THE LONE-WOLF FALLACY

Solo Survival is Glorified in Pop Culture, But it Can Be Dangerous in the Real World

- Patrick Diedrich

Walking cautiously down the seemingly abandoned city streets, a solitary man peers suspiciously at his surroundings. A flicker of motion in the periphery of his vision brings his travel to an abrupt halt. He shifts the weight of his survival pack on its straps and shoulders his carbine, turning in the direction of the potential danger. Creeping forward, the man sees a pair of ragged survivors fumbling with something that resembles a makeshift explosive. He decides to eliminate this threat and scavenge whatever supplies he can from what remains. Bringing his eye to his scope, he puts the crosshairs on his first target. He takes a deep breath, exhales slowly, and holds steady. He begins applying pressure to the trigger and bam! — the man is knocked unconscious with a brutal impact to the side of the head.

Without a partner to watch his back, another person was able to sneak up behind this loner while he was distracted. The rest of the story is probably a bit different than what you’d see on a screen. No, the man won’t wake up as a bewildered captive, receiving medical assistance from a kindly, post-apocalyptic physician. He’s going to lie there, oozing blood as his belongings are looted. And if he doesn’t meet his maker from an untreated head injury or exposure, he’s going to have to wander around, scavenging for new supplies with one heck of a headache and nothing to wear but shame.