Pondering Survival and Homelessness with Christopher Nyerges

March 8th, 2013 |

Now and then stories pop up about how people survive while living homeless and on the streets. Some live in tent cities. Some live in cars or vans or even boats.

Could you imagine yourself in such a situation? Have you been there? Do you know someone in that spot now? What would you do if you found yourself homeless?

When Christopher Nyerges was on DestinySurvival Radio a few weeks ago, he mentioned he’d been homeless and a squatter in his younger days. (Read about his first visit here.) That revelation caught my attention, so I had him on again as my guest yesterday to explore the subject further. And he shared a great deal of practical wisdom.

Without reciting all of his credentials, Christopher is an instructor and author who’s written thousands of articles and several books. He teaches wild food classes and does survival walks in the L.A. area. He also knows a wide circle of people with various skills and experiences related to survival.

I counted on his eclectic knowledge base for our discussion and wasn’t disappointed. This is one show I hope you’ll take time to hear.

Thought Provoking questions

We raised several points during our conversation , including…

Backpacking for a week gives you a taste of the homeless life, but it’s temporary. What if it were permanent? Has the hobo life been romanticized?
Many become homeless as a result of bad choices. But would you deliberately choose to live on the lamb if things got chaotic? Would you sell property to do so?
Would you live in an abandoned home as a squatter? How would you cope with being on the wrong side of the law?
Have you considered dropping out of society altogether? If so, what would you do?
Or would you do what you could to be as productive as possible on the property where you live now?
Do you have skills and creativity to make or grow things others would find useful? Do you know how to be a productive member of society, whatever form that society might take?
Would you help someone carrying a “Will work for food” sign? If you’ve done so, what was your experience?
What would you do to help a family living in their car?
People in less developed countries live daily with a far lower living standard than ours. Could you become accustomed to living a lifestyle with a much lower living standard?

Of fear, hope and action

Christopher asserts that one of our biggest problems is fear. We’re frightened of ourselves, what neighbors will say, and we’re frightened of failure. Yet when we take on new projects and challenges, they instruct us and prove to be rewarding.

To be self reliant, start with one thing. Learn that. Then move on to the next. If you do everything at once, you’ll do tasks poorly.

Christopher says hope isn’t a good economic or life strategy. You must take action. Things happen not merely because you hope for them to.

Few people like living homeless and will follow their drive to get out of such a situation.

Important lessons

Take life lessons from whatever situation you find yourself in, no matter how bad it is. Then keep moving.

Christopher says homelessness taught him…

Humility
Who was his friend and who wasn’t

That last point is crucial because when you’re homeless, you need some kind of assistance.

Of course, take work wherever you can find it. Think of what you can do for others, not just what they can do for you. And realize there’s no quick fix.

I can’t possibly do justice to our conversation in this post. I urge you to hear the whole insightful interview with Christopher Nyerges when you listen to DestinySurvival Radio for March 7, 2013. Check out his site at www.christophernyerges.com.

What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts on any of the questions above or on anything else raised here. Feel free to leave a comment below.

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Posted in DestinySurvival Radio, Survival Musings |

Tags: Christopher Nyerges, survival and homelessness

Irwin:

March 9, 2013 at 8:37 am

Greetings John, I missed the show and was wondering if I can pick it up on a link you might have or tell me about. I feel I may be soon in that situation. I hope not but I can’t be certain with things as they are today. Thanks,, Irwin

John Wesley Smith:

March 9, 2013 at 9:25 am

Click on the words “DestinySurvival Radio for March 7, 2013″ above in the post, and you’ll be able to hear or download the show. I certainly hope you don’t end up homeless. Do your best, and take care.