I’ve seen more entries in social media recently (probably because it’s monitoring what I watch and catering to my views, but whatever) about men and standing for things, which is encouraging; I’ve seen more examples of the new pussified Skinny-Jean-Boy-in-a-Man’s-Shirt than anything else, which naturally leaves me a little disappointed in the future of our species.
​

Something that isn’t encouraged, but I think is shunned, is the capacity for violence. Notice that I said capacity here, which makes all of the difference in the world. Obviously anyone can strike out and destroy a weaker or less-prepared human, and we’re seeing a lot of that as tempers rise, but the real man- the man that should be respected and recognized (and yes, feared) is the one who does NOT lash out.

One of the tenets of bushido (kanji pictured above) is ‘jin’ which is benevolence or mercy, which is in no way to be misconstrued as weakness or cowardice. Inazo Nitobe said, “...mercy was not a blind impulse, but where it recognized due regard to justice, and where mercy did not remain merely a certain state of mind, but where it was backed with the power to save or kill.” This means that the real strength of a man, that truly separates real men from the meatsack, is discipline- the conscious decision to not perform acts of violence, when he is entirely capable of doing terrible things. The true hero contains and constrains the beast, knowing that he has the power to kill, yet chooses not to, unless it is absolutely necessary in the defense of right.


Who can look up to someone who lashes out on a whim, who loses his temper and strikes immediately and indiscriminately? Objectively- do you honestly want to see unrestrained, wanton violence and temper tantrums? What I see around me today are nothing but children in adult bodies, and I’m sure that once one gets corrected- the rest will stand down.


As they should, in the face of true danger.
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As the saying goes, “temp not the righteous man to draw his sword….”

​Yep- that's the point of this post.

Bread.

Why?  There are a number of reasons that are quite timely to me, in this season of life:

• the recipe that I'm pursuing has three ingredients
• this recipe contains nothing but core, unprocessed ingredients
• it takes time, which forces a slowdown
• it's part of the Old Ways of doing things
• I'd like to learn how to cook at least one thing from scratch
• it's a fantastic peanut butter delivery system

OK, so maybe bread isn't exactly the point of this post, but the vehicle to the point of it: the Old Ways.

I believe that technology has been more of a plague to humanity than an aide (without going into any of my conspiracy theory/spoiler alert details).  I remember reading that the government once wrote that, with the advent of computers and the new technology age, humans would work much less, and therefore have much more free time to enjoy life.  What has actually happened can't be any farther from what they wrote.  Granted: technology does provide instant access to knowledge that we wouldn't otherwise be able to find...except that this isn't necessarily true, either, if we haven't constructed the destruction of the family and the disposal of the only ones who could pass on the knowledge of things correctly- our elders.

That, though, is a post for another day.

I absolutely MARVEL at the idea that three ingredients (flour, water, and salt), time, and heat will produce a loaf of amazing, healthful food.  The recipe is for sourdough bread, which requires a whole other time-consuming step, as well- the starter.  This makes for an amazing adventure into something so simple and potentially rewarding that it will probably change a number of things that I do, and towards my goal of simpler, slower, and less-tech-dependent times.

I'm sure I've written before that I don't care for the direction that this world is headed, but I'm going to say it again, anyways: I'm disgusted.  We've traded relationships, time spent living real life, and money on useless technology that does nothing but draw us obsessively to a screen, away from other people, and away from tangible life (outdoors as well as indoors).  I, myself, have been guilty of living this type of life for years; I was a fan of this saying: 

I could say that I regret those years, but it'd be a waste; I lived what I lived, and am no longer living in that place.  It's fine, but I'm not going to live there anymore.  Call it time, maturity, God's Will- whatever you'd like- it's time to hurry up and slow down.

I guess the main point is that we've lost a lot of the Old Ways of doing things, which is a shame for a number of reasons.  Sure- we have YouTube- but what if we don't?  What if the Internet disappears, or if the electricity goes out for whatever period of time?  What if we just plain-old come to our senses and actually want that old-time, slower lifestyle back?  I, personally, have learned enough to believe that we're headed towards the complete destruction of our traditional human selves due to too much technology coupled with laziness and greed.  Companies need to cut costs, so they produce lousy, processed fake food that in turn makes us hungry or sick, which causes us to enter the Disease Management System, which in turn will kill us.  We, ourselves, in seeking the Ultimate Pile of Chinese Plastic Junk, are typically in a hurry to turn a fast buck, then rush to do whatever we do, and buy fast food or cook the fastest meal available, which invariably comes out of a box or tray.

This must end, or we will die.

I think on that note I'll end this post, lest it turn into a Monster Rant of Doom and Gloom.  I enjoy those, but not today.

Take care of yourselves.

I read a social media post recently that got me thinking about the topic of men and the new “toxic masculinity” brainwashing.  I’ve written about men and manhood before, but the topic presents itself repeatedly, and deserves more attention- especially in today’s world.


I remember playing Cops and Robbers way back when; you know- when we could drink out of the garden hose without being afraid.  I remember drawing on caramel-colored paper with a pencil,  underground tunnels and bases and military campaigns and battles, complete with stick figure soldiers and guns and dashed lines to the enemy, ending with the jagged BAM explosion cloud.


Do you know why?


Because God put battle and adventure in the hearts of men.


Oh, sure- we’re sooo much more intelligent, advanced, and civilized now than we were in the days of rocks and stone tools.  ...but I’d like to pose a different angle- we’re having the fight beaten out of us by what I’ll lovingly call the Pussification of Men.  I’m not saying that men have not abused their power and their historically dominant position in the world; I’m saying that, equally as evil, we’re having all men demonized, maligned, and vilified by the New Age, progressive society of today.  It only takes a quick look around to see that the Man of Today hardly looks like a man, at all, but an emaciated, skinny-jean wearing, effeminate, fearful remnant of what a man used to be.


Perhaps our food is easier to kill, and living isn’t as hard as it used to be, but society is actively squashing the man and manhood.  The lust for conquering, for a grand battle and a fight for the princess, are being replaced with an alternate and impotent reality of video games, digital distractions, and real-life attacks on the Old Ways.  I see the pale men of today scrambling for their lattes and cheap plastic junk.  I see them trying to be smaller, more clean-cut and dainty, and more politically correct to the point of leaving any semblance of a stance or opinion behind.  I have heard of men actually side-stepping danger or physically putting their woman in between themselves and a threat.


We can say that we’re more civilized- but are we, and how will we respond to a threat?  What about those who are not so civilized?  I see the immoral and criminal among us just steamrolling over Today’s Man, because they have no courage, no God as a mentor, and no solid ground on which to stand.  We had better rescue our men, learn to be courageous and bold again, and rediscover honor, character, and our fighting spirit, because our families and our country depend on it.

 As I’ve done more Scripture reading, praying, and talking (and listening) to others about current events, it has become clearer to me than ever that it is now time to get moving. Many aspects of our lifestyles are under attack, and I am growing weary of giving up my freedoms to the unrighteous and enemies of my country. From the purity of our school-age children to our livelihoods and the sanctity and safety of our homes, it seems like every angle of life is under attack...which it absolutely is.


This is far, far from the Red vs. Blue that may think it is, and struggling to acquire a few more like-minded voters is futile; we know that the system is broken, and our elections are no longer elections, so hoping that we’ll score more voters in the next one is plain idiocy. It’s high time to stop watching the mainstream media and relying one someone else to fix the system. We need everyone to start communicating and getting involved in our local communities before it is too late.


I have an immense appreciation for the BardsFM podcast, and completely agree with the effort that is in the works called County by County. Please visit there and have a listen and a read; there is a lot of useful information in both sources.


I have this tiny site here that, should enough people visit and find worth it, I will continue to develop; otherwise it’ll be more or less a static site with probably a few updates on the Prepare page. I have to assume that someone on the Net has already assembled much more useful information that I have, and I don’t have time, or see the need, to reinvent the wheel.


Best of luck, patriots, and I hope to hear from you soon.

   I have experienced numerous events that I can only classify as “providential” as I am a Believer, and wouldn’t typically just come up with these ideas on my own. I may have written about these before, and if I did not- I think I will at some point, but it’s not time for that now.

As what I think to be the country’s (the world’s?) imminent fall and/or awakening (depending upon your worldviews) approaches, I happened upon Steve Harvey’s motivational speech about gifts.  I don’t follow Steve Harvey, have barely heard of Steve Harvey outside of his involvement with Family Feud, and frankly don’t see the charm in his random Ebonics.  I embedded it here for convenience. 

Whatever the case- I paid close attention to that video because, once again, it is relevant in this day and apparently marked the beginning of another (perhaps unwilling) quest. His video started me questioning my abilities, and whether or not I am even using them; simply because I am “good at” computers in no way means that my gifting is to work in front of a computer. Ironically within a week Scott’s podcast mentioned what can be called “right work,” work that is productive to the world. I’ll call it “ironically” although I think I’m finally getting the message. I’m a stubborn (and obstinate) one, sometimes to the point of seeming stupidity.

So began my current mission- What is my gift?

But rather than explore my own personal potential, I’m just writing to flesh out what I think is a timely, relevant, and most important topic. We’re heading into uncertain times, and most surely many will not survive, whether physically or just mentally, and it’s time for self-evaluation, (which I imagine is related to my favorite podcaster’s County by County initiative). Talk of a potential lack of electricity or electronics notwithstanding- everyone has a gift and a purpose that is productive in our stewardship of the planet, and I believe that it is high time to stop wasting time furthering some corporation’s agenda, and use our own gifts for the good of the immediate community. We waste countless hours head down and hunched over, looking at screens instead of being active participants in our lives; the phrase “are you alive or just living?” comes to mind here. I, myself, have fallen into this trap, and though I can argue that my digital pursuits have produced tangible results- how much time has been lost being the target and accomplice in this seemingly passive aggression against humanity?

See what I did there? I’m not touching that topic in THIS blog- but you know that I will, eventually.

Whatever your gift- it’s there, and just requires a little bit of mindful attention and exploration, and like Steve Harvey mentioned- it is not necessarily a passion; it may very well be what you consider mundane, but are amazingly talented at doing.

This world is in dire need of a generation of doers and craftsmen, people to lead and rescue the masses of useless, entitled screen readers and resource abusers (by the way- that is NOT some woke gibberish, but just an observation).

This world needs community.

And we need it now.

This season of life has introduced a number of challenges and opportunities, and what I thought was going to be some random posts and a small social media effort to make people laugh and think, has turned into something much more substantial (well, to me, anyways).

There's a lot to cover here, and it doesn't necessarily get recorded in any chronological order, so there's not really any story to be read in order, per se.  Should this be read by any substantial number of people, that may change as I address issues, but for now it is simply a blog to the winds.

​And that's fine.