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Survive in the wild alone, dig a bunker in case of a nuclear explosion or repel an attack during a zombie apocalypse — these people are preparing for completely different extreme situations. Moreover, against the backdrop of recent events, their fears no longer seem so incredible. Who are survivalists, what do they expect and what can be expected from them?
“Help solve a problem on which my life may depend! In America, Ural motorcycles are sold only with electronic ignition, but in a nuclear explosion it will be disabled by electromagnetic radiation … Is it possible to buy a mechanical distributor in Russia?
Such an announcement appeared several years ago on one of the Russian biker forums. And the question asked in it will not seem strange to everyone, given the newly growing popularity of the subculture of survivalists, or survivalists.
Survival as a goal
The beginning of the movement is attributed to the period of the Cold War. Khrushchev’s promised «Kuzkina mother» and the arms race led most Americans to think about the real possibility of nuclear strikes.
And while public bomb shelters were being built in the USSR, one-story America was digging personal shelters
The need to hide from tornadoes and other natural disasters is another reason why in many states every modern home has a warm, well-equipped basement with food for the whole family. The anticipation of a nuclear winter for some turned the process of building a shelter into a hobby that gained followers, and with the advent of the World Wide Web, united them into a community.
In general, all preparations, as a rule, have one goal — to survive, preferably providing yourself with everything you need in case of an accident. After the epithet «big» in the abbreviation follows a word known to all native speakers of the Russian language, meaning an unpleasant ending. Whether it will be a nuclear explosion, a zombie invasion or World War III, an alien attack or a collision with an asteroid, opinions differ.
Variety of species
Rescue scenarios and areas of preparation also vary. Some believe that the most correct thing is to go into the forests and survive in nature; others are sure that only in cities there is a chance not to die. Someone is in favor of unification, and someone is sure that only singles will be saved.
There are radicals who read: no later than the day after tomorrow the apocalypse happens, everyone will die, and only they will be able to escape in their “paranoid nest”, shooting at zombies with a shotgun and eating a supply of stew, which even the state reserve would envy.
Some survivalists are mastering available military and engineering technologies and purchasing devices, such as filters that turn the contents of a dirty puddle into drinking water.
“It’s just a hobby. I am interested in gadgets and technical innovations, I love trips to the forest. Someone buys smartphones to put likes, and someone buys multi-band radio stations so that there is a guaranteed connection in any conditions, 42-year-old Slava explains. — I am far from extremes and do not build a bunker, but I think it is important to be ready for any development of events and ensure the safety of yourself and your loved ones.
You need to know how to provide first aid. I know how useful these skills are in everyday life: anything can happen, for example, accidents or accidents, and someone should know how to act in such cases.
Survivalist «toys» can be quite expensive. Some companies offer services for the arrangement of underground structures for a comfortable family life without going to the surface for several years. An American firm builds small self-contained bunkers for two people with a kitchen and a toilet for about $40, and medium-sized ones, equal in size to a “kopeck piece” in Khrushchev, with two bedrooms and a separate living room, for $000.
One can only speculate about the cost of the elite ones, which, according to rumors on the Web, are popular with some celebrities.
Other survivalists, on the contrary, consider the ability to manage with a minimum set of tools and rely on their skills, knowledge and intuition as the main thing. Among them there are their own authorities and legendary personalities, one of the most popular is the Briton Bear Grylls, the hero of the popular show “Survive at all costs”.
So some perceive survivalism as an opportunity to disconnect from the office routine and test themselves for strength, while for others it becomes practically the meaning of life.
Ethics
The “moral code” of a survivalist is a separate story, and it is not so easy for the uninitiated to understand it. On the one hand, the canonical survivalist takes on the mission of saving the entire human race. On the other hand, radical survivalists call the social environment during the BP period “ballast”, which, in their opinion, will only interfere with the preservation of their own lives, and it’s better not to even think about the fate of the surviving women — their role and fate will be determined by the “law of power”.
The rapid spread of a new virus and a possible global economic crisis for many of them look like harbingers of a BP or, at least, “combat exercises”
“Light Survivalist” Kirill, 28, admits: “On the one hand, at first it was alarming: an unknown virus is walking around the world, there is no vaccine — it looks like movie scripts about the end of the world. Incomprehensible job prospects also do not inspire optimism. But some part of me caught the adrenaline — that’s it, that’s what I was preparing for … Fear and delight, like on the edge of a cliff in childhood.
“The need for psychological security for such people is more urgent than for others”
Natalya Abalmasova, psychologist, gestalt therapist
Have you noticed that in the survivalist subculture, the overwhelming majority are men? It seems to me that this is a hobby of the world of men. Here they can show their deepest instincts: protect themselves and their families from external threats, show strength, knowledge and special survival skills, and ensure safety.
Imagine that we will lose the usual benefits of civilization: electricity, the Internet, a roof over our heads. These people want to be ready for such situations, not helpless and confused.
We can say that the need for psychological security is more relevant for them than for others.
Among the motives of such a hobby is the opportunity to be alone with nature, away from the hustle and bustle, to learn new skills, for example, orientation on the ground or handling weapons. Such a hobby can be exciting and educational.
But if the theme of survival becomes the main one in life and takes on the character of an obsession, then we can talk about this hobby as a pathological symptom, and here we need to more carefully understand the nature of this violation.