Need advice from the older generation of ATS.

16? You write really well for 16. Pick out a college and sign up for a major you would enjoy, get student loan from a bank.
Don't worry! Be happy! You have no wrinkles, fat, gray hair, not bald! Everything on you feels good. Life is good!
This is your time to shine and enjoy being free of responsibilities. There is plenty of time to worry in your thirties and forties when you have a family and everyone is looking to you for answers and guidence. Find a pretty place you want to live in the future! Best Wishes!

reply to post by vendettent


It's wonderful that you are so close to your mom. My son and I are very close also. But there have been times we were separated by distance. Your mom needs to know in her heart that you could make it alone and on your own in an emergency like and earthquake or whatever. Your mom no doubt worries about all the things moms worry about that a son would never imagine. Part of growing up is proving to yourself and to your parents/mom that if you had too...........you could survive, in an honorable manner,. meaning you hurt no one else.
The human mind is stronger than you think. If you could imagine communicating with your mom thru thought alone, you will have learned what many have not. I have to tell you something that may not be important to this thread.

When my son was 19 he called me at work one day and said mom I'm sick. Sounds harmless enough right? Well being in TUNE with him I knew it was bad. I clocked out of work, went directly to him and took him straight to the E.R.

One hr later a priest was giving him last rites and the surgeons told me they couldn't promise anything. My son had interrupted a srtanger on the street beating a woman. The man doing the beating hit my son across his back with a tire iron....Internal bleeding and damaged organs almost cost him his life. But all he said to me was "mom I'm sick".

'Im sorry to go on and on like this but your mom needs to know you can make it alone if need be. Best wishes. By the way...my son lived.

Originally posted by Druid42
reply to post by FyreByrd

 

Well said.

Sixth - Have fun...... Climb a tree.

I wonder if I could still do that. That was the best thing ever! I climbed a million trees when I was younger, and there was nothing better than sitting in the top of tree basking in the glory of nature.

Thinking back, wow. No regrets.

I know I couldn't climb a tree now but I do try to talk to them, take care of them and sit under them. Best memories of my childhood were up a tree - the higher the better - swaying in the wind - nobody could get me - I felt safe. That's my happy place when I need a happy place.

Unfortunately, most city kids don't get a chance to climb trees any more (if ever come to think of it). I had to look hard for climbing trees for my daughter - they had a number at her school. Only time I ever lost her (the school staff as well) we found her up a mulberry tree stuffing her face with ripe mulberries and not a care in the world - Good memory.

Originally posted by littled16
reply to post by vendettent

 

My advice to you is that if you've never tried camping it is never too late to start! 8 years ago a hurricane complete with 7 tornadoes roared through my town- taking electricity with it for over a month. It was not a hardship for my family and friends (other than loss of property) because we were all used to camping out without modern conveniences. For most of the families around here it was like an extended family camp out, but with clean up work to fill the time. For those few that had no camping experience it was a nightmare, and they traveled hundreds of miles to find accommodations that were more to their liking.

This was going to be my advice as well.

Learn how to: build a fire, fish, learn what plants are edible in your area for forage, build a lean-to, purify water, make a simple box trap, learn how to dispatch, clean and cook wild game (if you don't want to actually do it, at least read a book about it so you have some idea what you are doing if need be) and you always want to cook anything you catch in the wild, cook it well as there are many parasites and bacteria that will lay you low in short order. Those things will keep you alive if ever you are caught in any disaster situation.

It is also wise, as mentioned previously to keep a bug out bag with some high energy food, a couple of LifeStraws or similar devices for quickly purifying water, a good first aid kit, if you have time take a first aid course, (if you don't want to learn how to do sutures, get some surgical super glue, the regular kind works too for closing smaller wounds), and anti-biotics which can be purchased at feed stores or on line for animal use, they are exactly the same as what the Dr gives you. You will be responsible for figuring out the correct dosage. And something a lot of people forget about, an extra pair of shoes and clean socks. If your shoes get wet they are going to stay wet for days. This is not good for your feet. Healthy feet will take you where you need to go, feet with jungle rot, not so much.

Do what you need to do to be self sufficient no matter the situation, then go live your life.

I'm not a Buddhist btw, but I believe the following quote has relevance to today's world and survival in general:

"A man once told the Buddha, ‘I want happiness’. The Buddha said remove the ‘I’ that’s ego, now remove the ‘want’ that’s desire, now all you are left with is, Happiness.”

You are very intelligent for your age, OP. The fact you are already preparing yourself mentally for a potential crash puts you far ahead of most Americans, regardless of age. I live in SE Louisiana and had to deal with Hurricanes Katrina/Rita in 2005. Also other evacuations for Ivan and Gustav and hunkering in place more recently for Isaac. My Katrina experiences revealed a great deal to me about humanity in general. First thing - it NEVER hurts to be prepared, and never let the sheeplike "know-it-alls" bully you into thinking you are wierd or paranoid. Those "know it alls" are going to be the first ones whining and crying to the media about how the government didnt take care of them like it promised. Having a generator, candles, firestarters, lots of bottled water, and dry food goods is something everyone should do.
In a disaster, you will see the best and the worst of people. Many people become self reliant and help others as well as themselves. Many people will simply collapse and expect others to help them and do all the heavy lifting. Some people will band together and help their fellow man. Others will take advantage of the confusion and begin looting and stealing.
I remember when we were allowed into my Parish just for 1 day about week after Katrina (They were allowing ppl to check their property, take pictures, etc for insurance purposes). Me, my brother, and brother in law came in to check on our houses and my job was to stay by the truck and protect it and the guns while the others used the pirogue(a small flat bottomed canoe) to get to one of the houses, which was still in an area with 5 ft of water. Everyone we saw was armed and for the most part it was cool. There was one shady character that kept walking by that made me read to grab the shotgun. It was a weird time.

FEMA will insist on paying you money and then 6 months later there is a good chance they will demand it back and start making threats about it. But when they give it to others, and the others use it at strip clubs and liquor stores, they face no repercussions. NEVER get on a government bus. Once you get on that bus, you are essentially a prisoner until they return you home after it is deemed safe.

The main thing to remember is: If you are at least somewhat prepared on the front end, your experience will be less traumatic. Listen to authorities but do NOT rely on them for anything. Do your best to help others out without allowing them to take advantage of you. Keep your head on a swivel for the criminals that come out of the woodwork. The more self reliant yo are, and the more prepared you are, the better off you will be.

While respecting your maturity and concern for the future (both of which don't exist too often many youth nowadays) try and enjoy your youth. Spending time worrying about the material these kind of sites give you access to, well, it's just negative. Just normal advice, keep yourself in good health, don't be a couch tater. Oh, and don't do drugs.....drugs are bad....M'kay?

There is no reason you cannot enjoy your youth and be prepared at the same time.

Katrina didnt only affect people over 30. She hit the youngest the hardest. My point being.... your line of thinking is healthy. While some on here are telling you not to worry, and just "enjoy your youth", I'd say always be prepared and always be cautious. There is a HUGE difference between people who are prepared and those who "don't worry about it" until a disaster happens. HUGE difference. Those who are prepared make it out ok. There are still pathetic people, 6 years later, who still blame all their problems on Katrina. Those who were more prepared were back to normal life within 2 years of the event.

You may be young, but it doesn't make you immune to the effects of whatever may come. Your concern is healthy and intelligent. Don't be consumed by worry, but acknowledging reality and thinking of contingencies is the smart and, yes, emotionally healthy thing to do.

reply to post by vendettent


I love reading threads that give me hope for the future.
You are already doing the right things, OP. Just keep doing them.

Keep looking out for your mother. You are the most important thing in her life.
Your successes are her greatest Joy and your failures, her greatest Fear.

So you don't have to worry about success or failure. Your mom has your back covered there.
She struggles so you will succeed. She tries so hard so that you won't fail.

She has given you strong roots, if you are 16 and asking questions like these.
Make your own wings from what you read, experience, eat, drink and practise.

I have also done what Wrabbit2000 has suggested. I would add: Don't just download a pile of PDFs and not read them, print out what you feel is most important from what you read and keep them stored as Hard-copies just in case.

I would also advocate Scouting or at least camping. You are smart. Practise what it would be like if you HAD to survive 3 or 4 days with no electricity or running water. Learn how to do something that few others can, which would be useful if such a situation occured; Knot-tying, woodwork, water filtration, making your own bread, knowing what wild plants are edible/medicinal/dangerous, Conflict-resolution, hunting, etc...

Meditate. Learn to be calm in a stressful situation. Find out about the Flower of Life.

"Don't Panic" and "Stay Positive" are the two most important Mantras in Life, not just in an emergency.

Grow your own food. Do it for fun / Knowledge / closeness to God, while you don't have to and you may find that if an emergency comes, you will be prepared.

Keep reading ATS. Stay in education for as long as you can and work as hard as you can at being the best YOU you can be.

Be good. If you can't be good, be good at it.

Your mother never knew how strong she was until she had to be.

Same for all of us.

Tfw.

One thing you *might* want to learn is not always assuming that the current status quo (the comfort of your daily-life, school, work etc.) will stay forever. Life is always about change, and people have lost the ability to adapt!

This is not only meant in regards to a "disaster situation" which MIGHT or MIGHT NOT occur, it is also meant in regards to all kinds of changes in life which COULD, at some point, occur.

For example, something in the family can happen (divorce etc.), someone might lose their work they were used to going for decades, illness/disability might come up etc., financial problem coming up because of something unexpected happen...and so forth.

We accept our life and all the luxury we are accustomed to and entirely lost the ability to realize that things can change (and they often do)...and then we are helpless facing a situation which we cannot deal because of this inability.

So..regardless whether it's a "potential" disaster situation or whatever potential change might or might not happen, don't make the mistake to get into a rut but always accept that life is dynamic and often un-predictable. This is my advice I can give you.

reply to post by flexy123


flexy, you are spot on.

Everyday is roses,... and when it's not, it is crisis.

Be ready to deal with your emotions. And to not react to them.
React to circumstances instead, with logic and experience.

Like other people have already posted, the first important lesson of survival is your mind is your best tool. Do not panic. Use your wits. I would disagree with many that tell you don't worry, be happy. Worst advice ever. I was a year younger than you when the Loma Prieta quake of 89 struck, and I was alone at the time, my grandparents, who were my guardians, were gone on vacation, just me and my uncle. Yet I knew what to do, and went about doing it, because having been born and raised in California, the threat of major quakes was something I grew up with. Disaster does not care how young you are. It strikes. I had also been in a Hurricane when I was about 4 or 5 and living in Florida, tornadoes and blizzards when living in Ohio from 8-12, floods and wildfires back in California in my youth. Plus homelessness as an adult, which taught me a lot about how very little I really need to survive, or even do well. The military also taught me about living minimally on the sparest of resources, and getting used to less then comfortable conditions.

Not to mention I have been poor most my life, and have had to make do with conditions and resources that were very Spartan.

Mentally preparing for a survival situation is the first part. One way to prepare is to go about your daily life, but look for new ways and opportunities to make use of every day, easily obtainable items and materials into new or interesting things. When I was bored as a kid, I'd play with wood, tin foil, pencils, ect for the hell of it, and come up with interesting things. Get in a Mac Guyver mindset, get creative. preparedness is not about paranoia or hiding in a bunker, it is a state of mind and being resourceful. And as with any state of mind, it can also be a lot of fun, and develop you as a person, by using your own ingenuity and creativity, which is a great thing to develop in any scenario, and will benefit you during the normal course of life.

Keep non perishable goods on hand at all times, that's a given. Canned foods that can be eaten cold, with no cooking, as fire or heat might not always be available or advisable. Even get yourself used to eating them on occasion, cold canned food really ain't that bad. Also gardening, as has been previously suggested. You should try it anyway, trust me, its easy, and useful even in normal times. Grow herbs. Not only to fresh herbs taste great and are easy to grow, many have medicinal properties. And can be used for hygeine purposes.

Keeping your self mentally intact is also important. Try ditching the smart phone, x box, ect on occasion and look for simple ways to entertain or amuse yourself. Get to know your neighbors. I know in times of crisis, neighbors are golden. Don't expect help from the civil authorities, I remember during the floods of 97, when San Joaquin valley was flooded and we were stranded out in the farmland, local farmers went around filling their own sand bags and helping each other deal with the flooding, sharing food and fuel sometimes, a week before any official help came. By then we were already good. We even helped one guy protect a mother pig who was giving birth to pigglets and could not be moved.

Mind and experience are your best tools, do not be afraid to use them.

If you want to get started with some preparations, you could always plan a camping trip and buy or borrow supplies you need. Try to go without smart phones and computers unless you are addicted. I actually used to like camping at one time as a young kid. I didn't like it when I felt a tree root under my sleeping bag. I heard we eventually started sleeping on inflatable mattresses but we had to blow them up by mouth. They probably didn't all leak like today's modern inflatable mattress. Plus the ones we had were more like something only for one person you could float on at the beach. In fact I heard a story that one night, we set up our tent too close to a creek. We were all floating inside our tent one morning when the creek rose a lot more than we expected.

Learning to entertain yourselves with friends or by playing cards or talking passes the time. On long road trips, my younger brother and I would play games with like an alphabet game spotting letters in sequence on road signs, remembering the names of state capitals when we entered a new state. We didn't have computers or smart phones. It was quite boring at times.

If you are addicted to tech, you could try to bring a solar charger for your electronic gear.