Are You Strong Enough To Survive?

Very good thread! Many valid points. When I was young and things didn't go my way my Dad would say "What are you gonna do, lay down and die"? I'd get more pissed until I understood what he meant when I got older. Muscle memory is achieved from our minds first, then our bodies. When used in conjunction we can achieve great things. But let's face it, if your mind says you have to ruck 20 miles and your body isn't up to speed, it ain't gonna happen. Personally, I'm not gonna let that be the reason I didn't survive. If so I should have " laid down ". Mental strength is often a natural attribute, but it is also a tool that can be sharpened. Pushing your body pushes your mind and makes you sharp. If you become complacent in your ability though, it will fail you when you need it most. Like a fighter who underestimated his opponents resolve to win. Whether male or female, try to keep yourself in check with that reality. Training is great. But, (pardon my language) if you're not making a turd, you ain't living. Isn't that the whole point? To serve any good to any group, one needs to be able to serve themselves or they become unreliable. Just a perspective from a new monkey clinging to a branch.

 

Age and cunning will overcome youth everytime. It's why we protect those who are young in mind and body

 

Yeah I thought that too until I went 3 minutes in the ring with an 18 year old. Maybe if I'd taken a machete in with me...

 

Perseverance and tenacity.

 

Yeah, but you were in a ring so there were rules. When the rules are out the window, I put my money on "the old fart". They are usually to young to die but too old to take a whoopin and don't mind "cheating", because if you ever find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

 

Toughness can be taught.......VERY GOOD SUBJECT

 

There needs to be a balance between toughness and good common sense.
Work smart not hard. said by those that leave the heavy work to some one else, so long as there his some one else to leave it to.
Knowing my days of heavy work were limited, I developed a lot of lifting equipment for my self to assist as I aged.
A guy that is tough and smart knows to use personal safety equipment and respects the machinery being used, be it a pocket knife or a D8 cat. Both can kill you.
A man needs to know his "limitations"
But if you have never found, nor worked to build them, how do you know what you are capable of?
Real work and developing stick-to-it-iveness builds endurance both in repetitive activities and challenges that others give up in.
Some times it requires emotional patience and dealing with difficult people, or skills. i.e. bow drill.
What kind of material are you made of? you don't know unless you have take the effort to disprove your expectations.
Being unwise I made mistakes of thinking I was being helpful lifting equipment it required 2 or 3 people to safely lift. I did it , but at the cost of damaging my self, and I pay for it long down the line.
I did not swim 150' distance under water the very first time I tried , it took years for me to develop lungs for that challenge. but i did it. and with some practice, I can do it again.
The will to survive comes with the need to be available to help others survive.

 

Primitive Technology
Primitive Technology

I have two not-so-good knees and a bad arm (torn rotator cuff thanks to my bike/vs truck event this summer)

Still - I believe I can do everything John Plant (the silent actor in the Primitive Technology videos) can do - I would just be slower....

 

Don't work hard, work smart! Have a plan, be it for today, tomorrow, 10 or 20 years from now, or SHTF! Try to stay in good shape, but don't overwork your body. If you are unable to preform a task get the tools that will allow you to do the job, get someone else to do it, or don't do it! The only thing worst that not doing a job, is a half-finished job...and injury or death to boot! I'm in my early 60s and in fairly good shape (walk, swim, weighs, etc.) but I'm never going to be able to dig a ditch or work all day in a hay field again, and I'm not gonna to try.

 

Try me.

 

I'm at least hardheaded, strong, and durable.

Endurance is another matter but I AM getting better.

 

me thinks that would be age and cunning coming into play