What if....?

The inaugural post I'd like to make for Modern Day Survival is something that applies to many aspects of "survival". Anything from planning the contents of a go bag to planning your personal safety. At one point or another, for any such venture, you've probably been told to play the "What if" game in your head. The logic is simple. What if x happens, what will I then do? What if y situation happens, what supplies will I need to make it through? This is something I'm sure we've all done countless times.

However, I'd like to propose a change in that routine. There is a trend right now regarding what if scenarios, and it pertains to the possibility of conditioning yourself to believe that these situations are only what ifs. Situations which will never come true, simply idle thoughts to keep the mind busy. What some are saying to do instead is "If/then". If someone does x, then I will do y. If x situation happens, I will need y equipment. By running if/then situations rather than what if situations, you're making the possibilities seem more real in your head. You're much more likely to have a realistic, sensible plan in your head and you're much more likely to be able to recall the actions you've decided to commit yourself to when the rubber hits the road and you're forced to act with little or no thought.

It seems like an almost meaningless distinction, but the rationale is there. It's going to help you solidify the decisions you have made in your head so that you can bring them up with less effort than before. Even if it only saves you an extra .5 seconds, that amount of time can change a lot of things.

There's a second point here, which goes right along as part of the if/then process. When you're formulating scenarios in your head, you need to be thinking about what might actually happen. For example, making defensive plans for a person pulling a katana out of thin air and attacking you with it, well, that's probably not going to happen. Plan for the most likely events first. If you drive a lot, make a plan for if someone decides to follow you or run you off the road in a bout of road rage. If you live in the middle of the country, planning a kit for holding out during a hurricane is probably not the best use of your time/money.

What to take away:

1. Make your operational plans using an "if this happens then I will do this" model.
2. Plan for the most likely threats first. Once you get those plans in place and concreted into your mind, work on other possibilities.

Stay safe out there