Urban Survival Lessons
From “The Colony:Recon Mission”
Hey, it’s David from SurviveInPlace.com. So, you know by now that I watch VERY little TV. That being said, there is a lot to be said about watching other people make mistakes, “armchair quarterbacking” their decisions, and gaming the situation in your head to figure out what you would do in the same situation.
We’ve got a great chance to do this with, “The Colony” on Discovery. In “The Colony: Recon Mission”, like in the other episodes, there are actually some good survival lessons.
1. Know natural cures for common ailments. In this episode, Joey is knocked out with a kidney stone. In addition to knowing ways to prevent kidney stones (proper hydration, citrus, etc.) it would have been very helpful for him to know that forcefully jumping up and down could help him pass the stone MUCH quicker. Natural cures could be the difference between pain/death and a successful survival experience.
2. Bad attitudes are toxic. Cantankerous Michael yells at others and he yells to himself when he’s alone. This serves no purpose. It changes brain chemistry, hormone levels, and makes everyone around him less productive and less cooperative. When you look at him on TV, you can see the negative effects of decades of poor mental discipline, and it’s sad. In a survival situation, you need to isolate or eliminate bad attitudes immediately. Isolate them geographically, eliminate them through counseling, or eliminate them through banishment.
If you’re the one with the toxic attitude, pray, exercise, set goals, and practice the discipline of being a pleasant person. Everyone will enjoy being around you more…you’ll even enjoy being around yourself more 
3. “Looting” a house where people live is STEALING! This week, they sent a “recon” team out to find supplies. They went to a trailer park, identified a house where someone was living, and went in and took supplies anyhow. Fortunately, the owners were actors. I would have eliminated the threat as efficiently as possible. As we covered in the Katrina lesson in SurviveInPlace, I can see taking items necessary for my survival if I am positive that they have been abandoned, but what the colonists did was stealing…pure and simple.
4. The downside of conflict. The colonist thieves made it through the episode uninjured only because the actors in the show were instructed not to hurt them. With 2 colonists vs. 7 others, they would have likely been injured quickly if the conflict escalated to violence. They wouldn’t have had x-rays to accurately set broken bones, sterile conditions to clean wounds, sutcher kits to sew up cuts, and their poor nutrition would have extended the healing process. We go over field expedient medical treatments in the course, but they aren’t a substitute for high quality trauma care.
5. Desperation leads to stupidity. Michael made a comment after trying to steal from the other group that it felt odd being seen as a marauder after spending weeks trying to protect the colony from outside marauders. Make no mistake…they knew they were stealing. As they went up to the trailer, either Michael or Vlad said that people lived there. They just made a bad decision out of desperation. They went in, looked for food, and stole fuel anyhow. It is unlikely that they would have sunk to this level if they would have been hunting and gathering for the past several weeks, rather than completing fun “survival” projects and waiting for their cans of food to dwindle. In a survival situation you’ve got to constantly be working to improve your situation in terms of shelter, fire, water, food, security, and medical.
The timing of “The Colony” couldn’t be better. I released a comprehensive 12 week course on Urban Survival earlier this year that deals with the urban survival topics covered in “The Colony” and many more. To read more about it, please go to SurviveInPlace.com.
Let me know what you thought about the episode below. Also let me know what lessons you learned from watching it.
If you want to catch up on past episodes of The Colony, here’s a link to the Discovery Channel: Discovery Channel Sale
-David
(Twitter.com/SurvivalDave)
P.S. If you haven’t signed up for the Survive In Place 12 week online Urban Survival course, now is a great time. Lear more by going to www.SurviveInPlace.com
I am sorry that I can not comment on the “Colony” I do not have satelite, cable or any of those. My computor will not track fast enough to view. I do have DSL but that doesn’t seem to help in this case. Do you by chance know if this series is available on dvd? Thanks for all of your time and information. It has really helped with getting our plan organized and together.
I don’t often comment on sites of this sort, but I believe you are providing a valuable service. I expect many more people learn from your site than comment on it.
I only want to thank you for your efforts and encourage you to continue your good work.
John DeVore
As for recon I did not see a recon mission ! What I did see was two thieves steeling outer people supplies , I tend agree with you on this. As for the fun projects I can say they should done both. In a survival situation the people in an group,clan,or colony need to be as self sufficient as possiable and the “fun” prolects build or give some a feeling of self worth . Recon and forge should be a daliy chore and the people that are good at recon will show them seleves over time and team of 3 to 4 should go out. You should recon the aera for 24 to 48 hours before moving on and objective, baring this you better be ready for a conforntation,and it will probably be nasty one. The indian scouts looked for game,forage,and other tribes to “raid”(steal) from but they did not want to be seen. The cover of darkness,thunder storm were and still are some of the best times to do your scouting, although you do need to have day scouts. This lends well for fishing,forage for wild ediables,and what ever materals that can be scrounged. But never be seen,and if seen get out, with out conforntation.I also saw on this weeks show they have a natural resource that they have not taken advantage of yet,pigions as like most cities there plentiful. As for getting them night time is best
if total darkness is available,one may be able to use the hook and crook method.(Look it up) this is K.I.S.S.as it gets,and this would go a long way to extending there food supply.As for water they should several trips weekly, better to have there water tank full and buckets of water on the floor than to run out.
NUF SAID
Brenda, we have DSL also and I will download some file or video on “mute” and go do something else till it’s finished. When it’s finished, I’ll start all over and can watch uninterrupted. Hope this helps.
Brenda,
The series will be available on DVD November 24, here is a link to where to buy it at.
http://store.discovery.com/detail.php?p=106303&v=discovery
Good luck, it is a good series to learn from
Thanks, David for all the info you have supplied me with. Since about 1963 I have been studing (off and on) info on survival tactica but you have put info into my mind that no one seems to have thought of. Again, many thanks,
Windell
I have seen a few episodes of The Colony… I myself don’t have cable, but visited a friend to see the premier. As far as the show goes, it is a reality show which reminds me why I don’t have cable. However, there are excerpts during the show from medical personnel, physiologists, sociologists, and the like. So if you can get past the “Drama” being closely fabricated you can actually learn a lot about the effects of Urban Survival on the body and mind.
It has been obvious to me since about the second week of the show that a good share of the participants were picked based on life experience or vocation. Would any other group of ten survivors have that many people with the mix of skills necesary to perform all of the projects that they have? Even in LA?