Sadly, the honest answer to that question is pretty much every generation before 50 years ago. What was once a way of life slowly turned into something to mock as people stopped thinking about being prepared for hard times and instead got lost in an imaginary world of tech bullshit, WOKE culture, and the delusional thinking that the government is going to be there to hold your hand when things go bad.
Disasters and crises can wake people up quickly; unfortunately, the slap in the face often comes at a great expense to those who continuously ignore the realities of our world.
We live in a world where we have more access to information than at any other time in recorded history, yet people are less prepared than ever. Skills that were once common knowledge have been lost, and without YouTube or the internet, most of America can’t even figure out how to plunge a toilet without watching a video.
Over the last couple of decades, the world has seen an unprecedented spike in technology and access to learning. But, unfortunately, we’ve also seen a growing number of people who have used this technology to tune out and lose their ability to be self-reliant.
Skills that were once part of our culture, ones that helped us survive, have been largely forgotten; replaced by a generation of dependent people that can’t even balance a checkbook, cook a meal, or change a flat tire. Although we have more access to information than ever, the skills of our forefathers have been replaced by useless skills like texting, swiping right, and seeing how many likes we can get on Facebook.
The skills that past generations have used to build new worlds, care for their families, and make a living, have been replaced with useless knowledge, self-gratification, and a dependency on the government for just about everything.
I’m all for using technology to better yourself – without it, this site wouldn’t exist – but people need to get back to the basics and learn the skills they need to survive. If not, we are in real danger of losing our ability to survive and thrive.
Forgotten Skills that everyone should know!
Cooking Skills: The ability to cook a meal from scratch.
Learning how to cook from scratch, with basic ingredients that don’t get poured out of a can, is one of the most important self-reliant skills you can have. If you’re serious about preparedness, especially if you’re in the process of getting started with emergency food storage, learning how to cook from scratch is something you cannot afford to ignore.
Resources for learning how to cook:
- Top tips for those who want to learn to cook from scratch
- Cooking with Basic Ingredients: War Time Recipes
- 56 Long-Term Survival Foods and Essential Supplies
- Emergency Cooking Methods: Cooking with a Thermos
Top books for learning how to cook:
Hunting, Fishing and Growing your own Food
Not being able to find food during a disaster makes you realize how dependent we are on an incredibly fragile system. In fact, since the so-called pandemic, food shortages and inflation seem to be things that will not go away any time soon. So learning these basic skills is something that has never been more essential.
Resources for learning how to ensure you have food:
- Country Hookers: A website dedicated to Fishing and Hunting
- Survival Fishing: Top Tips for Finding Fish during a Long-term Survival Situation
- Basic Hunting Skills – Preparing for the Hunt
- Container Gardening: Learning How to Grow a Survival Garden
- Cold, Hard, Survival: Why Cold Frames Are Essential for SHTF Food Gardens
Top books:
Healthcare Skills: The ability to care for yourself and your family without a doctor.
These days people seem to go to the doctor for every little thing that’s wrong. Unfortunately, the COVID scam has left our healthcare system in shambles, as a generation of hypochondriacs rush in and out of the ER demanding to be tested every time they get the sniffles.
A stuffed up nose; head to the doctor. Stubbed your toe; trip to the emergency room. Have a headache; time for some high-power painkillers.
Our society has become dependent on doctors, high-power medications, and trips to the local pharmacy. But a couple of generations ago, most people knew how to care for themselves; they knew how to get better without rushing out to the doctor or pumping themselves full of drugs that often create more side effects than the actual condition.
Medical skills that everyone should know:
- How to Survive Pandemics, Disease Outbreaks, and Disasters
- Preparing for Health Emergencies when you already have health problems
- How to deal with Food Allergies & Anaphylaxis
- First-Aid Skills for Treating Medical Emergencies during a Disaster
- 30 Things you should have in your Medical First Aid Kits
Medical books everyone should read:
- Where There Is No Doctor
- Where There Is No Dentist
- Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide
- Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health: 175 Teas, Tonics, Oils, Salves, Tinctures, and Other Natural Remedies for the Entire Family
Mental Skills: The ability to control your emotions.
I’m sorry to say it, but we’ve become a nation of wimps.
Over 70 million Americans are now taking at least one mind-altering medication to control their emotions. While some of these problems are indeed very serious, something that I’m not trying to make light of, I believe most of these so-called problems come from a culture of dependency, and a society that likes to take the easy way out.
Resources for becoming mentally strong, without pharmaceutical drugs.
- Psychology of Survival – How Your Mind Affects Your Ability to Survive
- Anxiety: Surviving Traumatic Events starts with Developing the Right Mindset
- Preparedness & Fear: Prepping without giving into Fear
- PTSD: How to Recover From Disasters and Traumatic Events
Books that can help build mental strength, and help with fear and anxiety:
- Hope and Help for Your Nerves
- How to Stop Worrying and Start Living
- Herbs for Stress & Anxiety: How to Make and Use Herbal Remedies to Strengthen the Nervous System
Preparedness Skills: The ability to respond to tough times, disasters and crisis.
Prepping is nothing new; unfortunately, today’s society sees it as some sort of sideshow attraction performed by tin-foil hat-wearing Doomsday Preppers who are waiting in their bunker for the end of the world to come. Although the mainstream media has helped feed that stereotype, nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, a couple of generations ago, it wasn’t called prepping; it was just a way of life.
Past generations understood the need to prepare, the need to save, the need to be ready for the rough times.
Preparedness Resources: Preparing for disasters, crises, and threats.
- Prepper 101: Your Survival Guide to Getting Started
- Prepper Mom Essentials: How to Prepare your Family for Disasters and Survival Situations
- BUGOUT: 60+ Preparedness Resources for Bugging Out
- Preparedness for Children: How to Make sure your kids are ready to face Disasters
- Preparedness: Preparing for Emergencies and Disasters
Preparedness Related Books: Pretty much everything you need to know about Prepping
jam up article……
why isn’t there a print tab for this article?
Exactly! If we ever NEED this information, we surely won’t be able to pull it up on our iPad! Lol
That’s why you print it out…
You people do realize you don’t end a print tab to print right? You also realize the site has a nice paper book out with all this information and more right?
You also might want to check out their articles on mobile solar power so you can save all the info to you ipad. geez people sure do like to complain.
Kinda elitist, Jim. Their questions are exactly why they are HERE and seeking help. Hope others treat you better….
You are absolutely right, Tsummers6118… not everyone is an expert as some think that they are. I am very greatful for the information and learn something new every day that will/can save lives, supplies and help maintain mental health during an already difficult time. Thank you for your comment.
Self-reliance, Dear! Use the copy/paste feature!! :-)
Right on, Sara! Copy and paste always works for me!!
> Pen
> Paper
> Solved.
Maybe go to the top of your browser, click on file and come down to PRINT?
Place your screen on the photocopy machine at Kinko’s and print it.
Bugger, no kinkos where I live; my life is ruined.
Must die without a print of this information.
What I did was to highlight what I wanted, then copy & pasted onto a Compose letter of my email, emailed it to myself then went to print. I’ve got a number of these articles I found extremely useful.
Depending on your browser, I will use Firefox as an example, click on the menu tab and find “Save Page As…”. Create a folder named “xyz” and save to that folder. When you need info from this article, find the folder you saved the page in and right-click which will open and find “Open With” which will give you the option to open with your browser. It will look just like the page as you see it now and all links work. I know this sounds like a lot to do but it only takes a few minutes.
Just relelized people are still asking about the print button; we added this feature a couple of years ago it is up top on the social share menu. It’s the ICON on the far right that looks like a printer. You should also be able to print to a PDF (you may need a plugin) and then save those to a kindle app on an e-reader or iPad. – https://offgridsurvival.com/preppertablets/
cooking on a wood stove is handy to know assuming you have a wood stove. Black smithing in handy we have a complete set up for that. Knowing wild plants is nice to know for food. knowing how to use a large chain saw is handy for fire wood. Knowing how to clean and dress a deer is nice for food. Tanning pelts, using a tredel sewing machine and how to spin on a spinning wheel are handy to know Just good old boy know how
I learned how to cook on a wood stove just after college cause it was how my dad heated his house and I was bored. I also learned how to make a foundry out of a coffee can to make knives and other tools from railroad spikes. Both handy skills to have.
What a good article. see how they did it before electricity.
I AM OVERWHELMED FOR MANY REASONS. BEEN FOLLOWING ALL THE GOINGS ON BUT STARTING TO CLOSE IN NOW BECOME VERY REAL; I.E. FINANCIAL SHIT. I PURCHASED A 5 WHEEL FOR OFF GRID. I CAN’T BE OUT THERE ALONE. CAN YOU RECOMMEND OFF GRID SITES/ COMMUNITIES?? ALSO FOR ALL THE SLEEPERS HERE AND ELSEWHERE, PLANET X IS REAL AND IT IS COMING TO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. SO I LOOKING FOR THE IDEAL PLACE HIGHER GROUND NOT DEDUCTION TYPE NOR ABDUCTION I BELIEVE THE NOMANCLATURE, RISING AND FALLING. I KNOW W. OF ROCKIES, APPALACHIANS, RETIRED NAVY IN OZARKS BUT MUCH OF THAT IS IN HOSTILE/ WEATHER ENVIRONMENTS.
THE NEED FOR RUNNING/FRESH/DRINKABLE WATER, ENERGY;I.E. HYDRO, AND SELF SUFFICIENT FOOD GROWTH.
TOO OVERWHELMING. I AM GETTING DEER IN THE HEADLIGHTS TRAUMA. ASHVILLE, N.C. HAS SUCH A COMMUNITY BUT IT IS TAILORED FOR THE HIGH BROW WHO CAN PAY THEIR $%^&*(FEES.I AM LOOKING FOR REAL HONEST HEALTHY PEOPLE AND ENVIRONEMENT. NO #$&*(NEW AGE SHIT PIE IN SKY WASHINGTON STATE; I.E. SEATTLE ROBOTS. THERE AIN’T GOING TO BE NO INTERNET FOR THE PUSSY’S. SORRY IF I SEEM GRUGG HERE JUST MADE AS HELL AND NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANY LONGER KINDA SWEET LOVING ITALIAN !!!RINALDO.
From Oklahoma. .. share the same feelings
Check out Eastern WA, OR, and CA states, lots of good ol boys there and hideaways. Not all the West Coast is “left”, only the high fallutin big city area folk!
Check out Eastern OR, WA, and CA. Lots of good ol’ boys out there. Not all the West Coast is “left”, only the big city area high fallutin folks!
Come to the American ReDoubt, we are full of like minded folks and lots of retired well trained military and law enforcement.
I hang my hat In North Idaho, and teach Survival and Emergency Preparedness Classes every week.
Strong hold for OATH KEEPERS and God fearing folks.
Just saying,
RangerRick
Check out The Prepared Homested on you tube he is in the Missouri Ozarks
Another book that is needed: The Bible! When you have done all that you can possibly do to prepare, and have warned your loved ones and friends, know that you have stood in the gap and have been found faithful.
Amen
I agree…I’m hoping that “I’ll Fly Away” first, but in the meantime, we are preparing ourselves.
Amen!
This is such great information. Being prepared is such a subjective concept. It tickles me that there are people who shun the notion. They just don’t realize how important these things are. How many lost lives in a flood because no one bothered to teach them to swim. Not only is it fun, it is an essential skill for survival/preparedness. Every school in America should have a swimming pool. Talk about water prep. Did anyone see the movie “Rawanda” or was it called “Hotel Rawanda” my memory doesn’t serve me. Getting old I guess. During the genocide between Hutu and Tutsi in Africa about a decade or so back in time, the people survived in the Hotel under the protection of a very brave man. The Pool was used as drinking, cooking water during the emergency. If I ever have the opportunity to build my own home, it will have a huge cellar for food and wine and homemade cheeses. It will have hidden rooms. It will have plenty of storage space. It will have a bathroom for every bedroom plus one near the entrance. And it will have an outdoor pool and another pool next to the master bedroom with a lock on the door that only those most intimate of contacts will have any idea that it is there. I promise you. I’m going to take a dip every morning. It worked for Jack LaLane, fitness guru. And it work’s for lots of rich folks. It can work for preppers with a plan, time, determination, and a wholesome imagination. Einstein said that imagination is more important than intelligence. He had both. I have one but I’m not sure about the other. Many very successful entrepreneurs have claimed that there success was due to the fact that they didn’t know that what they were doing was considered impossible. So sometimes it really is better NOT to know.
Work for the third largest 911municipality in the country my fellow co workers and I see first hand how broken the system and society is the things people will do when desperation sets in
Bummer. I was hoping that there were a few free PDF’s but instead all these resources must be bought off Amazon.
Pthbbt. I spent all my money on prepping, no $ left for books.
I found a book at the library that I love it’s called stalking the wild asparagus it’s a great book for wild edibles great recipes easy to make I recommend it for any outdoor Enthusiast survivalist prepper that’s a really good book.
Foxfire it’s a series of books that tells about the Appalachian people and how they lived
Great article and very true of today’s society! I have always told my kids that technology is a tool like a drill or hammer. It has its usefulness but it can destroy you. I work IT and am around it a lot. I try to pass on and even learn with my family these disappearing skills as much as possible. I want them to know it out of necessity. Right now I would even say everyone who knows should respectfully pass on to people around them that was unprepared, just how to be properly prepared. This site is a good reference! Remember though these unprepared thinks it is stupid to be a doomsday prepper. Well that might be true but I am not preparing for doomsday unless doomsday is not having enough food for my family, or financial loss, etc. Well you get the idea, let’s pay the knowledge forward and to anyone how will listen. I consider them not being a burden an important prep.
This site is one of the best I have found