1. Do you ever worry that something might happen leaving you without food, shelter or the ability to obtain these for yourself?



2) Have you thought about "stocking up" in case of emergency?



3) Have you purchased items in the last six months to help you "stock up" in case of emergency?



4) Do you have an emergency plan?



5) In three sentences or less, descibe what you'd do if the elctricity went off, telecommunications went down, and no stores/restaurants were open.

A good basis for any question and answer session or lecture on about any survival topic is the "Rules of 3".  

Without an understanding of the "Rules of 3", you may be able to get people into the boat but they will lack a rudder to steer it.  

Tj

Its the basics of survival.  See the tack FAQ in the Survival Discussion Board.  Short version:

Rule of Threes:

can't live more than 3 minutes without air

can't go more than 3 hours without shelter

can't go more than 3 days without water

can't go more than 3 weeks without food

can't go more than 3 months without hope

A frequent one added is 3 seconds without self protection ranked 1st.

This is considered the mainstay or cornerstone of survival philosophy.    There's simply no way any of us can explain to people all the possible scenarios one faces in life.  All we can do is give them the basis for the alternative with a rough idea of priority.  Pulling them out of micro thinking into the macro, will help them develop their own stratagems.  The "Rules of 3" also is an eye opener to those new to the concept of survival for it graphically shows how vulnerable we are as human beings to certain criteria.  It also points out the pitfalls in many peoples planning.  The idea is get them thinking, leading in the effort rather than simply following or what I refer to as "Cookbook Survival".  

One pitfall for example, if you look at the rules of 3 and some guy is doing a BOB in MN and it winter, if they don't cover shelter then they can have all the water and food in the world and still not survive.  I used this one because we see BOB threads all the time that don't address this other than I have fire making.  We have no idea if they know how to make a wet fire or makeshift shelter.  

In short, it points out to the new person to this thinking how vulnerable we are, while giving the more experienced a working tool as a guide to priorities.

Over the years of bringing folks into the culture, I more often than not use the "rules of 3" in about every lecture or even a long discussion I have given.  Its the minimum of what we need to survive thus a good starting point for any discussion.  What those rules actually mean to people will vary from person to person but it is something they all have in common.  

Its real common sense stuff but very enlightening to many.  

Tj