The Myth of Why Men Shave

A long time ago men used to be proud of their beards and even more proud of their skills in combat. They were warriors and their beards were symbols of their strength and power.

Then one day, during a great battle, one man grabbed another man by the beard and pulled his face into an ax. 

From then on men were afraid that their beards would be used against them, so they decided to shave their beards and always keep them short. It was known that, "The man with the smoothest face has the sharpest blade." The men carried their blades for a time but as things changed and blades turned to words they put down their weapons and put on suits and ties and took on a new battle. That's why business men always have smoothest faces. 

But as time goes by and life becomes more comfortable and conflict is in decline the men are growing their beards back. 

Optimism and Play

“Fear is the path to the dark side…fear leads to anger…anger leads to hate…hate leads to suffering.” Yoda

Engineer life around play. If you can choose your way through life then why choose to see everything as work when you can choose to see life as an opportunity to play? I want to choose to play more in my life even though I don't fully understand what that means for a 33-year-old man in 2017.

Forgetting my youthful exuberance is a tragedy I hope to avoid but sadly I forget it's power.

I believe at some point our self-consciousness builds and if it is not put into balance with objectivity we forget to live openly. In filtering our behavior to match a self-imposed social expectation we lose the joy that comes from a lack of inhibition. Many turn to alcohol to regain this feeling but I would like to attempt to implement the philosophy of play in every endeavor I engage in. This will be exceptionally difficult but I think that deep down inside myself there is an optimistic child that is not completely lost to the sands of maturation and socialization.

The best part about this psychological disposition toward life is that a creative person can play anywhere. As an adult, you don't have to do many things. You have to eat, sleep and live and there are endless combinations of potential solutions for accomplishing these basic requirements. In America, once you have the money to pay your bills consistently you are free to do whatever you want. Of course, you are limited by the resources you have to acquire objects and experiences but at no time are you required to feel a certain way about yourself and life by an outside source. You are free to view your circumstances in whichever way you choose and whether you are pessimistic or optimistic will determine your outlook and emotional reactions. I believe optimism is a prerequisite to play and pessimism is a prerequisite to nihilism and the negative definition of work.

You can choose to see yourself as a victim of life or as a player of life but either way, it is a choice that affects your well being as well as the well being of those around you. Take responsibility for your life and become its master or you will be a slave to the negative emotions and outcomes of a life lived in the dreary landscape of nihilism.

Victims require villains. Villains are to be feared. Fear leads to hate and resentment. Resentment festers and violence ensues. The dark side can only be mitigated by the light of hope.

At least that is what I keep telling myself and I think it really matters. I am not predisposed to thinking this way but I will try.

Reasons to be optimistic:

45 Benefits of Optimism by 

https://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2010/03/24/benefits-of-optimism/https://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2010/03/24/benefits-of-optimism/

Stuart Brown: Play is more than fun

Bro Virtue Signalling

"Bro Virtue Signalling, or BVS, is when someone who is super cool also espouses virtues in a cool way. It is important that the signal is not preachy or trying to actually make someone feel worthless. It has to be empowering being perceived as being a "big deal". 

I thought of this while listening to The Joe Rogan Experience Podcast and the Your Mom's House podcast. In both of these podcasts the comedians that host them make fun of each other in the direction of persuading them of the value of good health. The fat shaming event that Bert Kreischer and Tom Segura engaged in earlier this year went viral and became a huge story. What's interesting is that the entire campaign was centered around a bet between the two out of shape comedians to lose weight. Whomever got the lower BMI rating would win and while the contest went on people from all over the world got in on the jokes and jeering. 

This kind of subtle promotion of the virtue of healthier living with the use of crude and "bro" humor is one of the reasons why these comedians and podcasts are so popular. They are not devoid of ethics. They simply hide their virtue signals among vulgar language and sometimes brutal masculine japery. It speaks to the complicated nature of communication and friendship. Friends, especially males, do not always come straight out and say, "I care about you and I think your weight it is unhealthy," but instead say the same thing by saying, "I bet you can't run a mile, because your so fat." It's blunt and to those listening may come off as rude but it's bite is in proportion to the care the one has for the other. 

Another example of this can be seen in the crowning of champions for various activities on the Your Mom's House Podcast between the two hosts Christina Pazsitzky and Tom Segura (husband and wife). In between the fart jokes and insane YouTube clips the two comedians throw in little virtue signals that promote a healthier lifestyle without being preachy. They have a running joke that one of them is the "water champion" and while no one is a clear winner the real goal of the competition is to promote the healthy behavior of drinking more water. Considering the two just had their first child I think that this is another example of how adults can mature while remaining true to themselves.

I highly recommend you check out these podcasts:

http://www.yourmomshousepodcast.com/

http://podcasts.joerogan.net/

Asshole Ideologies

Some causes are worth fighting and dying for, but some causes are merely justifications for assholes to group together to enact their hatred on others. They resent humanity, life and their own lack of worth so they project their insecurities and malice outward to those their cause deems evil. And in the name of slaying the "evil" they become evil. Their misguided morality leads them to cause chaos and harm to the innocent and guilty alike. They're not guided by reasonable moral principles but instead they lash out at their enemies whom they have labeled their enemy based on superficial reasons. They hate those that do not share their race, gender, political affiliation, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation and boil all of ethics into an use vs them race to the grave.

As the violence escalates and ideologies clash it is up to individuals to decide whether or not they will be an asshole today. What's an asshole you ask?

Assholes wear masks because they do not want to be responsible for their actions. Assholes go to pick a fight when the other person clearly doesn't want one. Assholes blow up civilians because they know that if they were to enact their irrational war on their true enemy they would lose in a second. Assholes shoot drive cars into crowds hoping to hurt and kill people with signs. Assholes go around hating on people instead of building them up or ignoring them. Assholes don't negotiate. Assholes sign away lives in wars for selfish and psychotic reasons. Assholes sign laws into place for the sake of votes alone, neglecting philosophical principles and decency.

Assholes steal your stereo face plate but leave the stereo. You stupid mother fuckers!

Ideologies that include justifications for violence based on superficial features are problematic for anyone interested in peace.

What if all the sentences for criminals were voted on by large numbers of people online? After a trial takes place and someone is found guilty, the public is given a set of choices for sentencing and the outcome is determined by a mix of public vote and judge consensus. Certified judges would get paid to listen in on the trials and determine whether or not the public came to an acceptable decision. If the public were to write-in a sentence that was outrageous then the judges would reject the decision and it would go up again or be put to a smaller judgement pool of deciders. I think the American public would eat this idea up in a second.

That last paragraph aside I wonder how I would instill my value system in others if I could. How would I justify my moral presuppositions? How would I convince someone that they are wrong when they believe so passionately that what they are doing is right. So much so that they are willing to kill and/or die to prove it? I do know that it is impossible to have the kinds of conversations that lead humans toward more peace when you are being bombed, poisoned, bashed, stabbed, gassed or otherwise threatened by someone else's ideological battle ax.

Maybe I just haven't seen enough strife or misery in my life to feel the need for the hopeful embrace of ideological warfare but I think that part of what has lead to more and more people living lives free from violence comes from sticking to universal moral principles such as respect for property rights which includes bodily rights. It's not that you punish someone for breaking laws but that you protect those worth protecting from those that would take their property, life or general freedom.

Paying attention: A Retail Perspective

Click here to get more!

Try to not ignore anyone.

This does not mean give everyone your undying attention but it does mean when the door opens you look up and see who is there. A second's worth of eye contact is enough for those walking in to know that you know that they exist. It also tells the customer you are currently helping that you pay attention to more than just your immediate surroundings. Situational awareness is practiced with deliberation in the military and police because being aware, even if only subconsciously through practicing attentiveness, can prepare someone for potentially dangerous encounters. The good news for retail is that it also creates an increased sense of personal service and attention for normal customers.

For anyone working in retail or any other occupation that requires the facilitation of large numbers of people I recommend doing your best to say "hi" or nod or otherwise make customers know that you know they are there. You can't help everyone at once but a customer who thinks they do not matter will become resentful and bitter. They will remember all the times they were ignored by family, teachers, and friends and they will demand your attention or walk away. They may mutter, scream or leave in a huff and it will have been a general failure.

It is also important that employees take ownership of their space through their physical and ocular presence. Paying attention and being proactive are the best ways to provide great customer service while maintaining authority and supports a degree of safety. While paying attention alone is not a full-proof method for warding off evildoers, it is part of the foundation that builds a well-rounded worker and person. 

30 Days of Fiction: 18

A single dim light could be seen in the darkness. I could see it pulsating in and out as I drew nearer to the source and it grew brighter. A tall figure began to take shape and soon I stood a few feet away from a tall man in a long dark overcoat. His face was covered by the brim of a wide black hat until he lifted his face as if he just realized I was there.

"You him?" he said as he lift the right side of his coat to reveal a Colt peacemaker. He put the cigarette out on the leathery holster and looked up. 

"I'm the one you've called for. To come out to the edge of this field. In the shade of these trees to meet," I said, hoping he would mistake my nervous chatter for rugged indifference. 

The man looked me up and down with distrust and curiosity and then said, "Well, alright. Come with me, then."

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what this is all about, Mister Carter," I said and added quickly, "with all do respect."

His face softened slightly after my "with all do respect" and he walked forward and leaned in close. He took a firm grip on my shoulder and whispered, "You'll see." He smiled as he turned and started to walk into the darkness of the forest. I was compelled to follow. After about twenty minutes of slow, silent meandering through black cottonwood and red alder another glowing light was beginning to grow and widen. 

Approaching the raging bonfire my heart quickened as the figures of men began to take shape against the light. They circled the fire, all with the same hats, jackets and soulless eyes and among, somewhere, was the one I had followed here. Stepping closer to the fire, almost joining them, I began to notice that they were all the same. Not just in dress but in their faces as well. Fifteen clones all looking at me, waiting for me to take that last step. 

What happens if I join them, I asked myself. Would I become one of them or would they devour my flesh and through my bones in the fire? Or should I run for it? 

Just then a voice came from one of them and none of them saying, "All you need to do is take one more step and we will tell you why you are here. Why you have been chosen.  I will tell you everything. But first, you must join us in the circle."

They stared and my foot began to rise up and I stared at it as it dropped forward compelling the rest of my body forward. As soon as I felt the ground underneath me the world began to spin and the bright light of the fire faded sharply to black. 

A moment later I was back in my room, my eyes adjusting to the darkness and my mind adjusting to the rude awakening of reality. 

30 Days of Fiction: 17

Thomas Kilborn sat as far back as he could in his lazy boy recliner thinking about what to do next. He'd been staring at the ceiling for about twenty minutes but was no closer to making a decision then he was thirty minutes ago, which was when he put himself in the position of having to make this decision. Was it to be the pink one or the black one? Ultimately he would have both soon enough but this exact opportunity would likely never present itself again. There might be more opportunities to bask in the glorious feeling that indulging himself in these delights lends itself but it would only be an attempt at impersonating this event and therefore never be as sweet. This was it. His only chance to make the right decision and he had to make it soon.

He dropped his head suddenly sending his body down and his head forward as the chair rapidly transformed from a pseudo-bed into an infinitely plush chair. He stood up and waved his finger at the sky swiftly, shaking his head from side to side in a fevered show of positivity and revelation. He meandered around the coffee table and slinked into the next room where the source of his indecision and resulting apoplexy was now residing. He fixed his gaze on the pink one and he couldn't tell if it was mocking him or not. It seemed to be mocking him with it's feminine brightness and judging undertones but maybe not. He did not like the pink one. Of that he was sure.

Just then, in a moment of weakness he entertained a peripheral temptation and focused his gaze on the brown one. It was just as menacing as the pink one and he began to pace faster around the table where his potential victims lay helplessly. The brown one was so dull and ugly, how could he not eat that one? He was thinking this when another thought came barging into his mental mayhem that was his mind and he was struck with another revelation. Was it inevitable that he would devour one or more of these mortal creatures or could he spare them, just for now, and take them later? It would be a good exercise in self control.

He squirmed out of the room as swiftly and clumsily as he had entered it a few minutes earlier and into the living room. Back in his chair he sat with his head cradled by his soft hands and he did his best to think about something else. Cars, no. Baseball, no. But when knives came up he began to follow a train of thought through a winding trail of brands, steels, materials and purposes, which ultimately led to knowledge that knives are used to cut things. He remembered how much he wanted to cut one of them or maybe, if he had no self control this time, he would cut into both of them and pay no mind to the satisfaction of taking them slowly. He wanted to just take them both now and be done with it.

Slowly he arose like a devious demon and slinked over to the counter as quietly as he could. When he felt how well his socks masked his steps he smiled and in no time he was grasping a long silver blade. As he brought it up it shimmered for just a moment before Thomas began his final trek toward the culmination of his contemplation. The end to the torment caused by his own indecision. His heart began to beat uncontrollably in his chest and his eyes widened as the two of them came into view. He felt the power of the tightly gripped knife in his hand and the anticipation of that wonderful feeling he would feel during the act was intoxicating, filling him with warmth.

Without hesitation the strong blade slammed down on the pink one severing it in two, nearly equal, parts revealing it's insides and a red paste began to ooze onto the table. Then, with another swift, vertical blow the brown one was split in twain but this time a dark brown liquid began to poor madly out of the wound mixing with the red paste, conducting a kind of sick alchemy of sweet, sticky goodness. Thomas began to cackle and dance around the table chanting, "hey yuh, hey yuh, hey yuh," like a barbarian at a victory feast as bits of red and strings of brown spattered onto the ground and cabinets.

He stopped his triumphant dance when he felt the event had been properly celebrated, which turned out to be immediately after he noticed the mess he was creating and remembered how much he hated cleaning up, and then looked down on the soft, gooey, clumps on the table and realized that he hadn't solved his problem at all. Now there were two pink ones, and two brown ones, which was worse than before. Then, Thomas remembered that there was a quarter in the drawer at his six o'clock and in one quick jump he twisted around now facing the opposite direction. The drawer was full of miscellaneous items, odds and ends and just a second after he pricked his hand by something sharp he felt the quarter lying on the bottom.

In another death defying spinning jump move he was facing his victims once more and his mouth began to water. The coin flipped precipitously and in slow motion toward the sky, then back down and spun on the edge of the counter for just a moment before falling to the floor. Thomas lurched downward nearly impaling himself on the blunt side of the tabletop and looked at the coin. Heads it was and with joyous resolve he stood up, also in slow motion, and grabbed the top half of the chocolate filled eclair and with generous gusto jammed it into his gaping mouth. For minutes to come, underneath the sugary treat, could be heard the sound of many muffled and glorious giggles.