Life is a gamble and anyway we can keep winning in order to survive, we have to take. A survival guide for life is a must. Like for real... we should all have a hand written or typed out "So and So's guide to surviving life in general." There are television docudramas about these incidents all the time, google past Oprah episodes, she has some fantastic feedback. All the smallest details can change a grim fate... like paying attention to the flight attendants before takeoff; start there.
Redditor u/angelathegreatest wanted us all to know some very important facts about getting through life in tact by asking.... What's a little known survival fact that everyone should know?Keep Working the Body
buffy the vampire slayer GIF by Pop TVGiphyIf you're performing CPR on someone whose heart/breathing has stopped, DO NOT STOP until the EMTs take the body away. CPR typically does not cause the victim's heart to start back up and for them to jerk awake - - it is to force blood to continue circulating in order to prevent brain death and irreversible brain damage.
Written Proof
Always leave a note.
Jokes aside, this is crucial advice if you're ever out somewhere alone. Hiking alone? At least text a friend and tell them you'll text again when you're done. Tell them where you're going, what trail, and when.
Barked
The inner bark of certain trees are edible. You can never go wrong with pine. Just scrape off the bark until the wood is slightly sappy, and cut thin papery strips off. A bit bitter, but it should keep you alive long enough to find a more sustainable source of food.
The inner bark of some willows provides slight pain relief similar to Advil, best to make tea. Or you can just chew it if you're in a hurry.
be still....
cat lion GIF by CheezburgerGiphyIf you see a mountain lion in the wild don't run away mountain lions are ambush predators they attack from the back so if you see a mountain lion slowly walk back and keep I contact.
Stay Put!
If someone is trying to abduct you, never under any circumstances allow them to get you in a vehicle. Kick, scream and fight like hell. Your chances of survival drop to almost zero once you are in the vehicle.
The secondary location is where they'll find your (very dead, possibly mutilated and/or worse) body. Going there is very bad for your continued survival.
If you must kick groins, stick fingernails to eyes, bite, shout, scream, do it. It's not fighting dirty if you're fighting for your life.
Zip It Up....
My father (my grandfather before him) always had a ziplock bag of dry dog food in our hunting gear. Theory was unlike other food, you wouldn't munch on dog food unless your actually starving.
That's why the food for emergencies that can last years doesn't usually taste like the best thing in the world, you don't want to go through your food reserves unless the situation actually calls for it.
Look Around.
Situational awareness. Know your surroundings, constantly scan your environment.
If you can hear something, that something usually can hear you as well.
Keep your feet dry and clean.
Knives In...
Sony Pictures Celebs GIF by SonyGiphyKeep the knife inside. Pulling out the knife will probably make you bleed out.
Shelter in Place....
If you're outside in a lightning storm and your hair starts floating, seek immediate shelter. You're about to be struck by lightning.
If immediate (within 15 seconds of movement) shelter is not available, put both your feet together, squat down on the balls of your feet, and grab your ankles. If you're struck, this will give the lightning a direct path down to the ground and hopefully minimize damage.
Sparks Out
flame thrower fire GIFGiphyWATER DOES NOT EXTINGUISH GAS FIRES. Never pour water on a gas fire. It's best to cut the oxygen or let it burn out.
Speaking of which, if you have a fire in your oven put the fire out with either salt or baking soda. If you're grilling and the fire gets out of hand, use baking soda. Water in a grease fire will explode in your face.
Frozen
In the winter keep a blanket, a candle, and a couple matches in the car. If you ever get stuck in a blizzard or can't get home for whatever reason, light the candle, throw the blanket on and sleep the night. You'll be cold, but it'll keep you alive even if the car is completely buried in snow.
The candle is even more effective if you burn it in an empty coffee can, in fact you can keep the emergency items in it so it is relatively waterproof. If you are able to run the car sparingly for heat, ensure the exhaust pipe isn't blocked to avoid carbon monoxide backing up into the car.
Also keep a window on the downwind side of the car open a quarter inch or so for fresh air.
You can get a high visibility HELP Flag, but new cars don't have antennas, so we keep one of those bamboo sticks you get with flowers with our kit to fly it so if we were stuck inside a snow covered car, passersby wouldn't think the car was abandoned.
Stay Stuck
video ice GIFGiphyIt is very, very rarely a good idea to leave the vehicle. Stuck remotely in the snow, capsized boat, downed plane in the woods. If it is safe, stay. Leaving is almost always the worst idea.
3 Things
If you're ever in an emergency survival situation, look for these three things in this order:
- Shelter. It only takes one night of bad conditions to kill you.
- Water. It takes three days to die of dehydration.
- Food. It can take up to three weeks to die of starvation.
Also, if you run across a clear, swift moving stream, it should be relatively safe to drink if you can't boil or filter it in some sort of way. Stagnant water will almost certainly carry harmful bacteria or other biological contaminates.
PB 4 Life...
Spare yourself the problem of no food- peanut butter is your best friend. Bring a jar of it with you. I keep a jar in my truck. You can live off a spoonful a day, and a whole jar should last you until you can get to a better situation.
I worked with a guy that lived two semesters on peanut butter. He ate a spoonful on his walk to every class. Dude is dedicated.
From the Head
happy homer simpson GIFGiphyGet to the hospital immediately if you feel sleepy after a head injury. This is most likely a sign of a concussion. Throwing up is also a cause for concern.
For the Dwellers....
For just random every day city dwellers. Learn how to change a tire. It's amazing to me how many people have never done it. Also even if you already know how, locate all the stuff in your vehicle.
Firstly to make sure it's all there.
Secondly to make sure it all works (spare has air etc).
Also to make sure your car even has a spare. Some new cars (especially fancy ones) don't have spares anymore. If your car doesn't have one keep that in the back of your mind when planning a trip into remote areas. Runflats only do so much.
Louder
Screaming for help, when you're lost in the woods for example, will just make you lose your voice anything round such as an acorn top or a water bottle cap can be used as a whistle if you do it correctly. The high pitched squeal is easily recognizable and it never gets worn out.
The Bystander Effect
If you find yourself hurt in a public place, direct your pleas for help to one person, not to a crowd of people. The reason for this is because people will usually think "somebody else will help them out". It's called the Bystander Effect. Try to identify them too. (EX: "You in the blue shirt") It reduces the chances of them thinking that you are talking to someone else.
3 More Rules....
Three rules for surviving in the jungles of Southeast Asia.
You can eat any animal with fur.
You can eat any berry/fruit that is red.
The rivers are as wide as they are deep.
Within You
the force rock GIFGiphyTrust your instincts.
Your brain is very good at figuring things out, explaining it to the rest of your brain, not so much.
Not just for survival, but generally, if you have a bad feeling, get out.
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I have been left utterly bewildered by what some people believe is acceptable thought, conversation, and behavior.
Like... "Do YOU hear you?"
It shows when a person lacks life experience and/or brain cells.
Words expose everything.
And sometimes shock is all that is left to grapple with.
Redditor nlwfty wanted to hear about all the things people have overheard that left them utterly stunned, so they asked:
"What's the most out-of-touch thing you've heard someone say?"
I once a friend's friend moan about how she and her husband were nearly destitute.
Almost penniless.
All while she was straightening up the house for the new au pair they had just gotten from Columbia.
The Who?
Over It Maid GIFGiphy"My boss once told me to have 'the maid' drop my car at the shop. WTF!!"
amboomernotkaren
Be Happy
"'You won't be happier at work if we pay you more, but we need to figure out why workplace happiness is so low.' This coming from a guy that made 10x what I did and was born into old money."
Dirac_comb
"I had a job that was paying below market rates and 'expected' daily overtime (unpaid, natch) and was trying to figure out how to improve morale. They were considering bringing in consoles and having video game nights after work... as if we weren't stuck there too long already."
"I did have the fun of leaving, then being asked to come back as a contractor to help out, and taking advantage of being on a short-term contract and giving no f**ks to suggest that maybe they should consider at least TRACKING the overtime people were working, even if they weren't going to pay for it since there was probably a whole extra job's worth of hours in there and maybe hiring another person might improve morale and reduce the risk of the kind of errors tired people make."
"Didn't stay long as a temp. Apparently telling the truth and discussing facts with your co-workers isn't good for morale >_< They told everyone I was leaving because I got a better offer (!), but I told everyone exactly what was really happening when they asked XD."
princess_ferocious
It hasn't?
"My dad (who is now the Director of Accounting for the school district I teach for) was talking about how my starting pay was way more than his starting pay."
"I said, 'Well, yeah... The cost of living has increased a ton since then.' This motherf**ker straight up said, 'No it hasn't.'"
"He started working there in 1992. This conversation happened in like 2017 (about a year after I started working there). Again, he is the director of accounting."
pjsans
Move On
"'You seem sad.'"
"My mother to my sister, at her husband's funeral."
blarg-zilla
"My sister's son was murdered. Two weeks later my mom asked her if she was over it yet."
NeverCallMeFifi
"One of my sons was murdered 12 years ago. Many people started telling me that I needed to 'move on' after 4-6 weeks. My brother refuses to say my son's name, so I no longer speak to him. Sending my deepest condolences to your family from a mom who understands losing a child to homicide."
PDXer328
Good Idea!
New Girl Facepalm GIF by HULUGiphy“'I don’t know why people get big mortgages. Just save up for a few months and pay cash for a starter home!'"
Hopeful-Moose87
People with money always seem to have a plan, unless the plan is sharing.
FInd the Treasure
Dragons Den Television GIF by CBCGiphy"When people were complaining about not being able to afford housing/food/living in general, one of the Dutch ministers (I think he was a minister or at least the leader of a party) said something along the line of 'well, find a rich boyfriend then'. ah, yes, that will solve the crisis!"
pastelchannl
Dumbfounded
"I went to an Ivy League college with lots of children of extraordinarily wealthy families. When discussing inequality and its effects on housing, my professor briefly mentioned how mortgages are out of reach for a growing number of Americans. The girl next to me stopped the class, and with a confused face asked the professor why people don’t just buy their homes in cash outright because 'surely the interest means it will cost them more over time.' The professor was dumbfounded. I found out later that she is the heiress to a major luxury brand that you have all heard of."
wildblue2
The Increase
"My former landlord and his wife dropped by to tell me and my financially struggling 20-something roommates that they were raising the rent, by nearly 25%. They said, 'We noticed on Craigslist that neighbors had higher rent so we’re doing the same.' The wife then earnestly reminded us that we’ve been great tenants but maybe we just needed to find some higher-paying jobs. 🙃."
agingcatmom
Not Me
"I was waxing a woman’s eyebrows once and she was complaining that sometimes after she gets a massage the pillow leaves a circular indent on her face and she can’t go out to lunch after. She then asked me if that ever happened to me? I was like ma'am I wax people for eleven bucks an hour; I’m not going out to lunch lol, let alone getting massages."
lomi08
Investments
Money Invest GIF by ProBit GlobalGiphy"Something like: Give a rich person $500 and they will invest it into $1000. Give it to a poor person and they will spend it in a week."
"Yeah exactly give it to someone who’s needs are met and they can save… give it to someone who needs to eat/pay rent etc they will spend it to survive!"
ExaminationLucky6082
You need money to make money.
One of life's biggest lessons apparently.
So someone give me some money.
Do you ever wonder what it must've been like to experience major events throughout world history when reading about them in text books?
But if you take pause and actually think about it, we're living through many newsworthy current events that succeeding generations will be talking about long after we're gone.
Reading about them online or in newspapers is one thing. But seeing them happen unfold before our eyes is another.
Curious to hear from those who'll have anecdotes to tell in the future, Redditor 
"What is the most historically significant event you witnessed IN PERSON?"
People recall the natural disaster events they've witnessed.
Tremors
"1964 Good Friday Earthquake 9.2 Richter. Was a boy in Cordova, Alaska at the time."
– KitchenLab2536
"My father was skipper of the USCG cutter stationed there. He was inport, and when the quake struck shortly before 5:30pm, he and my mom gathered me and my three siblings on the front porch. At first, it felt like the house was crumbling at the foundation, but on the porch we could plainly see our whole world was shaking. I remember watching telephone poles swaying, and the wires snapping and crackling in the street. The quake lasted about five minutes initially. My dad got his ship underway to avoid the tidal wave which was sure to come. We had several aftershocks in the coming weeks, some of which were quite strong, though nowhere near as strong or as long as the quake itself. I was seven at the time."
– KitchenLab2536
Collapsing Freeway
"October 17th, 1989. I watched the 880 Nimitz freeway collapse during the San Francisco earthquake. The Honda in front of me had the upper deck crush her front-end engine compartment. The mother and her daughter were shaken up but completely fine."
"I was driving a convertible Triumph Spitfire, which was scratched up slightly from debris. However, I walked away unscathed. Aside from the fact I pissed my pants, which I didn't notice until much later."
– CatDaddyWhisper
Thar She Blows
"I sat on the roof of our house and watched Mt. St. Helens erupt less than 100 miles away."
– stinkykitty71
"This must have been fascinating and terryfing in equal measure. What a thing to witness."
– runrossyrun
"It was amazing! The ash that covered everything like snow was interesting to kid me, but less so to my parents."
– stinkykitty71
People recall seeing major catastrophes as a result of malfunctions or judgement errors.
Bomber Crash
"The b-52 crash that led to changing what large military aircraft are allowed to do for airshows."
"I didn't see the plane, but immediately saw the fireball. It was just a perfect, bright red turning to black mushroom cloud."
"Fairchild is a nuclear air base and there were a few minutes there where I was sure the world was about to end."
"A few years before a KC-135 doing the same thing crashed near the school while we were in class."
– goffstock
Tragic Takeoff
"I was standing on my front porch watching the launch of the Challenger."
– StarChaser_Tyger
"Was riding in my parents car to a basketball game in the next town over in north texas when we saw a shooting star and thought that was neat."
"It was the Columbia..."
– Misdirected_Colors
Demolition Gone Wrong
"The failed implosion of the Zip feed mill in Sioux Falls, SD in 2005."
"They hyped it up, sold tickets to it, had a big 'BOOM' marketing thing, and broadcast it live on TV."
"The explosives took out the main supports on the first floor, and the rest of the building above it just plopped down 10ft or so and came to a rest. It was a massive failure, and was a funny little blurb on news stations around the world that day. Definitely not major news, just the rest of the world taking 20 seconds to laugh at us."
"The building sat like that (the leaning tower of SuFu) for quite a while until they figured out how to safely demolish it."
"Here's a clip of the failed demolition."
– KitchenBandicoots
These well-known historical events were seen by very few who are alive today.
Historical Remnant
"The tumbling of the Wall in Germany… along with people selling bits and pieces of it on tables in lobby in front of commissary and px in the following weeks and months. I had picked up a chunk about the size of an oreo and kept it… has blue spray paint on the flat side. Wonder if anyone is buying them now?"
– SingedPenguin13
Major Upheaval
"I would have to say the LA riots. I lived about two blocks from where it started. I was on my way home from school and saw someone throw a brick through a window. I didn’t even wait. I just started running the whole way home."
– Scarlaymama0721
Day Of Infamy
"9/11, I could SMELL the collapse of the towers."
– go4tli
"A friend of mine was there. One day in the warehouse we worked in together there was an odd electrical burning smell. He stopped in his tracks and went 'this is what 9/11 smelled like.'"
– mantistoboggan287
I didn't physically witness the fall of the World Trade Center but I was living in New York City at the time.
However, I did see the smoke.
I was living up north in Washington Heights at the time and knowing what happened, uncertain of what was to come, and seeing the plumes of smoke from the attack site was the most ominous sight I've ever seen in my life to date.
Have you ever lived through a historic moment or witnessed something sure to be noted in history books? Let us know in the comments below.