Always have the correct tool for the survival situation at hand
There are so many factors that are involved when we think and talk and read about "survival". We may think about being in the wilderness, or we may think about the jobs that some of us have in the world where use-of-force is regular and necessary, or we may think about civil unrest (a reality that is, sadly, growing more common in our country recently). And for each of these, there are various tasks and tools that come to mind as well ‑ everything from purifying water to binding a wound to defending against an attacker to staying warm and dry. What we all agree on is that surviving is serious business where the stakes couldn't be any higher and the price of failure couldn't be more severe.
Always be prepared for injuries in the field
I want to tell you a little story. This is a story about a lack of
preparation. A story of when being stupid was thankfully followed by being
lucky. Without the latter, the former would have kept me from telling this
story at all. Depending on luck is a terrible decision in a survival situation.
Depending on "well, this has always worked before" is foolish ‑ we should learn
from those around us who may have more experience or more knowledge (or even a
differing perspective or viewpoint). As Bismark is to have said, "Only a fool
learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others."
This would make me a fool and you, the reader, wise.
