I believe that we are all students in prepping. There are few masters out there that could actually go out there and thrive without the need for some type of modern conveniences. We have detached ourselves from our ancestral instincts of the hunter/gatherer through the modernization of technology. Now I'm not anti-tech. I believe it has helped us in too many ways to count. We are faster, more efficient and it really has shrunk our planet to real time communications and transactions.
But it has come at a cost. The cost is that we have become too dependent on convenience. I remember as a teen and my family bought our first microwave. You could cook a hotdog in a minute! How awesome was that? Going to McDonalds was a treat once in awhile but we mostly ate at home around a table together. What a concept. I recently read an article that cereal consumption is down and when asked, Millenials stated that it was too much effort to rinse out the bowl and put it in the dishwasher. Is that true? I don't know, but it kind of adds to my point of this article.
We have different levels of students in the education that is prepping. Me, I believe I'm an intermediate student. I grew up in a small village in NY. A Dairy community. We literally had more cows than people. I grew up hunting, fishing, going wild berry picking, planting our own gardens, spending days in the woods, etc. I'm not saying I would thrive in a SHTF situation, but I'd like to believe I could hold my own for a bit. I continue to study, learning as much as I can and researching what I've learned to make sure it's not bad info. And as I have stated previously, there is information out there that could really get you hurt.
Then there are what I call the advanced degree Preppers. These are your Homesteaders. These people are awesome. They picked up, moved remote and live a simple but harder lifestyle. These people use what they've researched, put it to use and learn from their mistakes on a daily basis. Sharpening their skills as time goes on at the homestead. I find that these people are not necessarily anti-tech but use tech to their advantage in a more efficient and cost effective way. The solar projects I've seen, alternate fuel sources, advances in growing crops, just too many things to list. These people are our teachers and it would be wise to follow them in whatever media you use as a tool.
So, this brings me to the actual list of some myths I've recently read and watched online. I'd like to share them and my thoughts as I want you all to be safe if such an event makes you kick into active Prepper mode.
#1 A couple ounces of silver will sterilize your water.
This is not true. Though silver does have some antibacterial and anti microbial properties, it will not sterilize your water. It's good for extending the life of milk if you can't keep it cold, but only for a short extension of time. It has even proven to help with burns (in a medical style application), but it will not kill cysts and other parasites that may be in your water.
#2. You can make a filter using grass, sand, stones and charcoal to drink stagnant water
I've actually done this experiment. I made a few of these. Sent the water to my municipality and paid the $7 to have it tested. Guess what? It still contained a lot of bacteria. So if you use one of these filters please still boil your water. The charcoal should help with the taste of the water though. My advice, at least have one of those portable water filters. They are not expensive and are actually a good piece of gear to have.
#3. All you need is rice and beans to live on
A popular myth. A few issues with this. First your body will get sick of it after awhile eating the same thing everyday. You will not feel like taking in your caloric volume you need. It's called some kind of fatigue. I forget the name. You will also not be getting all of the nutrients you need. Make sure to have nutrient rich things like flak seed, chia seed, things to make sauces with. Sure, with rice and beans you have carbs and protein taken care of, but your body needs so much more to fight off colds, the flu, and it needs vitamins and minerals just to maintain itself. Look at Asian dishes. Yes there's a lot of rice, but those sauces are very nutrient dense. I lived in South Korea for three years. So I understand rice, lol.
Well, those are the three things I recently saw that I consider misinformation. My goal is for our community to thrive by sharing good information and concepts. We are a team. I will never tell you how to prep because I am not you. I'm just glad you understand that prepping is just that. Preparing. My last piece of advice. Please continue to live your life and enjoy it while you also prep. We can multi task. Don't miss out on life while you continue to get you and your family prepared.