I’ve been on a survival kick lately. I’m not sure how it started, but a while ago I was thinking about being prepared in case of a calamity of some kind. I started looking at survival supplies for the home and car, but didn't actually buy anything. I just had a feeling that there was a lot more to it than having some protein bars and water purification tablets. While on a bookstore adventure with my Mom (a favorite pastime of ours), I was having a tough time finding something worthwhile. I happened to pick up a book about survival with a tagline that caught my eye... “who lives, who dies, and why.” I took a chance on it and am very glad I did. It seems that the feeling I had earlier was correct. Survival is about your mind, not your supplies. In truth, the book is the best psychology book I’ve ever read (and I’ve read a few). It speaks to how our minds make mental maps of our world, and how unpredictable we act when we get lost. The book tells many stories of people that were very experienced and well trained that died because they made irrational decisions under difficult circumstances. Conversely, novices with the right frame of mind (that is, an open mind) often survive. There was one other very surprising thing about those people - those who survived being adrift at sea or being alone and injured on a mountain - they all reached a point where they stopped and took note of the natural beauty all around them and accepted their new reality. It’s hard to imagine doing that at first, but the more I think about it the more it makes sense. Even when our lives are not in danger, our world is constantly changing. We must accept this in order to “survive” our daily lives, which we must do every day before we do anything else. The fact that we don’t have to consciously do so makes it no less true. That said, I’m still planning on buying some actual survival supplies, which certainly don’t hurt. And I bought another book with vital information on surviving in the outdoors. Stuff like which plants and animals are edible (it even gets into how edible - do you know if squirrels are tasty or not?), how to stay warm, how much to rest, etc. Oh, and how to make a fire, which those people on Survivor can never seem to manage. Speaking of which, I was happy to see Earl win this latest season. He seems like a good guy and a deserving winner. Sure, Yao-Man would have been a bit more fun as the winner, but at least it wasn't some under-the-radar-type winner. Yes, Cassandra, I’m talking about you. It's funny, but it turns out that the show is more about survival than I gave it credit for (especially since the physical difficulty seems to have lessened in recent seasons). The mental aspect is what survival is really all about, and the show’s motto is right on... "outwit, outlast, outplay.”