Chapter 4: The Basic Needs Of Survival

 

To survive for even a short period of time, the human body requires a few basic needs.  These needs are Air, Shelter, Water and Food.   Without these basics, the body is quickly worn down to the point of incapacity and death soon follows.

 

Many survivalists go by the Rule of Three's when it comes to survival situations.  This rule states that a human can live for:

-        Three minutes without Air
-        Three hours without Shelter
-        Three days without Water
-        Three weeks without Food

 

While these are certainly not hard set limits, the figures do provide a fairly accurate depiction of the seriousness of being without one's basic needs.  In actuality, the figures probably give most of us more credit than is due, considering that the individual's physical condition at the start of the experience and other factors play crucial parts in determining the length of time one can survive without any one of the basic needs.  For example, an individual with diabetes would be highly unlikely to survive even one week without food, let alone three.  If that individual was also dependent upon medication, the period of time for survival shrinks even more.

 

In a survival situation, these primal needs are sometimes met in unique ways.  History is filled with stories of people who have survived amazing odds because they were willing to do things that others were not.  Soldiers in the jungles of Vietnam lived for weeks off of the plant and insect life they found there.  Hikers who have lost their way in the desert survived by creating solar powered water distilling units from discarded trash and recycling their own urine.  There was even a case in 1983, when two hunters from Idaho were forced to shoot their horses and weather out a snow storm inside the carcasses. 

 

While history tells us many of these amazing survivor stories, it also tells of many people who have died because they were unable to get past the psychological blocks that kept them from doing what was necessary to survive.  Due to this fact, it is vital that prepper's establish the mental skills and attitude necessary for survival as well as preparing supplies to see them through their ordeal.  This mental training may prove to be the most valuable asset you have in a survival situation. 

 

In an emergency situation, prepared individuals have a much higher likelihood of survival simply because they have anticipated that the situation could occur and set aside at least a few of these basic needs ahead of time.  These are often the same individuals who can take the position as a leader and decision maker.  The knowledge that you have food and water on hand can go a long way towards alleviating the tension and stress that causes people to make deadly mistakes in critical choice situations.  People who prepare for emergencies before the need arises are able to think more clearly as they go about attending to the other basic physical needs of themselves and those who are with them when disaster strikes.