What is a Survivalist?

I get asked a lot, "What is a survivalist?", or maybe "Are you one of those kooks who is storing enough ammo to start WW III and intending to live on MREs?". Well, I do not consider myself a kook and I do not have quite that much ammo. I also do not even care for MREs. No, to me a survivalist is something quite different than most people picture.

I believe everyone is a survivalist to some extent. Every time you look both ways before you pull out into traffic, every time you buckle your seat belt, every time you put in a smoke alarm or buy a fire extinguisher you are doing it so that you will survive. If you did not have the instinct to survive, would you do any of these things? I realize that I am taking it down to the lowest level, but that is where it starts. From there each one of us has to decide what they are willing to survive. I am sure everyone wants to survive a natural disaster or a serious accident, but how many are ready to survive a nuclear war? I have been told by several people that they would not want to survive a major nuclear war. They do not see any sense in starting over. I cannot agree with that way of thinking. Besides that, when I ask them what they would do if they found themselves alive after something major like that and there was no form of government to run to, they have no idea. I had one person tell me that he would look for someone like me to take care of him. He did not appreciate the answer he got from me. I have no time for those that do not want to help themselves.

So, what is a true survivalist? That is the person who looks at every possible scenario and attempts to prepare for them all. That person even tries to prepare for scenarios that they cannot foresee. It may be a person who has a generator for times when there is no electricity due to a major storm, but also has enough non-electric items to live if fuel for the generator is not available. It is the person who has a full set of power tools with a backup of cordless tools and hand tools just in case. It is also knowing how to use any equipment you have available. It is the person who has a freezer full of food and enough canning jars to can everything should the electricity be interrupted for a long period of time. It is the person who has several ways to cook and to heat.

A survivalist is also one who knows how to use firearms and is willing to do so. Should terrorists attack or some foreign country, a survivalist will know what to do. Should you hide until a more opportune time or should you stay and fight. There will be enough ammo and arms on hand to protect the survivalist and the family but not so much that other things get short changed. The survivalist practices with his guns, with his outdoor skills and with any other skills he may need. A good survivalist knows a little bit about everything. You need to know medicine, shooting, cooking, camping, (in case you need to bug out and have nowhere to go), maintenance, hunting, fishing, trapping, barter and many other skills. If the survivalist is in a fairly large group, each one can specialize in one thing. However everyone should know a little about everything else.

A true survivalist is like the old time mountain man. They are able to go it on their own and do a lot with very little. Actually the most important one a good survivalist can possess is a survival attitude. That is an attitude where the person says, "Whatever comes I can handle it. I may need some time to sit and think, but there is a way do get anything done". That is what I consider a true survivalist.