001
Why do you carry so much on you?
Flashlight
Gun
Knife
Keys
Phone
Wallet
This is slightly more than the average person, so I understand the reason for the question. The first time I was asked this was by my girlfriend (who is now my wife). You see, my wife and I grew up very differently.
She grew up in a small town where most people left their doors unlocked with no issues to speak of. However, I was taught from a young age that there were bad people in the world that didn't think the same way I did about what was right and wrong. This is undoubtedly because my father was a sergeant at the local county jail. My father isn’t “educated” per se but he is a very wise man and very self aware. You see, he was basically locked up with these guys the majority of every day. Instead of judging them and distancing himself from them, he saw it as an opportunity to learn.
He would ask them questions such as:
“What are you doing here man?”
“Why did you do that?”
Now more than ever I realize how important is is to ask Why? If you can understand that, you can lift the ceiling of learning potential.
Many times they would answer:
“If they didn't want me to take it, they should have locked it up.” As if it wasn’t their fault, and the fault of the person who should have prevented themselves from becoming a victim.
Or
“I did it because they let me.” This brings up a huge gap between those who think like me or my wife, from those that think like “a criminal”. Just understand, that there are people out there that don’t have the same mental frame work that most of society does. Some reasons for that will have to be elaborated in another article.
Like I said, my father took these truths and taught them to us at an early age. Some might call it paranoia. I call it awareness. As different as it might be I can never thank my father enough for framing my mind this way.
So what does this have to do with all the things that I line my pockets and belt line with?
Easy, Im not going to let anyone with the above mindset, think I am going to let them dictate what happens to myself or my loved ones. Despite its inconvenience, the things in my pockets help me do that.
There is something that you won’t see on the infamous “pocket dump” list.
Thats because you cant put it in your pocket. I would rather be armed with the above knowledge and leave my home everyday with an armed mind and an empty holster than the other way around.
I’m a huge advocate for allowing yourselves the right tools. But tools don’t swing themselves.
-Admin 06