Tribe is widely considered to be a seminal work on issues facing Veterans of the Global War on Terror as they transition out of the military and return to American society at large. Junger uses examples of both historic tribal cultures and tribe-like aspects of modern communities to describe the primal attraction humans have toward…
Words
The New Minimum
The standard is the minimum. The standard is the price of admission, the ticket purchased by effort and consistency. It is the key that unlocks the door to development and growth. Too often, we chase an arbitrary standard. A double-bodyweight deadlift, a sub-one second draw, and a six-minute mile are meaningless when devoid of the…
Reading List: Left of Bang: How the Marine Corps’ Combat Hunter Program Can Save Your Life by Patrick Van Horne and Jason A. Riley (2014)
The tactical industry is inundated with methodologies for improving the “hard skills” of the combative disciplines, from marksmanship and weapon manipulation to tactical application of those skills in a scenario-driven environment. Far less training time, and often far more lip service, is devoted to the “soft skills,” particularly situational awareness and behavioral analysis. Oftentimes it…
Reading List – Star Wars Republic Commando: Hard Contact by Karen Traviss (2004)
Prior to Disney acquiring the Star Wars franchise, Lucasfilm fostered the creation of a mythos that expanded upon the universe established by the six feature films. The Expanded Universe utilized a range of media outlets such as novels, video games, and comic books to tell new, exciting stories set in the Star Wars galaxy. Expanded…
The Aspirational Self
Aspirational aspects of self develop early in childhood, when kids imagine the fantastical lifestyles of different archetypal occupations: the astronaut, the cowboy, the soldier, the firefighter, the actress, the construction worker. These aspirations become reinforced throughout childhood, sometimes through direct observation but most often through the consumption of media. As children mature and pursue their…
Student Responsibility
The most rewarding aspect of teaching is the energy transfer that occurs between instructor and pupil when both parties are fully invested in each other’s development. Each is consciously and subconsciously working together to better the other, enabling both to make great strides and reach individual watershed moments with mutual jubilation. However, this energy transfer…
The High-Rep Individual
In early May 2020, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) released a body-cam video showing the final moments of a hostage rescue. An SPD SWAT Officer is seen sprinting down an alleyway in pursuit of the suspect who is holding a baby hostage after running from a domestic violence incident. The officer in the frame turns…
Spring Cleaning
Spring is traditionally a time for renewal, of both physical and metaphysical aspects of nature. Using this time to refocus on values and principles can result in a cleansing of mind and body in preparation for the rest of the year, reflecting on the resolutions of the new year and enacting plans made during the…