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
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If 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....
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If 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...
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Keep 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
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WATER 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
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It 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
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Get 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
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Trust 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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God bless America, land that I love. But Lord don't cross her, she can be feisty. America does have a unique connection to rules and more often than not visitors find themselves in a culture shock. Which can be entertaining.
Money Back
Bribing Season 3 GIF by NETFLIXGiphy"Don't try to bribe cops when you get pulled over. I had some Argentinian friends immediately pull out their wallets and start pooling their cash when they got pulled over once. Fortunately someone in the car noticed and told them to put it away immediately."
No Roaming
"I thought this was an obvious one, but my German exchange student would very casually walk on/through people's properties, even going so far as to walk up to their houses in the middle of the night. This is a huge no-no unless you need help, just casually walking around on people's properties would make them think you are looking to rob the place."
By the Rules
"Make the assumption that you know the law. Our local laws change drastically from state to state. If you buy weed for example, it may be illegal to drive ten miles west into another state."
"There is no "may" about it. Since marijuana is still illegal on the federal level, transporting any amount of THC, even medicinally marked packaging, is a felony. Transporting any controlled substance across state lines carries a minimum of 5 year sentence and a nice little trafficking badge on your record."
Hands Up
"Get into a fist fight. In some places that isn't a big deal. Here it has significant legal issues. And the other guy might be carrying and you could get shot. Just walk away."
Straight Face
schitts creek comedy GIF by CBCGiphy"As a Canadian crossing the border to the US, don't act fun or funny with the border patrol. Give them your passports, tell them what you're doing and such. They're harda**es."
- cappo40
In others countries people can just meander through other people's backyards? Like... really? Ok. And yes, do not play games with any kind of law enforcement. They really have to sense of humor. Read on...
Pay Up
homer simpson episode 22 GIFGiphy"Don't try to cheat the IRS. They will screw your life into oblivion."
bad buzz
"Usually you should never openly drink alcohol in a public space such as the right-of-way, a park, etc. It's illegal here and getting arrested will really harsh your buzz. Not that people don't get around this by using water jugs or other opaque containers, but it might be an unpleasant surprise if you're used to more liberal drinking laws."
From the USSR
"Assume personal space distance is the same as your country. Depends on where you come from, but Americans are stereotyped as being used to more personal space than some countries. Our Russian foreign exchange student was kinda weirded out by how far people stand apart at bus stops, etc, and was a little hurt after people scooched away from him on the bus, in class, etc because "Hey we are all friends here so lets be breathing the same air."
Twice the Size
"Don't misunderstand the massive scale of the country. You will not be able to visit Vegas, Disney World, and the Statue of Liberty in a single one week trip without taking several planes. The 48 contiguous United States is nearly twice the size of the EU, by area. It is freaking massive and a lot of it is really far apart. In some states, you can drive for 8+ hours and not leave the state. Like, we have states the size of some other countries."
- zbeezle
YOU CAN DO THAT!!
Pop Tv No GIF by Schitt's CreekGiphy"You can't leave your baby unattended while shopping etc. like in some Scandinavian countries, you will get arrested."
"Wait, YOU CAN DO THAT in some places? Like I wouldn't necessarily be worried about my baby being stolen, but they're basically little suicide machines."
It sounds like we may not be the most fun country to be wandering through. Don't get me wrong, I'm an American and I love it here but we need to loosen up a bit. Let's get crazy.
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But sometimes, they are taking the hit for not exercising tact. The truth is, they might be verbalizing about a situation we have secretly thought about but keep to themselves.
When it comes to reserving judgment about people and their situations, many of us can relate to this. It is what separates us from those who aren't able to keep their observations to themselves.
Curious to hear from strangers online, Redditor booja87 asked:
"What's something you secretly judge people about?"
People seeking validation in excess on the internet are met with criticism.
Social Media Portrayal
"What part of their life are they posting on social media."
"My husband has a friend who has a psycho girlfriend that posts really personal sh*t online. Like, she sent her boyfriend some racy photos and he didn't 'react like he should have' so she shared them online with a comment about how she thought the photos were sexy and he must not find her attractive anymore. I was embarrassed for her. She also likes to make up stories about him hitting her then update a few hours later that she's sorry and she lied and he didn't hit her. And these people are in their 30s with children and still acting like that."
Venting Parents
"What they say about their kids in social media. I get that being a parent is hard and it's okay to talk/vent/be real about that online, but sometimes people cross the line and talk about their kids as if they're not real people, just because they're not grown and don't have a Facebook account. People should imagine what their kids would think of they were all grown up and reading your internet history. If you think they would be hurt by what you said, don't post it."
Headphones are there for a reason. But these offenders are not considerate enough to use them.
Public Babbling
"People who use speaker phone for music or conversations in public places. I hate it."
"My roommate uses speaker at all times. We'll be watching TV and he will literally answer the phone and talk on speaker. One time had the audacity to say me and this other guy wouldn't stop talking and he couldn't hear his gf. Same with music too, he'll play some some music in the middle of whatever I'm watching. Annoying as all f'k."
– Uga1992
Teaching Lessons
"My old roommate would use speaker to talk to her family at college so I joined the conversation the entire time, she constantly told me to 'shut the f'k up' in front of her mom, so I said 'then dont use speaker dumba**.'"
Views from entitled people might say the following:
"Their Job"
"How they treat janitors/custodial staff and whether people leave more of a mess than they should because 'it's their job to clean up after me.'"
People's Situations
"How snobbish another person reacts to someone else's situation. I. E. When someone finds out information about another persons wage, job, family situation, living situation, etc etc etc, and making a comment on it."
Do you ever feel like your ears are burning? Yeah, it's probably because of people like these:
Gossip
"People that gossip to me about other people. I always wonder what they say about me behind my back."
Social Experiment
"One of my favorite office tricks is to gossip relentlessly, but to keep it at least 90% positive. People can and do find out that I've been going around, behind their backs, and spreading rumors about how great they are."
"Obviously it creates a nice work environment, but by being willing to gossip, people are more willing to tell me things that aren't necessarily public yet."
What annoys me about the things people do have more to do with my growing impatience after having lived in New York City for over a decade.
Customers in fast food joints not knowing what to order after being in line for a sufficient amount of time grates me.
The increasing convenience of mobile ordering has been the best thing to come out of the pandemic that has kept me from losing my marbles.