Thread: time to ask

So this is about survival but how will you deal with things you know you won't survive? What about your family? It comes for all of us and sometimes in different ways than we expect.

Mel tappen was Mr. Survival. Wrote books and magazines along with news letters on how to survive. Had everything he needed on his ranch and all the guns and ammo you could want. Made all the right investments and made a fortune selling his ideas. He died of cancer before his time.

Are you really ready for what lays ahead and how have you prepared? Might as well have the full picture rather than the Red Dawn fantasy.

jj

Yup. Got a reasonable amount of life insurance (not enough to make it tempting though ), a will, etc. Also have an advanced health care directive requesting the machines be turned off (financially devastating my family for no particularly good reason makes no sense to me). Power of Attorney has been replaced with the Advanced Health Care directive and it’s important that we all have one to protect our families. The reality is that I will probably die an old(ish) man and I want to make sure that my family is cared for.

Not to sound trite, but a well balanced life involves both living in the moment and planning long term in case you actually make it that far. Doing one at the expense of the other is unwise I have found.

For seven years I was working about 65-80 hours a week and didn't have a real vacation in that entire time. I made a lot of money and could buy many things, but I didn't have the time to enjoy any of it, became a stranger to my wife and kids, and enslaved to German and Japanese luxury cars along with a showcase home's mortgage. My mother died suddenly in 2005 and that started me to thinking that how I was burning myself down wasn't worth it anymore, but I trudged on.

In early 2007, over a couple of bottles of wine at the side of the campfire I mentally quit my job at Elk Lake in the Cascades outside of Detroit during my first significant time off since the turn of the century. It took a week to come back and shock my office that I was "throwing it all away," without a further plan as to what I was going to be doing. I sold the cars and got my wife a minivan and me a used Jeep. Downsized in the housing market from 4300 square feet and three garages to 2200 and a twin sized garage with one door. I have been living off of the capital gains from the previous house for two years now and could go at least three more without breaking a sweat. Eventually, I'll have to break my early retirement, but not until I am happy with what I want to do. I am eternally grateful I couldn't maintain that pace before the bottom fell out of the housing market.

So now I don't have the acres of property, nor every bit of gear I'd like to have. I am not stressing myself to an early grave either. Those years put a good deal into the retirement accounts, so I'll let compound interest make me a multi-millionaire in the course of time and instead enjoy what time I know I have while my kids are still young and my wife has still "got it."

I certainly don't think he who dies with the most toys wins. He who is the most missed wins.

I certainly don't think he who dies with the most toys wins.

Possibly..He who smelled the most roses....."wins"

Especially if sniffed with family......

Smell them roses. I think a lot of guys are going to croke worrying about the sky falling. Being prepared is one thang, but spending your life under a rock worrying? Well that just makes you gray. er.

Don't worry, you're only as old as you smell.

Don't worry, you're only as old as you smell.

(sniff, sniff) Heyyyyy.....I resemble that remark.......

Originally Posted by Just Jim

So this is about survival but how will you deal with Might as well have the full picture rather than the Red Dawn fantasy.
jj

Mmm...you had me until that last sentance.

Of all the hobbies that people have, you choose to bash those that prepare themselves for an unknown outcome? Do you scoff at the man that buys flood insurance when he lives 1,000 AGL? What about the man that mines for gold instead of being dependant on the "all mighty dollar"?

No? Then why insult the men that prepare for a possible outcome that cannot be forseen. You call it a "fantasy." Does a man that buys life insurance fantasize about dying so his family can become rich?

Survivalism is a mindset that you obviously cannot fathom if you can only mock those that prepare for the worst.

I didn't think he meant that as a bash.

There some mighty fine points being made in this thread. Points that a lot of people wont get until it's too late.

I like that quote "He who is the most missed wins."

I'd like to know more about the Advanced Health Care Directive.

The value of what you are surviving for is what it's about. Are you trying to stay over your head in debt or become a free man? Do you want to go back to having real families or stay a slave to debt and let the state keep raising your kids? Where does this all end up and how are you going to make a difference?

Is this the world you want?

jj

Originally Posted by Just Jim

The value of what you are surviving for is what it's about. Are you trying to stay over your head in debt or become a free man? Do you want to go back to having real families or stay a slave to debt and let the state keep raising your kids? Where does this all end up and how are you going to make a difference?

Is this the world you want?

jj

There comes a point where a man makes a decision in life to either look for another alternative or keep on the track that we're on.

With you, I see a man that sees a leak in a boat. You see the sheeple bailing out the water and pointing fingers at who to blame...while you are trying to fix the leak.

Well my friend, I'm looking for the life raft and I'm getting my family together to get on it because I know that when it is time to get on it, people will be throwing my family over the side of the boat to get on it themselves.


We can point fingers at who is to blame for the sinking ship....the captain that ran it into the ice with advanced warning, the people that elected the captain or even the people that aren't helping the sinking situation.

I see it this way....we're in a mess that we can't fix; we can only slow it down. Nevertheless, sooner or later we are going to sink. It's inevitable. You may see me as the Maytag repair guy praying for a washer to fix (or as you so elequently put it, a Red Dawn Fantasizer), but I see myself as a survivalist.

There are no words you can say to change my mind. Even if there is no leak I will still familarize myself with the life raft and how to use it. You and others may call me paranoid, but I see little harm in being prepared and much more negligence in not being prepared.

I should never rely on another human being to survive from as I wouldn't rely on the government to protect me from being a victim.

Did you know that the courts have ruled that the Police have no obligation to protect you as a citizen? That's right....those officers that roam the streets with the words "To Serve and Protect" have no duty to protect any individual at all. (click)

So there you have it...that is why I am who I am and I do what I do. I carry a gun because I must be the one to protect myself and my family....but do I "fantasize" about the possibility of using it? NO! I hope I never have to take another human being's life...just as I have a fire extinguisher in my house I never hope that I might have to use it! I don't sit in my house praying for a fire somewhere just as I don't pray for a Russian parachutest to float to the ground when I pack a bug-out bag. Implying such is just plain insulting.



So, to reply to the last little thread here directly I have really only seen two sides of this fence. The guy that works all day and night to have the money to buy all the toys he wants, or the guy that actually has the time to play with the toys he has. Death and taxes are the only two things that are certain in life...the man that decides to become a hermit in the woods only to die of a disease is like comparing the man that spends all his money on a fancy new car just to get hit by a meteor. You cannot judge a man's actions by how he died, but by how he lived. The fact of the matter is- we could die at anytime and at any point in our lives. Does that mean I shouldn't take risks or plan for the future? Should I always have death in my mind to the point that I forget how to live?

I realized a while ago that you cannot change the past and that at any moment you could die. Once I got past this, I decided to live more happy and stress free. I try not to dwel in the "what if I did this instead of that" mentality because I realized it was just eatting me up inside. I had my first ulcer when I was 12 and lived with migrane headaches until I was about 20. Now I just kind of play the cards I've been delt with and try to make the best of it.

Originally Posted by Riot

There comes a point where a man makes a decision in life to either look for another alternative or keep on the track that we're on.

With you, I see a man that sees a leak in a boat. You see the sheeple bailing out the water and pointing fingers at who to blame...while you are trying to fix the leak.

Well my friend, I'm looking for the life raft and I'm getting my family together to get on it because I know that when it is time to get on it, people will be throwing my family over the side of the boat to get on it themselves.


We can point fingers at who is to blame for the sinking ship....the captain that ran it into the ice with advanced warning, the people that elected the captain or even the people that aren't helping the sinking situation.

I see it this way....we're in a mess that we can't fix; we can only slow it down. Nevertheless, sooner or later we are going to sink. It's inevitable. You may see me as the Maytag repair guy praying for a washer to fix (or as you so elequently put it, a Red Dawn Fantasizer), but I see myself as a survivalist.

There are no words you can say to change my mind. Even if there is no leak I will still familarize myself with the life raft and how to use it. You and others may call me paranoid, but I see little harm in being prepared and much more negligence in not being prepared.

I should never rely on another human being to survive from as I wouldn't rely on the government to protect me from being a victim.

Did you know that the courts have ruled that the Police have no obligation to protect you as a citizen? That's right....those officers that roam the streets with the words "To Serve and Protect" have no duty to protect any individual at all. (click)

So there you have it...that is why I am who I am and I do what I do. I carry a gun because I must be the one to protect myself and my family....but do I "fantasize" about the possibility of using it? NO! I hope I never have to take another human being's life...just as I have a fire extinguisher in my house I never hope that I might have to use it! I don't sit in my house praying for a fire somewhere just as I don't pray for a Russian parachutest to float to the ground when I pack a bug-out bag. Implying such is just plain insulting.



So, to reply to the last little thread here directly I have really only seen two sides of this fence. The guy that works all day and night to have the money to buy all the toys he wants, or the guy that actually has the time to play with the toys he has. Death and taxes are the only two things that are certain in life...the man that decides to become a hermit in the woods only to die of a disease is like comparing the man that spends all his money on a fancy new car just to get hit by a meteor. You cannot judge a man's actions by how he died, but by how he lived. The fact of the matter is- we could die at anytime and at any point in our lives. Does that mean I shouldn't take risks or plan for the future? Should I always have death in my mind to the point that I forget how to live?

I realized a while ago that you cannot change the past and that at any moment you could die. Once I got past this, I decided to live more happy and stress free. I try not to dwel in the "what if I did this instead of that" mentality because I realized it was just eatting me up inside. I had my first ulcer when I was 12 and lived with migrane headaches until I was about 20. Now I just kind of play the cards I've been delt with and try to make the best of it.

very well said!

Pointing fingers well help keep the captian and his crew that screwed the ship from joining people in the lifeboats. No sense them getting another ship to sink. What are you going to do in the lifeboat, just paddle around till you find another ship and ships captian..

The reality is if you don't want to spend a life in a raft you have to build a ship that is harder to sink. Building something takes more work than preparing to run and people allways take the easy way out, that is why the ship sinks. If the effort was spent to save the country was equal to all the effort at survival it wouldn't be where it is today.

While you may not don't rely on others for your survival at this moment, you will need the help of others in your life. Unless of course you live on a farm and make your own fuel and know all about medicine and homeschool your own kids. Oh you must depend on family right? Or are you on your own?

A big picture keeps the tunnel vision from destroying your life.

jj

Originally Posted by Just Jim

Pointing fingers well help keep the captian and his crew that screwed the ship from joining people in the lifeboats. No sense them getting another ship to sink. What are you going to do in the lifeboat, just paddle around till you find another ship and ships captian..

The reality is if you don't want to spend a life in a raft you have to build a ship that is harder to sink. Building something takes more work than preparing to run and people allways take the easy way out, that is why the ship sinks. If the effort was spent to save the country was equal to all the effort at survival it wouldn't be where it is today.

While you may not don't rely on others for your survival at this moment, you will need the help of others in your life. Unless of course you live on a farm and make your own fuel and know all about medicine and homeschool your own kids. Oh you must depend on family right? Or are you on your own?

A big picture keeps the tunnel vision from destroying your life.

jj

Ah, well I cannot disagree with you at all there to be honest. If we all did everything we could to keep the ship from sinking then we would be better off than any other ship.

Nevertheless, the fact of the matter is is that you are a dying breed. Nobody cares about the welfare of anyone else other than their own. The family on welfare doesn't care that you have to pay more taxes to support them and the illegal immigrants that invade our country don't care that we have to hire more people to process them.

The ship is sinking, it looks like we both agree on that. But unless there are DRASTIC changes (I'm talking about an "organized mutany", if you will) with the crew then we are still going to sink. Our legislators will attach their greedy little fingers to every bill just to see millions of dollars float their way. In the end, it is a slow death. We may be fighting off inflation for the moment, but their will come a time when our crew can no longer blame the previous crew for everything wrong with the ship.

If what you say is true and nobody cares then you have told us of the death of American society. Who killed it, the leeches who live of the rest of us monetarily or the ones who sit on the fence and do nothing? Mine may be old values but I can look my family in the eye and tell them I try to save our country.

Could be you are right and it's every man for himself but then where does that end up?

jj

Originally Posted by Just Jim

If what you say is true and nobody cares then you have told us of the death of American society. Who killed it, the leeches who live of the rest of us monetarily or the ones who sit on the fence and do nothing? Mine may be old values but I can look my family in the eye and tell them I try to save our country.

Could be you are right and it's every man for himself but then where does that end up?

jj

You get burned out trying to help people that refuse to help themselves...

Originally Posted by Just Jim

-snip-

Could be you are right and it's every man for himself but then where does that end up?

jj

Since I don't like it, and I don't think it's fair that my wife and I got educations, worked hard, saved money, made investments, and now the government takes a ton of what we have to give to people who were not and are not responsible, WHAT makes you think that I will be interested in helping those who didn't prepare if the SHTF? What's the difference?

Apart from immediate family, sink or swim based on your own planning and effort. I'm not carrying you any longer or farther than a government forces me to.

Today if I don't cough up about 1/2 of what I make to taxes I go to jail. If the SHTF and you expect me to cough up ANY of what I have, you die.

Originally Posted by Just Jim

If what you say is true and nobody cares then you have told us of the death of American society. Who killed it, the leeches who live of the rest of us monetarily or the ones who sit on the fence and do nothing? Mine may be old values but I can look my family in the eye and tell them I try to save our country.

Could be you are right and it's every man for himself but then where does that end up?

jj

I agree that America being killed by parasites, and urging people to unite to perserve our country, and ourway of life, is both good and practical, but beyond that set of generalities there can be no agreements unless a united people are willing to accept a common reality. If the source of that reality is a Rupert Murdock sponsered lieing pundit then you can 'count me out', because in the real reality, only BS has ever managed to come from BS.

So unless all views can agree on a least common demoninator of reality there can be no united public. This is going to be impossible as long as self serving powerful interests brainwash us for their sport, and the only cure for that is people who are far more self aware, and self honest about what they really know is true.

I remember seeing several movies where crazy people from asylums escape and set up a society where each delusionals fantasy is allowed to flourish, but in real crazy people they usually have no tollerance for the other persons delusion, only for their own. Perhaps what is missing from the equation of being united is simple sanity.

I'll meet you on the dark side of the moon.

Originally Posted by Riot

Well my friend, I'm looking for the life raft and I'm getting my family together to get on it because I know that when it is time to get on it, people will be throwing my family over the side of the boat to get on it themselves.

When I fly commercially I ignore the safety lecture like everyone else but I do, absolutely, look at the escape diagram in the seat pocket and make sure I know where I am relative to the hatches. Always wonder if I'm the only one...

MrB