Wilderness Survival: Mining & Forging

[Zumorito]

I'm pursuing the Japanese warrior arts because I seek to become invincible. It's not because I want to fight or feel like a tough guy. I seek it because I want freedom. One thing which will help me on my path towards total self-sufficiency, are the elements of Metal.

Gold, silver, copper, bronze, iron, etc. I want to learn not only how to obtain metals from Nature itself, but I also want to find out how to do it using nothing but stone tools, at least at first, until I can use the harvested metals to forge my own metal mining-tools instead of using stone tools.

Stone tools however will be all I could reasonably use in the beginning though, because I refuse to buy pre-made tools that were manufactured by somebody else, because then, in a way, that company would be able to say "I helped make Zumorito a free man." and I just can't allow that on my quest; I have to attain my own metal with my own hands using my own tools, and then I have to forge the new tools myself; the only thing I can receive from others, is Knowledge, as I have no other choice but to learn new things from sources outside of myself; there needs to be input for neurons to connect in my brain, and I can't use my own brain's output as the input because...well, that's basically as useless as breathing your own air over and over, it might work for a while, but you're not making any more new oxygen so, eventually, you're probably going to die of nitrogen poisoning....I hear it's a pretty trippy way to go....anyway, that part doesn't bother me too much because whereas I may attain the knowledge from others, I'm still the one putting the work and effort into developing the skills for myself, so that I can keep my pledge to myself to not receive any gifts or items from others so that the life I build for myself is truly and fully MY LIFE.

So yes...I seek knowledge on mining metals from scraps in the wilderness at this time, as well as how to forge them into instruments using stone tools. Thank you for your time, and hope to hear from you.

 

[Red Sun]

*i throw myself on the floor*

Zumorito Sensei, i offer you my services as a metal repository. I'm able to provide metal on a semi-regular basis, in the form of scrap and coins, which you can then melt down and reforge into useful resources. In this way, you remain entirely self succifient while i, your student, take on the insurmountable task of providing you with scrap metal for the rest of my life.

A little bit about me:

I began my journey in the winter of 2014, when my old dojo closed and i was forced to walk the path of the warrior alone. I had to sell my Muramasa Katana and United Cutlery Honshu Tanto to buy food and pay for lodgings. By the summer, i had already cut down twelve challengers in duels on the streets of Byron Bay. I had no choice but to use tree branches and stones, and it was here that i learnt the value of self reliance and urban survival skills.

I've been unable to survive without the assistance of homeless shelters and benevolent strangers. But, as i read your words, i get the distinct impression that as your student, i could learn to overcome this adversity and learn the true way.

Arigato, gazzami mastah. (sorry, im still learning to speak japanese.)

 

[Zumorito]

...I'm flattered, haha, but I'm actually seeking a teacher myself; I'm still a student and don't wish to have the responsibility of teaching someone else until I'm positive I'm absolutely ready to, lest I misinform you and it leads to your demise haha.

As to your offer, I must decline for a couple of reasons. The first reason is because, if I recall correctly, coins these days aren't made of pure metal anymore, and are diluted with other materials; at least in America anyway. The second reason is because it's important for me to grow closer to Nature; become one with it. I must pull the elements from the Earth myself.

The types of things I need to know though are subjects such as where to find them, what kind of stone tools will I need to manufacture; what stones should I use, how can I melt down the metals without having a melting pot beforehand, (stone bowls/rocks/volcano?) Etc etc, (Anything that I haven't thought of), like, how do I make plaster in the wilderness to make casts of my tools using wooden models, (using Shark's Skin as Sandpaper)? ....Hmmm...might even be able to use the Shark's teeth to make an improvised saw too, until I can forge one out of my metal.

PS: Haha, no worries; I don't speak Japanese yet. I know a little bit, as well as what the Kanji in my avatar says.

 

[Zumorito]

...What's so funny, Flying Crane?

 

[Red Sun]

I understand, Zumorito Sensei. I will still strive to meet your reasonable standards of immortality and absolute perfection, until the day that you're ready to take on a lowly student such as myself.

I thank you for your time and consideration.

 

[Zumorito]

...Not so much standards, as aspirations; ideals to strive towards. Heh, and with medical technological advances coming along as they are, it may not actually be too long at all before true immortality does become a reality...invincibility is different than immortality though. Invincibility in my mind is simply "never losing a battle". This can be achieved easily enough by simply only fighting battles which you know you can win. Don't engage in confrontation; when someone threatens you with violence and there is no genuine need for you to incapacitate them, the best course of action anyone should take is to simply run away and hide; it's been keeping our species alive for thousands and thousands of years. There's no shame in running; it only demonstrates your wisdom and great ability to choose your battles. By paying vigilant attention to your surroundings and the people moving about you, and seeking always peaceful resolution, I promise you, you will never lose a fight.

 

[Red Sun]

I've never encountered such wisdom O.O I think i have to meditate for a few hours~
















...and re-read The Book Of Five Rings~

 

[Zumorito]

...Ten to fifteen minutes should be plenty. Waking Meditations are better in my opinion, particularly for folks who have hectic schedules and can't set aside the time to meditate everyday; there's specific meditations for just about every activity modern people experience in their day to day lives. Meditations for waking up in the morning with a sunny disposition, meditations to do while eating breakfast, lunch and dinner, meditations for waiting in lines, etc; there's even a meditation for driving to and from work. Meditation 24/7 is what you should strive for, as opposed to hours-long marathon meditation sessions, which can actually be counterproductive; it gets uncomfortable, and after a while you find you can't clear your mind because every other thought that pops into your head is "Dang my tail bone hurts!" XD

Little spurts spread throughout your daily routine is what you should shoot for; eventually you should be able to get yourself to a state where you are always experiencing fully the Here and Now, with no distracting or intrusive thoughts jutting into your head when that cognitive energy may have otherwise been used to make your eyes pick up on something novel or out of place moments before an opponent emerges from the shadows, giving you an early warning to either evade the ambush, or circle back and set up your own ambush if necessary.

I'll try posting some of the 24/7 Meditations on here tomorrow. Good stuff; worked wonders for my anger problems.

 

[Flying Crane]

...What's so funny, Flying Crane?

This is a put-on, yes?

 

[Red Sun]

...Ten to fifteen minutes should be plenty. Waking Meditations are better in my opinion, particularly for folks who have hectic schedules and can't set aside the time to meditate everyday; there's specific meditations for just about every activity modern people experience in their day to day lives. Meditations for waking up in the morning with a sunny disposition, meditations to do while eating breakfast, lunch and dinner, meditations for waiting in lines, etc; there's even a meditation for driving to and from work. Meditation 24/7 is what you should strive for, as opposed to hours-long marathon meditation sessions, which can actually be counterproductive; it gets uncomfortable, and after a while you find you can't clear your mind because every other thought that pops into your head is "Dang my tail bone hurts!" XD

I see... so in order to improve myself, i need to find a way to achieve a form of unconsciousness in my conscious life~

Little spurts spread throughout your daily routine is what you should shoot for; eventually you should be able to get yourself to a state where you are always experiencing fully the Here and Now, with no distracting or intrusive thoughts jutting into your head when that cognitive energy may have otherwise been used to make your eyes pick up on something novel or out of place moments before an opponent emerges from the shadows, giving you an early warning to either evade the ambush, or circle back and set up your own ambush if necessary.

I'm beginning to understand. In the way of life-and-death combat, it's best to only cut and kill those who you believe are weaker than yourself, and flee from those who could do you harm... But it's also important to be able to come back and overcome my disadvantages by attacking by surprise, perhaps following the enemy to its home and sneaking in while it's asleep...

You're elevating my mind to a new level of the martial arts. When i apply this reasoning, i can think of no enemy who could defeat me. All i have to do is judge myself, and judge my enemy, and know what is appropriate in that situation.

I'll try posting some of the 24/7 Meditations on here tomorrow. Good stuff; worked wonders for my anger problems.

Osu, Osensei. I look forward to your teachings, and will train intensively in the meantime. Intense... meditation. Yes.

 

[Zumorito]

Flying Crane...no...this is not a put-on. ...What makes you think so?

Red Sun...I hesitantly note your sarcasm...I have kind of a hard time telling when people are joking or being sarcastic...there wasn't a whole lot of that back in the desert and I can't remember much of my life before I was twelve so...yeah, I might seem kind of slow sometimes. :/

Anyway...no, you don't want to achieve ANY form of "unconsciousness" in your Conscious Life. Not all meditations put you into a deep trance or make you feel drowsy and/or incapable of operating heavy machinery. Some meditations can actually make you feel far more alive than you have ever been before; you'll see everything around you through new eyes, everything is brighter, and everything feels young and new, and you can see all the opportunities and possibilities presented to you moment by moment. Other meditations can make you super focused, like your on meth but without all the horrible druggie-after-affects, and still other breathing-meditations can manipulate your body temperature by consciously building up trace amounts of carbon monoxide in your blood, along with the oxygen; combined with a mastery of various mandalas designs, you can develop your mind's eye's abilities to form any image right in front of your open eyes as if it were really there; convince yourself that you're not actually sitting butt naked in an Arctic blizzard, but that you're actually on a hot, sunn, tropical island off the coast of Madagascar; full of more than half the forms of life on this planet...

...A mentor once told me the story of a man who had accidentally gotten himself locked inside the Freezer Car of a freight-train. He was in there for hours and when they finally found him, he was nearly dead from hypothermia and frostbite. He survived though, supposedly. The strange part though? The freezer was never turned on. His fear drove him to think he was freezing to death...and the body must obey the mind. Believe it.

In regards to only attacking those you know you can defeat, as well as fighting dirty and being unfair...YES, that is exactly what I'm saying you should do. It is best not to have to fight at all; to manipulate others to do your bidding if you can, so that you can protect yourself (and your family, if you happen to have one of those). Protect your family from what, you may ask? Why, from going through their own little version of Hell on Earth because you got in a fight and got killed, or you got in a fight and accidentally killed someone because you hit them too hard, and/or you get captured and sentenced to prison. These days, at least in America, prisons are "For-Profit" organizations, meaning they want to hold onto you for as long as they possibly can, which means they'll find every excuse to extend your sentence, which means your family has to go through that much more loss, meaning, effectively, you should have done your utmost to run away and make sure everyone went home to their families safely....as I said, it's better to NOT fight, but if there TRULY is no other choice BUT to fight...win. You owe it to yourself and everyone you care about. Those who have no rules in regards to trying to kill you deserve no mercy whatsoever from you, ESPECIALLY after your multiple attempts to de-escalate and leave the situations; you gave them EVERY chance to walk away, and they refused...at that point, they should expect nothing less from you than a sudden and un-timely death.

 

[Paul_D]

...A mentor once told me the story of a man who had accidentally gotten himself locked inside the Freezer Car of a freight-train. He was in there for hours and when they finally found him, he was nearly dead from hypothermia and frostbite. He survived though, supposedly. The strange part though? The freezer was never turned on. His fear drove him to think he was freezing to death...and the body must obey the mind. Believe it.

A man once told me a story of a planet shaped like a disc (a Discworld, if you will) that was supported by four elephants who stood on the back of a turtle as it walked through space. Believe it.

 

[Flying Crane]

If this isn't a put-on, then it is even more funny.

 

[Red Sun]

I'm being completely serious - But, i understand. I may be coming across a bit too strongly. I apologize, Zumorito Sensei.

 

[Blindside]

So yes...I seek knowledge on mining metals from scraps in the wilderness at this time, as well as how to forge them into instruments using stone tools. Thank you for your time, and hope to hear from you.

Do you have access to a mine somewhere?

 

[Zumorito]

I do believe it, Paul D. haha; I was once informed of the same thing myself. Ancient Tibetan model of the Earth, if I recall correctly. I think there were a few more ridiculous elements to it as well. The story my mentor told me is not ridiculous however, it's proven and documented scientifically that the mind can affect the body; it's also been proven that the mind, just by focusing intently on a nearby object, can actually change the physical properties of that object. With the advents of new discoveries in quantum mechanics, we're entering into an age where science can be said to have finally begin measuring and proving the existence of what was once believed to be magic and/or fairy-tales.

Flying Crane: ...well, that was kinda disrespectful. Unless I'm just reading it wrong; I'm kinda like an alien sometimes.

Red Sun: Don't call me Sensei; I haven't earned that title yet, and really, I don't think I'd ever want to. Least of all to someone that I don't even know. Nothing personal.

Blindside: I can dig and break rocks; the basic essentials of mining. I'm not sure if there's any special tricks to finding out just where to start digging and smashing though. I'd need to find something like iron or silver first; I could make some gold pans and work some rivers; there's a relatively large amount of information available on that subject though, but I'm virtually completely uneducated on how to find iron and whatnot, aside from chasing down a meteor and start pounding away on it with some rocks; see if a large enough chunk falls of for me to pound repeatedly until it gets red hot and semi-mold-able. Probably the first thing I'd want to forge is a more effective hammer other than a big rock hahaha.

 

[Zumorito]

...Helluva workout at the same time. Gonna get BUFF haha.

 

[Red Sun]

Red Sun: Don't call me Sensei; I haven't earned that title yet, and really, I don't think I'd ever want to. Least of all to someone that I don't even know. Nothing personal.

Understood. I shall refer to you by your username on the forum, and live in hope that one day you will reconsider

 

[Zumorito]

Thanks.

Hmmm...actually, if I were able to get a big enough chunk of iron off a meteor fragment, I could take it to the mouth of a volcano and find some hot-lava to dip the iron into....that ought to soften it up a bit haha; probably be a lot easier to mold into a hammer then, and a lot faster than just banging on it with a rock in the cold haha. ...And what an adventure it would be.

 

[Zumorito]

...A hammer from the Heavens.