Prepared for adventure: Philosophy intro

*Republished with permission from Eric Davis Blog

You no longer need to prepare for emergencies:

Flood, fire, hurricane, earthquake, terrorist attack, industrial accident. Whatever. Sure, anyone of those things could thrust us into a “Bug Out” situation; but nobody is really worried. Sure we could be forced into the streets with our families alongside thousands of scared people shedding their humanity to the beat of the news, but few of us actually prepare for such things and there’s some good reasons why we don’t.

The most obvious reason we don’t really prepare is because we’re already busy just trying to survive life. The other, and much deeper reason, is because it’s not in our nature to pursue meager survival. We’re on top of the food chain, number 1 predator designed not to just survive but exalted to thrive.

You no longer have to worry or prepare to run from disasters anymore. However, by the time we’re done with this purpose driven series of articles, you may just want to run into one.

Now let’s talk about the thing that will help us with the nasty business of being too busy.

A burning desire for adventure is all you need

It’s in all of us. A burning desire for adventure and purpose. The tightening in our throat during a movie, the feeling of anxious tension after too many hours at the desk. That “thing” is our soul grabbing us by our guts and trying to pull us outside. For some it feels like this fire went out, but it didn’t. The fact that you’re here reading these papers proves that the pilot light is still burning. We see it flickering and we’re about to pour jet fuel on it.

So, what does preparedness have to do with our soul? Preparing for a disaster is more about adventure and recreation, than it is about storing buckets of water and wheat. How do you know if you’re ready to thrive in an emergency? Give yourself 10 minutes to load out, and then take everyone you’re responsible for camping for a week. If you can do that consistently and comfortably, you know you’re ready.

What are the chances?

Fire, flood, earthquake, hurricane. Sure the chances of any one of these things happening is slim; but the chances of you going through life without anything happening are non existent. This is about shooting, moving and communicating. Survival of the fittest. Your purpose as a leader. A modern day operator’s skill set that must be practiced and maintained.

As Archilochus said:

“We don’t rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training.”

So yes… It’s literally your duty to get your “Stuff Together” and get outside.

Unpacking the truck

As a former medic, I was obsessed with having everything organized, tested, easy to get to and with me always. As a result, my personal truck is always purposefully packed and ready for an adventure, or the end of the world. Paddle boarding, spearfishing, rock climbing, hunting, mountain biking, unmanned aerial surveillance (UAV) or just hanging by the fire making s’mores… I’m ready.

During the course of this series we will unpack the truck and talk about the gear I use and why I use it. I know with a group like this echo-evolution will take over and I’ll learn as much as I teach so by the time we’re done we’ll have an amazing design for readiness through recreation.

First up is the “Harry Potter Pantry,” (it’ll make sense in a moment) It is a mobile, waterproof container that has been repurposed for the immediate deployment and rapid replenishment of food, fuel and first-aid. You will notice I streamline and build processes for everything, so it’s easy to keep ready. Ready for an emergency sure; but that’s not what drives my obsession here. It’s not always obvious, but a major reason we don’t spend enough time being active is because we don’t have our stuff ready and with us. Tomorrow when I review this mobile pantry in depth, I’ll say more about how to organize your kit with your life, so it practically kicks your ass out the door. Gear is beautiful, but you gotta get it dirty sometime!