Basic Survival Skills are in danger of becoming a lost art. Most people who live in highly developed areas have never learned what it takes to survive in harsh situations. The average Joe (or Joann) doesn't wake up in the morning and think; "Maybe I should learn how to make fire today." No, they just turn on the stove and never give it a second thought. That being said, it's not really anyone's fault, that's just what happens in a modern society. As long as we pay the bill we don't have to worry about where the water comes from when we turn on the tap, or where the electricity or gas comes from when we go to cook food. But we should. All it takes is one disaster for the entire infrastructure to come to a screeching halt. Think the government will fix it? Many people died along the U.S. gulf coast waiting on the government to save them. Would you really want to leave your safety or your life in their hands?

When most people hear someone talk about survival skills they immediately think about some survivalist nut job building a bunker somewhere and amassing an armory. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I'm sure a lot of the people in Louisiana didn't give a second thought to where their water came from until they turned on the tap and nothing came out after Katrina. What if an earthquake hit like in Haiti? Would you know what to do to keep your family safe and survive the situation?

In this modern age of cell phones, GPS units, and the Internet we literally have information at our fingertips. But what if we couldn't access that information. A hurricane can wipe out cell phone coverage. GPS would be useless after a severe solar storm that could knock out satellites. And if the electricity goes out then there is certainly no Internet. So thinking that you'll worry about finding that information when you need it could get you into trouble. I saw a reality show once that had two young ladies on it that all they had to do was build a fire using a magnesium fire starter and make it tall enough to burn through a string. Two or three hours into it they finally had to give them matches and they STILL had a hard time doing it.

So what do you do if you're in that situation, you've never even attempted a basic survival skill? It's not as hard as you think. Go to your back yard, or balcony, or wherever you can safely start a fire. Watch Internet videos on how to get it going and the different methods for starting one. Practice... practice... practice. You could even learn to build a water filter so you can have drinkable water in an emergency. Remember that fire you learned to make? Your going to need that to boil the water, and you'll need the charcoal for the filter. The more you learn the more prepared you'll be and you'll gain some confidence along the way.