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Truly being alone
29 August 2015, 00:47,
#41
RE: Truly being alone
Just posting on a forum how easy it is for oneself, does nothing to benefit the forum, it's members, people reading the forum, or any new members.

The truth of the matter is, very few people can cope with solitary life. Yes there will be some, but just saying "It's easy for me" does nothing to benefit ANYONE on the forum.

Imagine if someone asked about their water storage, and the response was "Well, I have loads of water." That does nothing to help anyone. The forum has not moved forwards. Talking about the reality of solitary life and saying "Well, it's easy for me." How does that help anyone? Does it benefit anyone? Does that assist the people new to the forum? Does it help people with zero experience with being alone?

The fact is, very few people have added anything to this thread that talks about how to cope. Instead the responses have been a few "I've been there, done that, and it's hard." Then a few stories of what you can expect. That is useful information. Saying about how being alone is a global form of torture and how it can cause huge amounts of damage. That is useful information.

Saying "I'm fine." or "It doesn't bother me", that helps nobody. Saying "I think only weak minded people will suffer" is actually very detrimental. Imagine a new member, fresh from generation iPad, never been alone before, going camping first time out, and they freak. A very natural response for 99% of the population. Then they hear "You're just weak" as a response, from people they respect on the forum. That's hugely damaging, both mentally and emotionally. How do you think it'll help them develop? It won't.

I have no doubt that BP, Dev, Mary, or anyone else can cope solo. I also know that not providing any helpful comments, e.g. keep your mind occupied, stay physically busy to reduce spare time, or anything like that, would be infinitely more useful information than "I'm fine with it."

Are we not meant to help each other out, or are we just centred on our own preps and to hell with everyone else, as long as I'm okay, who cares?

For those interested in what true solitary life can be like:

https://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?q=e...YUCh3qmQ6N

http://io9.com/why-solitary-confinement-...1598543595

This is about feeling, but not truly being alone, but worth checking out http://lonerwolf.com/how-to-survive-loneliness/

This is more living/feeling alone, than total isolation and a bit jokey, but worth a read http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-weird-pers...ive-alone/
Dissent is the highest form of Patriotism - Thomas Jefferson
Those who sacrifice freedom for security deserve neither - Benjamin Franklin
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29 August 2015, 08:14, (This post was last modified: 29 August 2015, 08:46 by Lightspeed.)
#42
RE: Truly being alone
In the here and now I'm moderately comfortable with my own company. That's because I have reliable neighbours a few hundred yards away, and technology that will deliver me to civilization, or allow me to contact other humans whenever I wish (like via this e-mail)

Truly living alone is another matter entirely. Without any human contact whatsoever I would find it very difficult..... I hope not impossible, but very challenging, that's for sure.

----------------------------------------------------------
Some more thoughts:


When we first arrived at this location the silence in the environment was deafening….some of us took a while to come to terms with it.

But now we're acclimatised to it, its not so silent and isolated as it first appeared. Now we are much more tuned into the subtleties of the aural environment I can hear human activity for many many, miles around. This has developed to the point of being able to accurately identify individual tractor engines, where they are on the landscape and where their owners are heading. Likewise the buzz of chainsaws can be fairly accurately pin-pointed to areas of the forest with me having a pretty good idea of who’s doing what and where. Would you believe that felled pines can be heard crashing to the ground from over 1km away? Sounds of rifle and shotgun fire are easily heard over a vast range, but harder to direction find due to echos off the landscape.

Last Saturday, around 06.30 a strange noise spooked one of our cats, which alerted me to it too…it turned out to be an hot air balloon at least 4 miles away, but the sound of its burners reached me easily in the cool dense air.

I could give many more examples. The point is, that although quite isolated from other people here, we are not truly isolated and certainly not alone.

Another danger of being alone is sickness. A bout of flu at the end of last winter pretty much incapacitated me for a week, and for several weeks afterwards very weak . With outdoor temperatures of -10C I was unable to keep the log burner going, let alone go out and chop wood. Fortunately I had laid up a big enough pile of converted fire-wood and my wife was able to both take care of heating and also keep me fed watered and comfortable. This same event, if I were totally alone could have been a killer.

There’s more to being truly alone than just lack of chatter, be it in person or over electronic mediums.

Good for bringing this up S13, it’s a threat that I had not specifically identified until now.
72 de

Lightspeed
26-SUKer-17

26-TM-580


STATUS: Bugged-In at the Bug-Out
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29 August 2015, 08:50,
#43
RE: Truly being alone
It is difficult giving advice on how to be alone. It is in your nature, you either can do it, even for short periods of time, or you can't. It is a mental issue and with everyone being different you can't just give a bit of advice to help you adapt. You either do it, go insane and/or you die.

My only question is that if you were the Omega man then what would be the point of your life?

The most likely thing that would happen to you is that you became ill or injured and then you died. Take a while depending on what you are doing but one day you trip on something, a dog bites you, you eat something bad, something traps you and with no one to help or tend to you you simply die.
Skean Dhude
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It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change. - Charles Darwin
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29 August 2015, 09:48,
#44
RE: Truly being alone
I am fairly certain that most people cannot and will not cope alone, we hear so many times "no man is an island" and I myself have noticed how people seem to have a herding instinct, you hear a particular noise and say to some one "whats that noise" and you get the reply "what noise" people are just so used to background noise they just don't notice it any more, so when something happens to remove all traffic, aeroplane and industrial noise I think they will just freak. remove other people from the equation and I think most people will go crazy. by most people I mean the general public. personally I prefer peace and quiet to other peoples noise but that's just me. even if you go off camping somewhere-even on your own- you'll probably find there are other people around, there are so many people these days its difficult getting away from them, that will change of course after an event when the population is reduced.
Some people that prefer to be alone arent anti-social they just have no time for drama, stupidity and false people.
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29 August 2015, 09:53,
#45
RE: Truly being alone
In the UK, there are a few registered 'hermits', living alone but with some connection to a religious community. This may not be your cup of tea but it is a source of strength for many
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29 August 2015, 09:59,
#46
RE: Truly being alone
and then some people cant survive without "lippy and chocolate " eh RS??Big GrinBig Grin
Some people that prefer to be alone arent anti-social they just have no time for drama, stupidity and false people.
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29 August 2015, 10:57,
#47
RE: Truly being alone
You can always get a couple of dogs to keep you company.

[Image: 20140705_201739_zpsgzeqzorb.jpg]
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29 August 2015, 11:25,
#48
RE: Truly being alone
yep any dog is better than most humans.
Some people that prefer to be alone arent anti-social they just have no time for drama, stupidity and false people.
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29 August 2015, 14:25,
#49
RE: Truly being alone
I don't think being alone is something that can be taught, unlike say storing water, or food storage "FIFO and Rotate, Rotate, Rotate", being alone is something you can either do or you cant do, and most cant, that's why "solitary confinement" is a punishment.
Some people that prefer to be alone arent anti-social they just have no time for drama, stupidity and false people.
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29 August 2015, 17:19,
#50
RE: Truly being alone
MR WILSON ! springs to mind here S.....CASTAWAY......people can think of this scenario all they like....and try to ready themselves which is fair enough...pretence is one thing ....the real deal is quite something else in short how ? will you find out......what practice a few weekends away ? good and i would encourage it ....but not the real deal.....only when it is real....will any of us truly find out , so until that time ....i do not feel the need to investigate it further ...this would assume you made it through the shtf now you have to come to terms with being alone.....the question is why did you bother in the first place ?.....we are practising survivalists.....We already find our own company fantastic and the mind set to match !
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