Inspired by Michelle Johnson-Brown, From the Cigar Lounge Wisdom series It was a mid-July evening and, as I have for many an evening, I sat at the local cigar bar and enjoyed the company of some friends. One young lady and I had previously enjoyed a contemplative conversation about the human spirit and everything that goes…
Here we are in the early years of the 21st century. It’s a setting saturated with social media. Some of those outlets I can think of off the top of my head are Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, LinkedIn and more. The existence of these social outlets has allowed for people to become quite popular for…
Creating A Contemporary Warrior, Part One Being armed does not a warrior make. Being willing to fight does not a warrior make. Warrior: 1) a person engaged or experienced in warfare; soldier. 2) a person who shows or has shown great vigor, courage, or aggressiveness.
In the course of several conversations I’ve had a number of people ask me if I ever remember my dreams. Many of those I was talking to apparently don’t. My answer is: I didn’t used to but I wanted to so I studied the topic and found that, allegedly, I could train my brain to…
Every now and then I get involved in some interesting discussions with friends at the local cigar bar. Last evening (as I type this) I got involved in a discussion about the human soul, the value of it, where it originates, where it goes after we die and so on. As you can imagine, everyone…
Dick Marcinko, in his book called “Rogue Warrior” describes an incident where he was on a combat patrol and for an unknown reason he dropped to the ground just as enemy fire opened up on his position. As he describes the experience it’s very clear that he was not at the time, and to the…
Paladin: any knightly or heroic champion; any determined advocate or defender of a noble cause. Noble: of an admirably high quality; notably superior; excellent; of an exalted moral or mental character or excellence; lofty. Knight: a man, usually of noble birth, who after an apprenticeship as page and squire was raised to honorable military rank and bound to…
I was reading a book today about the symbols and meanings of them within Free Masonry and it occurred to me that the book’s author believed on thing beyond a doubt: that all human beings crave a moral existence.
In recent weeks, with active shooter events having occurred at a mall, a church and as children got off a school bus, I’ve seen some postings in various online forums from civilians who hold concealed carry permits asking, “How should we react to this?” The question they are asking, in general, is what they should…
Fish or Cut Bait? I was once told that everything I needed to know I learned in, or before, kindergarten. By then I had learned right from wrong and the rest was just judgment and balancing circumstances. In my own personal background, I have to believe that I learned some of my core values regarding…
“I’m a man of my convictions; call me wrong; call me right.” – Toby Keith Conviction: a fixed or firm belief. (www.dictionary.com) Integrity: adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty. Ethical: pertaining to or dealing with morals or the principles of morality; pertaining to right and wrong in conduct.
No, this article is not about National Guardsmen (or women). It’s not about any state or county run organization that empowers citizens to act as a group during any crisis. This article is about Joseph Average Citizen – otherwise known as Joe Citizen – and what power Joe Citizen has against both crime and terrorism…
Just this past week I took a road trip with my family to the midwest. We enjoyed the drive and seeing the sights, but never far from my mind was how isolated we sometimes were. On a few of the state highways – one lane in either direction, flat, and no structures for miles upon…
Every now and then we get reminded of just how good the people in our world can be. And “our world” isn’t just our circle of nearby friends, or folks from our neighborhood, friends of friends, etc. It quite literally is people from around the world. Bear with me as I elaborate and follow along…
Depending on your background, whether or not you spent time in the military, what type of family you were raised in, etc. you may or may not have received any training in the basic necessities of survival. It’s okay if you haven’t received any training because there are only about a gazillion survival kits available…
This morning my attention was grabbed by a post on social media wherein the person posting claimed that his view of a particular event was more accurate than other views being shared and when asked why he felt his was more accurate, his response was, “Because my level of education is higher than yours, therefore…
A couple years ago I was part of a team that filmed several video segments centered around the value and importance of fitness for law enforcement professionals. The video series was never published but I’ll never forget a couple of things about it. First, my partner in the series was the same height and weight…
I happen to belong to an organization that requires a “belief in deity” to apply for membership. Now very carefully read this: I didn’t say “a belief in God,” or any other specifically named deity, religious icon, etc. I said, it requires a belief in deity. I know people who have expressed a desire to…
“It’ll be just like shooting fish in a barrel.” We here that phrase used all the time. It’s just a figure of speech. What does it mean? Something will be easy to do. Why is shooting fish in a barrel easy? Because you have a “target rich environment.” For you folks who have never been…
The one thing we can all count on is change. It’s the only constant in life. Every day… something is going to change. We have no choice, if we’re going to live successful lives, but to adapt to the change and keep on. This is perhaps not as evident anywhere else as it is in…