barley stews, and homemade pizza, people dont want to miss.

When I listen to C5 I reflect back on many thoughts I had after leaving the military. It's obvious now that my determination to build a bus and retreat into the bush to live in solitude is something many others seem to have experienced too. I never fully followed that planned course of action, just went through the motions of preparing things and then waiting, like a cliff jumper who decides that this might be a risky venture after all.

The army seems to have burned in this aspect where we are always somewhat ready for any crap to occur, even when your sitting on the crapper. 🙄 Did they awaken some hidden human feature in all of us? Where is this switch and why can't we turn it off or at least turn it down sometimes? Is this the results of military brainwash techniques? Who knows... Still, here's where solitude sometimes help us get to know ourselves a bit better as we have more time to ask such questions and reflect on the conclusions.

I do know that there are times when I desperately want solitude but realize that they are far shorter than those times where we require company of some kind. It is funny to realize the one that fills this spot continually is a dog rather than another human. Somehow that loyalty to wait until I'm ready to go somewhere outweighs the reverse roll where I instead wait until the wife is ready to do so! 😆

I used to do this self-dare routine where I would tell myself if I do this, I will find the path to inner peace (so as to quiet those dark thoughts placed there by there to work on one's own paranoia). These self-dares required me to do something stupid like go hiking in a unfamiliar region without a compass and tell no one where you went.... very dumb but that was the deal of it.... to place your skills on the line and see how you deal with it. To better explain my reasoning, you might need some further background to better justify this action.

My father started trapping this area after WWII and managed to get good and lost just once... seems the local Indians finally found him. He barely mentioned the aspects of "bush fever" but just once, when he was giving me crap for getting kicked out of school (for fighting 😕 ). What he described seems today to be similar to that of a panic attack. It's an overwhelming of all your senses and concluding that you can trust none of them. Somehow I felt that this was an experience I too needed to survive through to become a more well rounded individual as I viewed my father to have been. Seems I was determined to walk some of the roads he traveled as he died when I was 17. Since he joined the army at 18, so did I.

I know little of his military life as he said little about it to anyone. I am very sure that war leaves many scars though as I have met many veterans throughout my life. Maybe being an MP allowed me to get a peek at mankind's darker side as a war did...I dunno! It seems that Dad told a story in church once (no, I wasn't there) of how when he lost all hope( while in the bush still), God helped him continue on..... Nope, ain't quite got to that level of faith yet as my pride seems to still be the BIG issue.(or that's what I'm presently blaming for my lack of faith anyways) 😆

Writing in this forum has further provided a sort of self analysis too as I have to continually ask myself if what I type is truth or fiction of how I'd like to perceive things instead. Having mentioned that I once tried to get lost to other locals here where I live, they seem to think it incredibly stupid as it is what most fear happening every time they go out. It is an easy thing to occur here as even the dude on your "Survivor man" got lost up here too! But I have an advantage that I grew up here. During my "Get Lost " game, I did manage to get "confused" and close to panic once for what seemed maybe 20 minutes but that was it. I'm betting I subconsciously watched my backtrails and used my inner compass too much... My theory of "FenceWalker" again comes to mind as I too fear getting lost ALOT!

Now all the writings on the conflicts in Ukraine taught me alot too. I can see that there is still much doubt in many as to what I present versus what your daily media tells you. This shows me that much of my efforts have little effect overall. Mankind overall seems to want to fail as the majority still seems to promote war and escalate events to finally achieve this SHTF scenario.

I try to show you that which Ratts states "no man is an island" is a true reality. You cannot go it alone and I'm betting C5 and myself have learned this aspect better than many of you through life experiences. I live in solitude mostly in this community today and socialize little with very few. Seems my wife too has achieved this mindset, but more from Lyme disease being a major factor in this. Yet here we are telling others that the Rambo mentality is impractical and unusable.

I have the skillsets required to likely survive better than most who read this, yet dread that mankind might decline to consider such things. At my age, sleeping on cold ground is out as otherwise, soon my back would be! Sure, I'd lose weight as you get in shape or die trying, but when before did arthritis have to be considered into the equation? Having dislocated ankles 3 times has also had an impact on my life too. And the list goes on! The weak would perish fastest and even though I'm sure I can still survive if need be, I doubt my wife could! And what about my kids and grandkids in the city? Maybe this is why I don't wave the flag of war these days. Seems I am not quite ready to trust in God alone as yet, and don't prey for intervention as I don't consider I'd make the cut when he starts separating the wheat from the chaff. Yet it is hard not to note that many of the biblical predictions seem to be closer than ever to becoming possible with all the events occurring these days matching those in Revelations.

Umm... I tried to switch off fear but the body and mind were unable to comply and tends to choose to runaway from troubles. But after a few tweaking here and there now can easily turn on and off anger, and turning off guilt since long time ago by replacing it with thorough logical calculations. The emotional roller coaster I felt when losing things precious might actually become the factor that forced adaptability to undesired situations. Funny thing is even I can switch to no regret-no remorse mode, I still somehow respond to gesture of kindness that people may display during an unanticipated situation.

Lucky me so many times got in the middle of chaotisch sh*tuation. I' don't join the bad guys, or know which side is the good guys but just a bystander getting caught in a crossfire of something that I don't even know or care about. Solitude gives me time to think, rethink, unthink, and outthink what has happened, what is happening, and what will happen.

Age is surely a factor to add in the equation. Now I'm in my 30's and already feels the physical prowess is deteriorating. But since already facing so d*mn much of near death experience it seems the concept of survival is already engraved in the mind and therefore each time other people said that my method is useless or somebody's method is useless, I don't really care to such critics. I do listen to critics but will not stop doing something just because somebody criticizes my method. I have the stubbornness to try and retry, and put failed efforts on pending rather than totally giving up. So if age consumes you, please share the experience you have accumulated so the young can learn and continue to pursue results or even find new ways based on the information you provided.

We are an advanced bio-machinery with programmable logic control, where data and instructions flows throughout our nervous system. We may still not be able to replace the hardware part in our self nowadays, but we can still perform updates to the basic input output system that makes each of us reacts differently to certain condition. More data you share, more updates others receives.

As a prepper, we are now investing on a currency that may be currently low on value, the currency of skillsets. Where now might be a non-significant skillset in the face of technological and industrial might may become the one that ensures your survival in the future. And like investing in money, many stops investing because they think it is no longer feasible. Self sufficiency differs from one another, and what we can do is enjoy the diversities.

For the socializing thingy, try this survival dare using tarzanic language when meeting with foreigners, you know using basic yes-no and various gestures or drawing in the ground. You will see that people often get some distance when you arrive first, but when later they learn you mean them no harm they will gradually try to communicate with you. No man is an island? Well, everyone is an island, some with moats and fortifications. It is about whether the islands will allow building bridges between them or choose the path of isolation. And just to remind, we only need to build bridges to island that will not cause us danger.

Well Put, and while using my favourite subject... Philosophy! 😆

I like the bridge building concept, especially since you added to a previous comment to make your concept a better model to follow! And the comparison of man to machine was also well constructed as the input of accepting updates to show willingness to learn new solutions to old problems. I do enjoy such comparisons as they make the mind visualize great things while just reading words.

And the parts of stating that you can turn on and off such as anger...kudo's to you on that one! I definitely don't get into crap like I did when younger and so maybe I overcame much of it with maturity. But there are still moments when I find I can't quite find that switch in time and yet, maybe I didn't try hard to either... 😕 I consider I'm slow to boil, yet hard to cool down after I achieve hot... 😈

I too have tried to put certain points past with use of stories (much as my Father often did) and even the use of such tools as Excel, as it is a tool I reach for often when sorting data in my own head. And it is for this forum that I finally better honed the skill to impart this knowledge thru Excel spreadsheets, so others might easily have that knowledge at hand, whether on their computer, tablet or stored on their phone. I covered aspects such as building First Aid Kits to determining how long your food supplies would last. While I can see that many have downloaded my work, none comment on the usefulness of the program. This leads me to believe either the software is no good for various reasons, or the majority just collect, but don't go beyond that stage and so haven't even looked at them since.

And so this leads back to other things that I then note along this line of thought! Many have read of villiager's efforts to create a prepper community, yet his efforts hasn't be successful after 2 years of promotion. Do not take this too much to heart villiager, as many seem to just sit on the sidelines and never commit to anything proposed here. There are many attempted meets even planned here and only one seems to ever bear fruit. That is the get-together they have in southern Ontario. Their optimism presented and the positive comments after should have even set the stage for others to lower their guard to achieve the same... seems only a few have overcome the trust issues that most Prepper's possess. The humour is this is kind of like joining something like........."the Nose Pickers Society".... your just a closet member but you don't tell your friends about this forum thing, do you?

It was because of these barriers that I figured to maybe come out of the closet somewhat too. I wanted folks, especially here, to note that you didn't have to follow the "Lock and Load" mindset as I see many have. Mankind has definitely messed this world up, but the majority of the people did so in ignorance and won't kill you while you sleep.....at least not yet! 😯 That aspect just leads to more anarchy and has proved destructive throughout all mankind's history, and it eventually messes with our built in conscious to the point it destroys you from within! I'm already packing enough luggage without adding more to that pile, thanks! 🙄

Seems that procrastination is at the heart of all indecision! The answer needed here really boils down to only a couple of choices, neither of which anyone will do much about anytime soon. Many know that trust is the main issue that is holding them back and yet they refuse try and change even those close as to make things better.... seems either you start building trust between you and some of those you figure should be worthy of it or you start praying to God for help because we all sense there is not alot of time left on the clock these days! 😎