Imagine, if you would, a world where the members of this forum were the only people left. Let`s just say we were all in the same town or village or general area. If we were building a real life community more or less from scratch what would you be able to offer the community and where do you think you might fail the community?

I ask this question for fun mostly. (My daughter is one and she just got a hold of my Day Of the Dead dvd which is sort of the inspiration for my question).

I don`t really have any survival skills. I can not grow stuff or build shit. So in those practical ways I might let you guys down.

Hopefully I would be fun and hard working enough to make up for my lack of skills.

Remembering Wake Up Bomb earlier posting that survivalist video this sort of relates. I have no weapons or training though so no help there. Perhaps I need to get skills. I often enjoy the dream of building a house that runs on solar panels and perhaps is made from reclaimed stuff like that house where the walls are tires(tyres) and things like that.

So really I have figured out I have very little to offer but perhaps I can learn before it is too late.

I think you'd be surprised what 'skills' can be picked up when you need to. Particularly when you don't have/can't afford/don't have access to the everyday distractions that most in the West do.

Personally, I feel your sparkling wit and intellect would be a bonus to any community.

I myself am able to offer some meager diy and sewing skills. I am eager to learn and hard-working when required, however. I'm also a bit filthy, which is always useful.

i'd offer my skills at castration of the males not pre-approved for the breeding program based on usefulness, strength, looks, and hunting abilities.

i would also like to put the offer on the table of being the community torturer, should we find any other humans wondering around loose and not willing to tell us where they came from or who they are working for.

other than that, i can offer stupid comments, screaming, yelling, and general drill sergeant status to keep everyone working hard.

seriously, lets face it, the above is about all i could offer. bugs invade my garden, the yellow squash and zucchini overrun what the bugs did not eat and kill all other plants...i can kill a cactus.
ab's can probably sew better than i can... my fingers look like pin cushions when i try to sew by hand or embroidery anything.
my cleaning skills, when not in a fit of maniac ocd, are below par.
anything i have built normally wobbles...or i build it on a porch and then realize i have to have it on the ground and therefor have to knock holes in the bottom to carry it off the porch.
i trip going up steps.
i wont hunt and kill animals...i don't skin animals, but i am willing to skin distasteful humans.
my cooking skills, unless you like raw and still bleeding or burnt to a crisp to the point that it has shriveled up, wouldn't help.
and i will not be the community whore because my distaste for the grown male at this moment is almost higher than it was last year.

As Ab's said it's surprising what you can do when it becomes obvious it needs doing and you're tapped to do it.

Think of how much you've changed, learned, figured out or had to just get on with, since having a family for example.
You rationalise, adapt and improvise as you go.
My biggest weakness would be anything agriculture related but I'm always willing to learn.

I'm of the opinion that, in all probability, all you'll take in a survival situation is your reason and acquired knowledge/experience.
You can have all the shit prepped and stored that you think you'll need and you'll either be nowhere near it or it will be trashed in the event that caused you to be in the situation you find yourself.

hunt, cook and build. id fail at keeping things clean.

if i still had access to old information i would learn how to create a bunch of drugs and then create them.

this would be priority number 1. before food and shelter.

actually, wait, number 2. number 1 would be growing a marijuana plant and some shrooms.

I can grow stuff, am a wicked cook, and can function while stoned (all be it slowly)

In our group of survivors,I may be the sneak,and prowl around at night in the abandoned cities to find supplies for us,or help dig underground shelters or traps

I can turn my hand to most things at a push, though it's a good jobs Abs will be there, as I'm not much good at sewing.

Child rearing, various massage, owt manual but nowt mechanical (unless there are instructions), simple(but tasty) pasta dishes, skinning up in pretty much any state, roasting meat, keeping the fire going, any night watch shifts...

2 minutes ago I thought I had nowt to offer!

I'm strong so I can lift things.
I know how to use tools to build things.
I can catch, gut and cook fish.
I know many songs and can sing untill people insist I stop.
I can make arm pit fart noises.
In the event of violence I can out run most - whilst waving hands and squealing.
I know 9 jokes.
Bitey insects always attack me first making me an ideal early warning system.
I can see really far.
I can talk to the animals.
I can lie about my abilities in the animal talking department.
I have a Swiss army knife.

All sorts of folk have thousands of skills. You probably don't even realise it until you're actually in just such a situation for real.
I've been a bus driver, a mechanic and a soldier before I got in to IT.
Some gardening I'm good at, some I'm not, I'm particularly good at throwing snails with a shovel btw....

lol @ some of the v funny comments here btw

i-baster wrote:
G'day I-baster.

I would be able to offer the community me.

Where I would fail the community would be if I attempted to be someone else.

I AM ALL I AM wrote:
You should see what he can do with a simple kitchen table. Seriously.

Ab Origine wrote:
G'day Ab Origine.

After I posted that, I thought that you would respond, though I will admit, the response is tame compared to what I thought that you might respond with.

I AM ALL I AM wrote:
He's a bit sated at the minute, after giving me my birthday blow-job earlier on....

andyh wrote:
I think that would be a good basis for a char­ac­ter in an ITV drama.

I’m see­ing a hostage situation.…..ex sol­dier now a school bus driver.….….a bit of A-​Team vehi­cle mod­i­fi­ca­tion thrown in to help kid­dies escape the baddies.….…..using his IT skills to track down ner­dow­ells and foil their communist/​mormon plot. Maybe some light­hearted gar­den­ing scenes to off­set the high drama.

I’m think­ing Rob­son Green in the lead, maybe a bit of Michelle Collins for the love inter­est? I think I can smell a TV Quick award in the future.