Hope for the Best, be Prepared for the Worst

The world is a pretty great place, but lets face it: there’s also a lot of stuff that can kill you.  Unless you’re suicidal, chances are you’re keen on living.  Some say ignorance is bliss, but this is not my philosophy.  Perhaps it’s the result of my ADD-induced curiosity and fears of various worst-case scenario in the the world and how they work.

On the most basic level of what it means to survive, there are 4 F’s:

• Fight

• Flight

• Feed

• Fornicate

Now, there’s not much I can do to help you with item #4 on this list, but hopefully I can provide you with some interesting tips and insight about some of life’s more tricky situations, so that should one of these situations or predicaments happen to you, you are just a little more prepared to handle them.  By no means should this website be the authoritative source on the subject of surviving in a world that will kill you, be it sooner or later.  I just want to add a little to the conversation.

If you find something of interest on my site, fact check the hell out of it, become an expert yourself.  Perhaps you will find an improvised trick with a spork that I haven’t thought of.  Let your passion guide you a deeper understanding.  I promise to present as factual information as I can.

• One category of possible threats to your life are animals.  Some animals are, well, generally worth avoiding.  Perhaps they’re poisonous (like the golden poison frog).  Perhaps they like to eat people (like the Nile crocodile or saltwater crocodile).  For whatever reason, this group of animals can pose a serious risk your health and continued survival.  They may not always appear dangerous, but that is no guarantee, such such the harmless looking assassin caterpillar.

• Natural disasters can throw a wrench in your plans and ruthlessly make a mess of your life, to say the least.  Fires, floods, hurricanes, and other natural disasters can’t always be avoided, but there are preparations you can make to mitigate the damage.

• In order to survive, you need the right tools for whatever job must be done, from making a map in the pouring rain to deciding what type of knife you need for a specific task.

• Of course, sometimes the tool you wish you had is not the tool available and you have to improvise.  Learning to be creative is an important skill you will need to be a true survivor.  Think of yourself as MacGyver.

• If you are the rugged, outdoors type, there are plenty of wilderness survival skills it would benefit you to learn before hand, like how to make soap from animal fat or how to start a fire with flint and steel.

• And finally, since injury is practically unavoidable, it’s good to catch up on your first aid knowledge and general medical care, you never know when it will save a life.