A reader made a comment today about some of these T.V. Survival shows. I think he made a great point on what survival really means and what it takes to survive in the real world.
He said:
Real survival is downright gut wrenching
If you asked someone who lived through a real life survival situation what they think of all these so called “survival shows” they would probably tell you that while they make for great T.V. they do little to show what it really takes to survive. Real Survival is not pretty, it’s not cool, it’s not glamorous and it’s nothing like what you see on T.V.
Survival is:
- Ugly
- Gut Wrenching
- Struggling to stay alive when it seems like all hope has been lost.
- Takes something inside that few people actually possess
- Full of challenges that no T.V. show can ever come close showing
- Doing things that you never thought you would have to do
- Doing things that no person should ever have to do
- Not something that should be taken lightly.
Want to get a better picture of what it really takes to survive? Check out these real world Survival Stories
Agreed completely..
Agreed that survival should not be taken lightly, and that it’s usually a horrible experience for those who go through it.
Although, it need not be. For someone that has the knowledge for how to survive, it should be much less traumatic. In fact, it could even be liberating for the prepared survivor. Once you’ve secured shelter from the elements and a source of water, the actual work of survival doesn’t take much more than a couple hours of focus. Food is plentiful if you know where to find it.
Those TV shows are beyond ridiculous…
I think Survivorman with Les Stroud is fairly good at showing what it really takes to survive. He is doing real surviving alone and the only leg up he has is his survival knowledge and experience.
Shows may never become a substitute for experience, but they can definitely make a good learning aid.
I would tend to agree in the sense that the term ‘survival’ indicates struggle. As John mentioned above, those with more knowledge related to ‘survival’ tend to struggle less. This is more akin to ‘Wilderness Living’ and it can be a very pleasant experience depending on the season, your skill level, and availability of resources.