

3. Have a bug out location established. A bug out location is a property that is strategically located about 2 or 3 hours from your home. This is not a reality for some people due to money issues. Never go into debt trying to establish any of these steps (see number 4). Another alternative would be to find a friend who has land that you can establish as a bug out location until you make arrangements for yourself.

4. Never go into debt and if you are in debt work hard to get out of it. Jack Spirko from the Survival Podcast wrote an artical about this Modern Survivalism Tenet Number Two:

Debt is financial cancer! Minimize it, pay it off early and stay away from credit cards.

On the surface debt elimination may sound far and away from what people think of when they think of survivalism.  The reality is the modern survival philosophy actually hinges on this tenet.  Before we delve deeply into the topic though let’s just put it up against even the typical view of survivalism and ask if there is any place for debt based living in the survival community. –> Read more.

5. Be physically fit and work on your cardio. 🙂

Will be posting the 2nd part of this post on Sunday… brew a nice cup of green tea and check back Sunday! Need help with brewing that perfect cup read this blog post Brewing the Perfect Cup of Tea.