Personae Non Gratae

"There are many perfectly optimized human beings who are currently buried in the ground. I often wonder how many memories they missed: whiskey by the fire with loved ones, a cigar with old friends, or a late-night conversation with a sad child who had a tough day at school, all because they tried to suppress their fear of death by constantly worrying about their metrics . Would it not be more sensible to make peace with the Judge of the universe so that you can die well rather than trying to stave off the inevitable?" -Lance Captain

  There is a difference between rigorous deliberation and overthinking.  "The idiots ruin everything through overthinking." — Elisha Long "When you think twice you double lose." — Elisha Long It is not the distinction between thinking and doing; it is the distinction between thinking that terminates in action, and thinking that substitutes for action. This does not condone the "opposite" of overthinking, rashness. Alexander did not win battles by saying, "screw it, send it" and charging in headlong. He won battles with solid and ingenious plans, that did "survive first contact", and even survived an utter lack of communication across a miles-wide battle front. He planned thoroughly, but he did not suffer from analysis paralysis like so many moderns; he did not subject himself and others to his own inaction. He subjected the world, the very ends of the earth, to his kardia, thumos, and dynamis. Kardia, the heart, the source of one'...

 If you desire peace, prepare for war. The modern mantra of "violence is never the answer" is infantile. Tell it to the men who fought at the battle of Thermopylae and shifted the tide of the second Persian invasion of Greece, who paved the way for Democracy's conception. Tell it to the colonists who fought to buck the yoke of the illegal governance of King George which violated the supreme law of the land, the Magna Carta, by taxing citizens without representation in parliament, violating justice by eschewing due process and fair trial, and arbitrarily imprisoning its own citizens. Tell that to the early U.S. Marines who trekked across deserts to free American citizens taken captive by the Barbary Pirates to be sold into slavery. Tell it to the Union soldiers who fought to end slavery in America. Tell it to the 82nd airborne paratroopers who fought and marched through the terrors of war to reach Bavaria and free Jewish concentration camp prisoners.  Tell it to them, and ...

Protocol Phase 2 - BJJ Performance & Durability Block | July 5 - August 1 Section 1. Spiritual I write this section deep into phase 2; closing in on 2 months. Consistency on this front has declined. I have been able to get my "quiet time" in in the mornings 3-4 days a week, but have had a hard time getting out of bed much of the time. I am continuing to fight for growth and consistency here, and have improved. Section 2. Intellectual I write this section as well, deep into phase 2. more of a reflection than a plan. Phase 1's physical and spiritual plan remained in effect, with a priority placed on reading and listening to audiobooks that build a knowledge of society, theology, philosophy, and history. The books I have read are listen in the weekly logs at the end of this document, but I have really come to enjoy Tom Holland and Steven Pressfield's work. I have grown in understanding of hte progression of history and now have a general grasp on the course of global...