John J. Woods
Magnolia Outdoor Communications

THE WANDERING SURVIVALIST

Where exactly are preppers today? What is the status of the everyday survivalist? Are they a dying breed, succumbed to the overwhelming threats that pressures their lives each and every day? Have they given up? Is the struggle just too much?

“Where must we go, we who wander this wasteland in search of our better selves?” This quote is from Mad Max Fury Road by The First History Man. How do they continue the search for the better man? On what level do they continue to fight the fight?

Prepping and survival is as much a mental struggle as it is compiling ample supplies to outlast the next SHTF. How exactly do those who felt the literal blow of the hurricane in Houston continue to rebuild? When the people in California wake up each day knowing their houses and all their possessions were burned into an oblivion by a brush fire, how do they pick up and carry on?

Each night when they turn on the evening news broadcasts to see the next round of bad news of crime, corruption, false accusations, fake news, fictional books portrayed as non-fiction, greed, robbery, murder, and general mayhem, actually acted out by a so-named character on an insurance commercial, what must they think? Is there survival or just existence. Are they just making it through one perilous day to the next, some even wondering where the next meal will come from tomorrow. That is the stark reality for some.

Survival is achieved by resilience and personal fortitude. Think of the scene from the movie Outlaw Josie Wales in which Clint Eastwood is plowing a field of stumps and rocks while his house is raided and burned behind his back. Think also of his movie Unforgiven when Clint is in the hog wallow slopping around fighting with his pigs that have the fever. He “endeavored to persevere”, a line from another Eastwood movie. All displayed the struggle to survive.

So, how does one adapt a survival attitude of resilience? Mainly, this is acquired by planning and practice. Few Boy Scouts ever put up a pup tent right the first time or started a fire without matches. Such survival skills come from learning and doing. Start a plan, work at it, and be the best prepared you can be for next time.

There is no need to feel lost or wandering in the wilderness of prepping or survival preparedness. It is a lifestyle that must be learned and practiced each day.