Different Branches of Survivalism

My post a couple weeks ago about certifying instructors of disaster readiness got me to thinking about all the different branches of survivalism. (Don’t worry, I’m not circling back to the certification topic right now. I’ve little interest in reopening THAT can of worms. Seriously, you’d have thought I said The Beatles were overrated, what with all the flak I caught.)

Here’s how I look at it. Let’s say you wanted to build a house, all by yourself, from the ground up. To do the job right, you’d have to know not only carpentry but masonry, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, roofing, and at least a few other skill sets, right? While a building contractor doesn’t necessarily need to be a licensed electrician, he or she needs to know how a house is to be wired so the other tasks performed complement each other. Make sense?

I look at survivalism the same way. To prepare the best, you need knowledge and skills in many areas.

Wilderness survival is probably one of the first areas of knowledge many of us learn, at least those who grew up in the country. Things like tracking, building expedient shelters, and making fire.

Then there’s homesteading, having the skills and such to provide for your own needs as much as possible. Raising animals, gardening, home canning all fall into this category.

Another area is security and defense. Knowing how to protect you and yours from ne’er do wells.

Food storage is a key element to a well rounded preparedness plan. Not just being able to preserve garden bounty but knowing how to effectively store commercially produced food products and prepare them in a tasty way.

Water procurement and purification is essential. Putting into place rain barrels, for example, and having the means to filter it for consumption.

First aid skills, as well as setting aside the necessary supplies, is needed to keep your family healthy.

Also, when you think about it, there are a few different perspectives or methodologies when it comes to survivalism. There are the military minded, who seek to conquer nature as well as foes. This runs a bit counter to the wilderness folks who look to live with nature, rather than battle against it. The prepper, as the term is often used, refers to those who concentrate on stocking up food and supplies.

Where am I going with this, you may ask? Well, to circle back to my builder analogy, the best survivalists will be those who seek to learn as many of these skills sets as possible and develop a more blended perspective. Even if you consider yourself more of a carpenter than a plumber, strive to learn as much as you can about pipe and water flow. Your house will be all the better for it.