The Most Critical Skill
“What is the number one long-term survival skill?”
I was asked this question not long ago by someone who was in the woods with me. And without any disrespect to the questioner, I’ll deal with the topic this way:
On the surface the question seems like a blind alley because the natural biomes of earth are so varied that survival requires very different priorities depending on what environment a person might be facing. So can there be a skill whose importance supersedes all the others? What is the skill that always turns out to be more important than all the rest, the skill that means you’ll live no matter what the circumstances?
Is shelter building the ultimate skill? Without shelter the elements bring in all the aspects of exposure which include hypothermia, frostbite, sunburn, windburn and dehydration. So it could be shelter building. But is it water purification? Water is the only thing we can’t live without for more than three days or so. Dehydration kills quicker than almost anything except blood loss. Or is it firecraft? After all, humans have a need of fire to facilitate so many aspects of survival, ranging from cooking to water purification to warmth.
Not a single of of these skill gives a person that golden ticket to enduring and succeeding no matter what occurs. There is no bushcraft hack, no Indian trick that fits every biosphere and always makes a person successful.
But there is an answer after all, and it lies outside of the normal list of survival skills. Instead of being found among the bushcraft repertoire of firecraft, water purification, shelter construction or snares and traps, the answer is a question of character. It’s something that applies everywhere, every time; in life, work, war, peace and especially to survival. The most important long-term survival skill is HARD WORK.
Being able to put in a good hard work day without wimping out and quitting separates the survivors from the helpless ones. Cultivate the skill of hard work. The skill of not being bothered when you’re tired or sick, or you’ve smashed your finger.
Of course, it helps to know what to work on. Energy and perseverance can be rendered pointless if not directed by knowledge. But knowledge is easy to come by. Wilderness survival is not all that complicated. Humans don’t need much encouragement to seek food, water and shelter. With a very basic knowledge of how things work in a particular forest or jungle, the necessities can be met. But without the fortitude of putting in a good work day when it’s most necessary, when it’s the most uncomfortable, then all the skills fail because none of them get accomplished. Whenever a person has the character baseline that guarantees they’re going to work through any pain, stress, confusion or difficulty, the rest of survival follows.