Survivorman and Man vs. Wild - Survival Media
Recently, education programs have become a major source of entertainment. When it comes to reality television, it does not get any more real than shows about survival. “Survivorman”, with Les Stroud, and “Man vs. Wild” with Bear Grylls are two very popular programs about survival in the most extreme of conditions. These shows are popular because they arm their viewers with information that they may otherwise never have a chance to learn.
Survival is not just knowing how to build a fire or keep warm. Survival is an element that can be encountered anywhere, any time. The wilderness conjures up thoughts of being stranded on a mountain top, or sleeping in a cave, but the need for survival skills can arise anywhere. In a post 911 world, where there is violence around the globe, and potential attacks seem to loom in the distance, one never knows when surviving may become the order of the day.
Living in a populated area is no guarantee for survival. The weather has the power to put any on of us on the brink, so learning to survive is as important today as it was when Cro-Magnon man first came into being. Survival is a way of thinking; “Survivorman” Les Stroud does a good job of explaining the logic behind his actions, as does Bear Grylls from “Man vs. Wild.” Above all, what is key to surviving, whether in a collapsed building, or a flooded city, or on a riverbank in foreign territory is the ability to remain calm and think clearly. The brain is mans greatest survival tool. Surviving is not instinctual, which is why survival based programs are so popular. One does not need to go through Navy Seals training to learn how to survive or spend thousands of dollars on guides, lessons and gear, or spend countless hours reading; survival information is as close as the television.
Like most things in life, an individual has to learn to survive. Our mind is the greatest survival tool we have, but we must be trained to use it appropriately. Certain gear is essential in various circumstances, but the mind is the crux of whether a person will survive a situation or not. Watching guys like Les Stroud on “Survivorman” or Bear Grylls on “Man vs. Wild” teaches us how to think critically when situations are indeed critical. People learn by observation first. There are very few of us, if any who could systematically evaluate a situation and make the best decision to preserve our life without learning how. This is true for survival in the wilderness, survival on the streets, even survival in the business world. Survival programs take the set of knowledge necessary to think rationally about how to survive in extreme conditions to the masses.
If you found this page useful, consider linking to it.
Simply copy and paste the code below into your web site (Ctrl+C to copy)
It will look like this: Survivorman and Man vs. Wild - Survival Media
One Response to “Survivorman and Man vs. Wild - Survival Media”
August 20th, 2007 at 8:30 pm
I just read your blog entry about Survivorman and Man Vs. Wild and I’ve got to ask how many times have you watched Man vs. Wild? I agree with you that he does sometimes give out useful information about what you should do while you’re in a situation, but then he proceeds to leave his shelter and row a broken dingy towards a huge Alaskan glacier, where he ends up jumping into the water and swimming the rest of the way towards land.
The man is awesome to watch, but for survivor skills I think Suvivorman owns him hard imo. Both are great shows, T.V. these days is so awesome