C'mon baby light my fire

[Straight Shooter]

Aye he his it the one and only Barneyboy!

[bigpaul]

I thank one and all for your kind comments I may be set in my ways but you wouldn't want me to change just cos some Herbert dosent like what I say, would you?

[Tartar Horde]

(2 June 2015, 07:49)bigpaul Wrote: I thank one and all for your kind comments I may be set in my ways but you wouldn't want me to change just cos some Herbert dosent like what I say, would you?

Absolutely not!!! you express your views in a robust way and if people don't like that tough. There seems to be a plague of the "perpetually offended" in society now who can't stand the idea of non conformity, happily here they will only find opposite.

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Anyway back to the original post and premise. We in the West tend to take fire for granted don't we. Our fire comes from a switch to ignite the Gas to cook on or to boil water in a kettle. The contrast to societies without our infrastructure shows us that maintaining a fire requires work and planning. A good portion of their time is taken up with just finding fuel, and there is a continuous stream of activity relating to fire keeping. This is something the vast majority of our population have no understanding of because our houses tend have central heating installed, and there has been a massive reduction in houses having chimneys, and even if you do have a chimney the chances are the local council has banned solid fuel like coal and wood for environmental reason. Yet most people are oblivious to the importance of fire.

[bigpaul]

the ability to start a fire without a lighter or a match has long been overlooked even in more natural societies, I remember a Ray Mears episode on TV where he was in Polynesia and they had lost the ability to start fires and he was showing them how to use a bow drill to get a spark, if they have lost the ability what chance has modern western civilisation? 95% of the population would be dead in short order without it, but do they give it a second thought? no they do not, because we live in a "it'll never happen" society.

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most if not all new houses are without fireplaces or chimneys and the vast majority is all electric, even if they have gas...central heating for instance, the controls are still electric so power down or power cut no gas!!!

[Steve]

I know how to start a primitive fire, but I'm not going to practice at it - I've got enough modern methods to keep me going.

[Midnitemo]

yeah I'm with Steve , I've made fire before and when I'm down to my last half dozen lighters from the pound shop...i'll start to rekindle that skill lol

[bigpaul]

its not about you, or me, or TH, we have umpteen ways of making fire. its about those numpties out there who haven't got a clue and have never even thought about it, there the ones who will suffer WTSHTF. that's why I keep saying come SHTF the "die off" will be enormous because the general public dosent have these skills and never will have, it will always be someone else's job to provide..not theirs! "the government will save us" is the clarion cry, only it wont. the only thing the government cares about is.....the government.

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nobody(in the general public) seems to be responsible for their own actions anymore, its always the fault of someone else. even down to having the right change in the car park.

[Mortblanc]

I have plenty of lighters but occasionally I will crank out a flame with some primitive method just to keep in practice.

I did a friction fire this past weekend just for kicks and to show off to a "squid" (what we call our sailors) I was teaching to camp.

Oddly, in our military the Navy is much like being a civilian in uniform on a pleasure cruise. The general recruit gets no combat training, no field craft training and never spends a night outdoors through the entire tour of duty, unless their friends lock them out after a night at the pub.

[Straight Shooter]

I wonder if its the same over here ?....i bet their all good on X boxes.

[bigpaul]

no its not! google "HMS Raleigh" and see for yourself.