Hardwired To Survive

[WS6]

I got to thinking about when I was a kid and how I have changed in my short life since then. Things I did, enjoyed doing, found comfortable to do. Interesting things came out. As I grew older, sure I have leaned up, added muscle, whatnot, but I am somewhat "softer" in other aspects. Here is what I mean:

KID ME (7-14):

Never heated stuff (soup, etc.)
Ate from a can if allowed
Cooked lunch over an open fire in the front yard (grew up in the country)
Never seasoned anything, just ate it.
Would spend all day outside
Built forts, even transported a fort on an old military tube across my pond to an island.
Loved camping
Didn't care so much about hot/cold temperature.

ME NOW (23):

Usually heats things (reliance on technology)
Has not gone camping in forever.
Last time i went camping I had hell sleeping due to little discomforts.
Spends all day in-doors.
Usually uses a bowel, even though it means I do more dishes.
Relies more on seasonings, etc. and is more picky.

My contemporaries at college:

Do not understand how I can eat baked chicken in the morning. (Because somehow they think it's nasty in the morning but magically tastes good at night? I don't know... I eat based on what my body needs, not what time society says I should eat. My instructors found that one a bit tough to deal with, but we adapted well. I avoid tuna, they don't mention it. I guess they figure that if I am rolling 10% body-fat in the 2nd fattest state in the nation, that my methods are acceptable.)
Do not understand how I enjoy spending 2 hours a day in the gym
Do not understand how I can eat things "that need to be hot" when they are cold.

I really think that societal norms as well as convenience softens us as we grow older. Thankfully, I lived a lot more raw as a kid than my contemporaries and am not yet in their boat, but wow. It was an eye-opener of a thinking excercise.

[Mr.Goodtimes]

i have matured a lot since i was a kid but, im essentially just as raw i was back then.

i love to camp, and am actually planning to drive to alaska with some friends asap so we can get lost.

i love to mountain bike, kayak, hike. i frequently go running in the woods, and prefer for it to be thundering, lightning, and pouring down rain so that its extra miserable and i get extra muddy.

i eat extremely simple. i dont add butter to anything or really even season anything. i might add some salt to my rice but i dont have to.

i cook my steak just long enough so that it doesent kill me.

i eat whatever i want whenever i want. usually the meal that most people consider "breakfast" is a meal i consider my midnight snack.

i guess some of the things i dont do anymore that i did when i was a kid are things like, dig holes in the back yard for no apparent reason and play airsoft.

WS6, i didnt know you were a work out guy bro, thats pretty cool.

[Barbara]

Funny thing is..young guys are always talking about surviving. Old ladies are the ones who actually do it.

[WS6]

Funny thing is..young guys are always talking about surviving. Old ladies are the ones who actually do it.

Well old ladies have to be "survivors" to have existed among rugged men such as ourselves for so long!


Yeah, I enjoy working out. Currently at 5'10.5" and 175/10% and looking for 170/7-8%. I am more into power to weight ratio vs/ "getting swoll".

[Mac5.56]

I'll give props to the fact that the American generations are getting softer. Evidence of this can be found in reports of decreased physical standards by our military.

But saying your "hardened" and thus able to 'survive', or are 'prepared', is like saying that if you can hit a can at 25 yards with a .22 your qualified to be an army sniper.

Granted in the case of the .22 your more capable of shooting something then someone who has never fired a gun but the advantage stops there. And I really do fail to see how eating chicken in the morning qualifies you for anything more then being a college student.

[aalmcc4]

I really think that societal norms as well as convenience softens us as we grow older. Thankfully, I lived a lot more raw as a kid than my contemporaries and am not yet in their boat, but wow. It was an eye-opener of a thinking excercise.

WS6, don't take this the wrong way, but you're still a kid. Be happy that you are. At 23, you can do ANYTHING.

What softens us is AGE. I'm 44 and in excellent physical shape for a person that age. But when I hike, camp, hunt or do hard physical work, I feel it more. It takes you longer to recoup your strength. Cold weather feels COLDER. Hot weather feels HOTTER. A minor injury takes longer to heal. After a long hike with a pack on uneven terrain, you should feel what my knees feel like.

I found that at 44, if you're in good shape, you can still do this stuff, but it takes longer to "recover" and injuries happen a LOT more. Why do you think professional athletes are done at 40 or so? Most cops and Firemen retire in their 40s. There's a reason for this. Max age for entering US Army is (or was) 35.

Oh, and you're eyes go too.

Don't mean to bum you out, but just my 2 cents.

[perna]

Hrmm, I grew up in country/suburban places, camped, fished, hunt, all that stuff. But there was always breakfast in the morning, dinner on the table every night.

Went to college and learned all kinds of new things. Stuff like ramen noodles are a food group, half a pizza and lots of beer is all that is needed to get through a long week end, and you can cook anything in a microwave. You only need to sleep for an hour after drinking all night and you can still get to class. Finally, working at a bar is the best thing to for extra cash while going to college.

Once you hit 30-35, totally different game. Good luck.

[QuietShootr]

WS6, don't take this the wrong way, but you're still a kid. Be happy that you are. At 23, you can do ANYTHING.

What softens us is AGE. I'm 44 and in excellent physical shape for a person that age. But when I hike, camp, hunt or do hard physical work, I feel it more. It takes you longer to recoup your strength. Cold weather feels COLDER. Hot weather feels HOTTER. A minor injury takes longer to heal. After a long hike with a pack on uneven terrain, you should feel what my knees feel like.

I found that at 44, if you're in good shape, you can still do this stuff, but it takes longer to "recover" and injuries happen a LOT more. Why do you think professional athletes are done at 40 or so? Most cops and Firemen retire in their 40s. There's a reason for this. Max age for entering US Army is (or was) 35.

Oh, and you're eyes go too.

Don't mean to bum you out, but just my 2 cents.

It's the truth. In my mind I'm still a 19 year old infantryman, but I can now throw a rock and hit 40 without stressing my arm too much...except it'll hurt in the morning

The answer, of course, is more and more careful conditioning...which I'll be the first to admit I'm not real good about. I ruck about 8 miles with around 50 pounds a couple of times a week, and I'm slowly working my way back up to EIB pace. I'll get there, but damn. Seems like every time I go outside I **** myself up. Over 30, Vitamin I is definitely your friend.

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

Funny thing is..young guys are always talking about surviving. Old ladies are the ones who actually do it.

I like this

[QuietShootr]

I like this

Meh. Old ladies survive by virtue of a lazy susan full of pills and kids and/or men they can nag into doing shit for them. My grandmother would be dead inside a week if she didn't have people to bitch to and access to a pharmacy. She'd likely die from explosive decompression from complaint buildup before the sugar diabeetus (apologies to Wilford Brimley) would get her.