What is the most valuable skill you can learn for survival?

"Maybe I am going too far with this but I believe that the most valuable skill would be forgiving yourself for some things that you will have to do. We have to face the reality that if we come to that point where we need to survive after some kind of apocalypse, we will have to be ready to kill at one point."

djordjem87, when we talk options, the decision to kill or not to kill is up to you. Sometimes it is simply better to bypass a situation, walk around it, than to strike somebody inside of it. Just because I have the right to strike at somebody doesn't mean that I should do so or even that I need to strike at them. If you don't feel comfortable killing somebody, don't do it. If, however, you have a proven lowlife child-molesting rapist in front of you and you feel the need come over you to remove him from this plane of existence, good for you. I hope that you sleep soundly at night knowing that you did something good. I would. But keep in mind that everything is relative and karma has a way of biting us back later on when we least expect it.

 

I feel the most important thing is the state of mind, You must teach yourself to stay calm, do not panic, try to think things thru. your greatest weapon is your mind . All the prepping we do and all the items we stockpile wont mean anything if we dont stay in control of our emotions. I know it is easy to say that but very hard to achieve it.

 

Well thought out and presented, thanks for your thoughts on this.

 

One of the greatest survival skills you can "develop" is the ability to look at anything and figure out what else you could use it for. Adaption of tools, environment, gear, etc can be learned and developed and is invaluable.

 

Great question!

 

Honestly, your options will be dictated by the area you find yourself in, the threat level you perceive to your personal security and your skills. The best way to optimize your chances of survival, and definitely increase your comfort is to have the maximum options available with minimal effort. How you choose to prepare and which options you plan to use are up to you.
Prairie Dog

 

As a newby here, I have read some very valid ideas on hunting, trapping, fishing, mental preparedness, having the ability to or not to kill, etc.... Yet I believe that no matter what skill you have you must be able to find, and purify water. Fact is that after 3 hours of intense work; be it physical or mental, the body begans to break down cells to provide the brain with fluids ( mostly water ) to keep it functioning at optimal levels. Over time without water those levels drop to a lower optimal level. Decreasing your ability to function either physically or mentally at optimal levels need for basic levels of survival. Just a serious thought for your consideration.

 

Well besides all of those obvious things, one of the most obvious that most would not really think about first is water. A human body can survive for some time without food but only 3 days without water. Knowing where to find water and how to filter it so it is safe for consuming is probably the most essential.

 

I think the most useful qualities you need to have when it comes to survival are a strong mind and a strong body. Besides these, it would not hurt to have little knowledge of space orientation, knowledge of fauna and general vegetation (so you know what you can eat and not limit), a little geography and a lot of skill.

 

Tracking animals for sure. Knowing how to and when to explore the area for possible way out or finding a good vantage point to see where you are. Knowing which kind of clouds mean bad weather wouldn't be a bad thing to know either. Never do the things you are unsure about, like tracking certain big animal, especially predators, no matter how hungry you might be and how small the threat predator might hold. Your body might be weak and even the smallest predators could mean death or serious injury. Knowing how to stop bleeding, fix dislocated shoulder or such on your own. It will surely be painful, but if you are able to do it, your chances of survival would increase as well. For pain handling knowing what certain plants have might help as well. This list could go on forever, since nobody is the same, we all cant do the same things, but we should know some basics ofcourse. Especially if you are planning a trip out in the wilderness.

 

Being able to adapt

 

The things mentioned above are all important. I've focused a lot on bug-in skills like tending my garden and canning but I can also build a shelter and butcher an animal.

I think one thing that gets forgotten a lot is tending to your general health and learning your own limits. How far can you walk? How long can you fast before you can't function well? Have you actually tried living for a week on whatever is in your bug out bag? How much sleep do you really need? And if you're worried about other humans or predators and can't sleep long at a stretch, do you know how to catch a refreshing nap? I think knowing and pushing my physical limits now, when I can recover easily, is important because I need to know how my body will react. For instance, knowing I'll be pretty wired and driven for the first few days of water fasting but then be pretty lazy lets me know how long I have until eating becomes a critical problem. If I'm in a situation where I have to conserve whatever little food I have, that will be important to know.

 

Learn how to swim
Learn how to make fire with woods and how to sustain it.
learn how to clean/purify water
learn how to speak at least two more major languages apart from yours like Chinese, Spanish or french
Learn how to survive on small portions of food, practice intermittent fasting
Learn how to climb and descend a tree
Learn to cut wood

These are my contributions. Feel free to add more.

 

Based on my limited experience the greatest skill you can have is adaptability. Learning to make something out of nothing. So maybe you were taught to hunt with an arrow but you only have a stone? That will have to make do. Maybe you learned to make fire with a flint but you only have sticks and stones? Or maybe you learned to defend yourself against wild animals with knives but you only have a stick? Adapt to survive my friend!

 

If I had to pick one: there is no substitute for mental and physical toughness. Don't have that and life is going to kick your ass.

Beyond that, to think rationally and be a life long learner in as many fields as you can. The accessibility to human knowledge has never been more readily available. Use it.

 

Saving money is a great skill for survival in modern life.The unstable economy, crisis, unemployment are the factors which make modern life tough and hard. You always need to have a financial backup in order to face tomorrow with a bit of confidence. For that, You need to put off a certain share of your monthly income for future as untouchable stock. Still, You can enjoy your life with fewer demands and big expenses.

 

I guess if you want to survive, you must learn the basic needs. You must know how to be safe or when injury comes, you can treat yourself. Food gathering and food hunting, to ensure nourishment. Shelter making, to keep oneself safe dry and warm. The most important is the food gathering and building fire because those two can really help you survive longer.

 

Building fire and herbology. Tjose two i think is very important skill to learn because that would cover most of your basic needs. You can boil water, produce heat and warmth at ward off big animals. Herbology can provide you nourishment and medecine.

 

Learn the art of negotiation and how to survive with barely nothing. And in addition, learn how to plant and cultivate crops, corn, spinnach, pepper and onion. You can't go wrong in a place with water and a fertile land to cultivate.

 

In my personal opinion, I'd have to say that the skill that anyone should focus on first is being able to both locate sources of water and how to purify potentially harmful water. Though it won't be fun by any means, a person can go up to three weeks without any food. That puts food on a list of pretty important factors, but not so important as water. Without water, you're gone after just three days. That fact alone means being able to find or create clean drinking water is a top priority.

 

I think one of the most important skills in this kind of situation is knowing how to adapt yourself to all kinds of places... After all, you never know what kind of situation you'll have to deal with in difficult times. Obviously this is not something so easy to achieve (because it requires a lot of work and will power), but once achieved is something undeniably extremely important for survival.

 

You should practice surviving on a small portion of food. I mean, we all are somewhat extravagant nowadays. We consume a lot and threw a lot that if otherwise in a dire situation of famine can be eaten. You should try fasting on water only and feel how it is. It also help detoxicate.