If I were out in the wilderness and something went horribly wrong, could I survive long enough to be rescued or else reach civilization?

I think so. I think that, for me, the biggest factor is that I know my limitations. I know what I don't know. I know how far I can push myself, and I know when to quit.

I know how to build a fire with only what I can find in the woods. If I were injured, sick, or freezing to death, it would be really difficult. But if it was something else (like getting hopelessly lost, or stranded by a rushing stream, or something else), and if I had my pack and its contents still with me, it wouldn't faze me.

I know that the very first thing to do when facing an unforseen difficulty is stop and make a cup of tea. Coffee might work, but there's something reflective about brewing tea that just gets the mind working straighter. Stop and nurse that cup of tea, and think about something else for a little bit, and when you come back to the problem often an answer will begin to form. I think panic is the absolute worst thing to have in the backcountry. A wet sleeping bag in cold weather can be dealt with. An injured hand or foot can be dealt with. Panic saps energy and fogs the mind and makes really simple things into impossible mountains.

I know enough bushcraft to build a whole cabin if I need to. I've never actually done it, so maybe I know less than I think. But I'd give it a try if it came down to it. I'm good at figuring things out.

I bet I could go out in three seasons with only a razor blade and a bit of mason twine and make it ok for several days. I don't want to do that, because it doesn't sound fun or safe to me. But if I had to I could.

But here's the rub: I do have common sense. I heard a couple local radio personalities talking about common sense one time. One of the guys said that we need to start calling it uncommon sense, since no one seems to have it anymore. My common sense makes me take rain gear even when no rain is forecast, food when I'm only planning to be out for a little while, and a map even though I know the area. My common sense shies away from rough streams, especially in wet weather, and it sends me home when I get hypothermic. (Which actually happened. Once.)

The sad part is that I think that the people who need it most are the ones least likely to have it. For us, this is something approaching a passion. We know how to be reasonably safe and prepared. For most people who are just beginning, that drive just isn't there yet. Sometimes you have an experience like I did once that makes you sit up and take notice, but sometimes that experience just nearly kills you.

That's my two cents.