By Susan Conniry
I am a survivalist - not the kind with guns and gold. I
have acquired knowledge and learned simple skills that will
enable me to live with the earth - knowledge that can never
be taken from me and has, more importantly displaced the
fear of the unknown. I consider it to be the best insurance
anyone can have, particularly if faced with natural disasters,
man-made emergencies or y2 disruptions. Today's emphasis
is on y2k.
The question has been raised by several columnists "Are
we all going to die?" Though they have responded "No,
not if we are prepared," there is reason to believe
that our chances are not as good as they would like to imagine.
A report on National Public Radio last week strengthened
my belief that we may have a problem of much larger magnitude
than we thought. . Unless we deal quickly with one of our
biggest fears, all the y2k preparation in the world may
not be enough. The light pollution from the United States
is so great that when the earth is viewed from the Space
Shuttle at night, the entire outline of the United States
is visible. Folks, this is not good. Not just the light
pollution, but what it represents - that we are a nation
afraid of the dark. And, just ahead, on the horizon of the
year 2000, we are about to confront our worst nightmare.
If time runs out to find and fix the y2k computer problems,
there is very good chance that the power grid will go down,
severing the umbilical cord and plunging us into that darkness
that we so greatly fear.
Adding to that nightmare is the fact that we are about
to face "The mother of all changes." The fact
that we are unable to predict with any certainty what the
y2k disruptions will bring, leaves us floundering in the
realms of the unknown. And, the human race does not do well
faced with the unknown. But, it is not my intent to dwell
on fear but rather to offer a solution.
A solution that goes beyond 72-hour survival packages.
Though it is important and certainly prudent to stock up
on food, water and other supplies and we will expound upon
that aspect in subsequent articles, it is only a partial
solution. The best solution is to quell the fear of the
unknown by acquiring knowledge of simple survival techniques
and survival priorities that are the basis to deal effectively
with any emergency situation. A method that is so convincing
that the realization that what we fear losing the most,
we don't need anyway
This knowledge is not new - just mostly forgotten - for,
indeed, it is the way all primitive people still live with
the earth. In fact there are many people in third world
countries that will never know that we had a y2k event.
They make their own shelters, find, gather and purify their
water, build fire with the bow and drill and hunt and gather
their own food every day.
The priorities, shelter, water, fire and food - in that
order - are the same in any situation, any environment.
They are your needs. Basic needs that are all provided by
our earth in unlimited amounts. I ask you to consider that
Y2k is a chance to take a simple step to once again touch
the earth, respect her and trust in her wisdom. When you
realize that equipped with little more than your brain and
your bare hands you can survive any emergency situation,
you will accept the challenge of the dark and the unknown.
We really are remarkable creatures. We adapt. These instincts
are in you waiting to be let out - it really is who you
are and when you are up against it, pushed to your limits
in an emergency situation, you too will become a survivalist.
Not the guns and gold kind, but as Tom Brown, Jr. taught
us, "a true survivalist is a caretaker of the earth.
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