Survival is often considered in the context of storing supplies for times when such supplies are unavailable. This is an important, but not sole, part of survival. Often, physical fitness and health maintenance take a back seat to the more popular activities of logistics and firearms.
That said, logistics, or “stocking up,” is of prime importance to provide necessary material goods as a buffer against the supply chain disruption probable in emergency conditions. This stockpiling against disruption should be planned with acquiring necessities across survival primitives with financial and political landscapes in mind. More on that later.
Let's address health first. Physical fitness and health are the most important component of survivalism. The metabolism of a physically fit person will make the most efficient use of food and water thus optimizing supplies. A physically fit person has better resistance to disease and adverse environmental conditions, in addition to physical strength useful in a survival environment. The capacity to lift more and walk further has application in every facet of survival. Consider also, immunizations. While a contestable subject in American society today, it is difficult to argue that an immunization such as tetanus, which conveys a five-year immunity to a common and ultimately fatal, wound pathogen, is a bad idea. Hepatitis A (HAV) and Hepatitis B (HBV) are likely to be encountered in prolonged “grid-down” conditions, and both of these vaccines may confer significant long-term immunity. It is one less thing to go wrong, one more defense.
Physical fitness and health maintenance can be performed “in between” purchasing bulk supplies, thus making survivalism a complete lifestyle choice, rather than an exercise in consumption. If personal and family survival is the purpose of survivalism, then physical fitness should be an integral part of preparations.
Whether an individual, group, or family is just getting into prepping, or reevaluating their preparation efforts, the beginning of survival is about planning to support basic survival primitives: food, water, environmental protection, defense, and medical needs, in the context of anticipated need arising from a predicted interruption arising from disruption in the availability. These are the needs that must be absolutely satisfied in order to survive.
If you’re just starting out or starting over, having a broad and flexible plan for acquisition will focus your money into productive areas of purchase, and help limit unnecessary expenditures. Time may be short, and the economy is likely not going to improve much, therefore, planning to a useful degree will help ensure that one’s survival larder can actually facilitate survival with the least cost.
Related to this approach is the political and legal climate that should be considered when prioritizing acquisitions. As some observed at the passing of Justice Scalia, almost immediately there was commentary about how this vacancy would affect Second Amendment interpretations. Political and legal terrains are volatile and in flux, so, consideration of where the law will be in a year should help prioritize certain purchases. At the present, I recommend a priority on firearms and ammunition, at least until the election year passes and the legal and political futures are made more clear.
That being said, we cannot neglect the other survival requirements. Take a cyclic approach to acquisitions: Try purchasing in the order of Food, Water, Environmental Protection, Defense, Medical, to make firearms a priority, substitute that for Medical, making two firearms purchases per acquisition cycle. Some cycles may omit firearms altogether and substitute another purchase category. This way, you may develop your larder consistently across all survival requirements, but amplify certain areas depending on available finances, and projected economic and political futures.
Consider this as a guide for the beginning survivalist, or, as a progress check on the state of one’s current readiness, applicable to wilderness and disaster survival.
Original article by Marc J O'Connor, published in Survivalist Magazine #28
(SFC Marc J O'Connor USA, Ret. has a B.A. in GIS and Remote Sensing and considerable experience in remote medicine, military intelligence and has been a survivalist since his early teens.)
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