The Man - Introduction and About Luck

ENG

I have spent long hours (over several months) talking to a good friend of mine (from now on refered to The MAN - no reference to the use of that name in regular talk for government employees - he is just a friend, no guvernment relations that i know of) about the concept of survival.

I am usualy going on and on about the need of being prepared (you may know the phrase "failing to be prepared is preparing to fail"), and he always counters with some kind of arguement like that all the survival training is useless if all you need is luck to survive. It is a good point, and i happend to have a similar view: in a given situation, 50% of the chance to survive is skills, knowledge, kit, preparing, will-to-live, but the other 50% is pure luck.

There is almost no survival situation i am aware of that doesn't ultimately rely on pure luck to survive, and there are situations where people don't need to go through the ordeal related to surviving extreme situations, just because they are lucky (a car just happens to drive by in the desert, a fisherman alters his course and stumbles upon the person in need of help, etc.), but in my opinion relying on having luck is too risky - you may be the luckyest person on the planet, but what happens if you "ran out" of luck?

Over the course of this blog, i am going to post some of the preconceptions and misconceptions of some people (hopefully some of mine too, i wouldn't want to point fingers at others without finding some things that i lack or misunderstand and then trying to correct them).

RO

Mi-am petrecut multe ore (in decursul mai multor luni) vorbind cu un bun prieten de-al meu (in continuare referit ca The Man - nici o referire la utilizarea acestei formulari in limba engleza vorbita curent, pentru angajatii guvernamentali - el este doar un prieten, si nu are relatii in guvern din cate stiu eu) cu privire la conceptul de supravietuire.

De obicei, eu o dau intr-una cu necesitatea de a fi pregatit (poate ca stiti expresia "cei ce esueaza sa fie pregatiti se pregatesc sa esueze"), si el mereu contreaza cu argument de genul tot antrenamentul de supravietuire este inutil daca toate ce este necesar este sa ai noroc ca sa supravietuiesti. Este un foarte bun argument, si se intampla ca si eu am o opinie similara: intr-o situatie data, 50% din sansa de a supravietui este data de de abilitati, cunostinte, kit, pregatire, dorinta de a trai, dar restul de 50% este pur noroc.

Nu exista aproape nici o situatie de supravietuire de care sa stiu eu care in cele din urma sa nu depinda de noroc pur pentru a supravietui, si exista situatii in care unii oameni nu trebuie sa treaca prin calvarul legat de supravietuirea in situatii extreme, doar pentru ca sunt norocosi (o masina se intampla sa treaca prin desert, un pescar isi modifica intamplator traseul lui si da peste persoana care are nevoie de ajutor, etc), dar in opinia mea, sa te bazezi pe noroc este prea riscant - s-ar putea sa fi cea mai norocoasa persoana de pe planeta , dar ce se intampla daca "ai ramas fara" noroc?

Pe parcursul acestui blog, o sa discut despre unele din ideile preconcepute si conceptiile gresite ale unora (sper, ca si vor fi si unele de-al mele, nu as dori sa arat cu degetul la altii, fara sa gasesc unele lucruri care mie imi lipsesc sau inteleg gresit si apoi sa incearc sa le corectez).

Tufarit - Bushcraft in versiunea Scoala Ardeleana

ENG:

Hello everyone,

For a long time i have pondered if i should make a blog related to survival and bushcraft, since i am just a beginner(novice) in both subjects. While everyone learns from experienced teachers there is also value, i think, in learning from the experiences (both succeses and failures) of a fellow student. Sometimes we don't realize when seeing an experienced survival specialist or bushcraft specialist how tough some of the things they show us really are and that they make it look so simple just because their experience - and every specialist worth his salt will point this out to you.

Bushcrafting and survival knowledge are new in my country (Romania) and there are at this moment only a few local sources of knowledge available (some of them being - at the moment i am writing this - in no special order of importance: http://yety-bushcraft.blogspot.com/ , http://bushcraft-romania.blogspot.com/, http://leonbushcraft.blogspot.com/, http://iron-craft.blogspot.com/ and the romanian bushcraft forum http://www.bushcraft.ro/phpBB3/index.php ). Another problem for the romanian bushcraft is that most written sources are in english and while some of us can understand english, it is a barrier for a larger audience, so i have started on this road with the hope that the way i am going to write (disclaimer: i am not fluent in english so some mistakes WILL occur - i am no english teacher, nor am i pretending to be one) will also help them understand the basics of the english language, and make it easier for their journey towards bushcraft and survival.

To this ends, i have coined a new word in romanian (some will like it, some will hate it, some will think badly of the idea of inventing words) - "A TUFARI - TUFARIT" - for the word "BUSHCRAFT - BUSHCRAFTING", since we have no equivalent in our language; beside this reason, i have chosen this word from the romania words "TUFA" (bush) and "A FAURI" (to craft), also there are other words that are ending in the same way for some crafts: "A CIOPLI - CIOPLIT"(to whittle, carve - whittling, carving). I don't know if others have used it before me, if they have more power to them, is not like i am going to make a patent on the word. Like its english counterpart, "tufaritul" will mean not only the standard concepts of bushcraft but will also encompass the knowledge and skills required for survival in the wild and in an urban environment.

My sources for learning were (and still are, remember i am just at the begining of the road, as some of you are), beside the local sources i have already pointed out:
- Les Stroud (SurvivorMan)
- Dave Canterbury (WildernessOutfitterArchery, home of the PathFinder School)
- Ray Mears
- John "Lofty" Wiseman

RO:

Buna ziua tuturor,

De mult timp ma gandesc daca ar trebui sa fac un blog legat de supravietuire si bushcraft, avand in vedere ca sunt doar incepator (novice), in ambele domenii. Desi este normal ca sa inveti de la oameni cu experienta, parerea mea e ca exista, de asemenea, o valoare in procesul de invatare din experientele (atat succesele cat si esecurile) unui coleg de "suferinta". Uneori nu ne dam seama atunci cand urmarim un specialist cu experienta de supravietuire sau de bushcraft cat de dificile sunt cu adevarat unele dintre lucrurile pe care ni-le arata si cat de simple par doar datorita experientei celui ce te invata - lucru pe care orice specialist care isi merita renumele vi-l spune.

Bushcrafting-ul si cunostintele de supravietuire sunt inca la inceput in Romania si in acest moment sunt disponibile doar cateva surse de cunostinte locale (unele dintre ele fiind - la moment scrierii acestui post - nu in vreo anume ordine de importanta: http://yety-bushcraft.blogspot.com/, http://bushcraft-romania.blogspot.com/, http://leonbushcraft.blogspot.com/, http://iron-craft.blogspot.com/ si forumul de bushcraft din Romania http://www.bushcraft.ro/phpBB3/index.php ). De asemenea, o alta problema pentru bushcraft-ul din Romania este ca sursele de cele mai multe ori sunt scrise in engleza si desi unii dintre noi inteleg limba engleza, este o bariera pentru un public mai larg, asa ca am pornit pe acest drum, cu speranta ca in modul meu de a scrie (avertizare: nu sunt fluent in limba engleza, astfel incat unele greseli SE VOR produce - nu sunt profesor de limba engleza, si nici nu am pretentia de a fi unul) ii voi ajuta sa inteleaga elementele de baza ale limbii engleza si sa facilitez drumul pe cararile bushcraftului si supravietuirii.

Pentru a-mi facilita atingerea acestor scopuri, mi-am luat de la mine putere sa inventez un nou cuvant in limba romana (unora le va place, altii il vor ura, unii vor interpreta ca gresit conceptul de a inventa cuvinte) - "A TUFARI - TUFARIT" - pentru cuvantul "BUSHCRAFT - BUSHCRAFTING" , din moment ce nu avem nici un echivalent in limba noastra; pe langa acest motiv, am ales acest cuvant de la cuvintele romanesti "TUFA" (bush) si "A FAURI" (to craft) - de asemenea, exista alte cuvinte care desemneaza anumite meserii, care au acelasi sufix : "A CIOPLI - CIOPLIT"(to whittle, carve - whittling, carving). Nu stiu daca altii au folosit acest cuvant inaintea mea, daca au folosit, bravo lor, nu este ca si cum voi breveta acest cuvant. Ca si echivalentul lui in engleza, tufaritul va insemna nu doar conceptele standard de bushcraft ci va ingloba cunostiintele si aptitudinile necesare supravietuirii atat in natura cat si in contextul urban.

Ca surse din care m-am inspirat(si inca mai invat, amintiti-va ca sint doar la inceput de drum, la fel ca si unii dintre voi ), pe langa surse locale deja mentionate:
- Les Stroud (SurvivorMan)
- Dave Canterbury (WildernessOutfitterArchery, home of the Pathfinder School)
- Ray Mears
- John "Lofty" Wiseman