Rock on, Lou, thanks for sending—I'll put this on later. Yeah, a knife is still the best (and safest) bet for most of what we need to do, though both are beautiful.
Lou - I was going to say, this was another great essay from Sam, but it could have been way more powerful with a video of him opening every Amazon box he gets with his pistol!
I try to replace the phone with paper, books and journals. It’s a massive work in progress, but it’ll be worth it eventually! This is a good reminder of our roots…
Thank you Kai. It is extremely hard, and maybe even impossible without getting off the grid. I've done the most I could and still spend a majority of the day on a screen. But it only serves to maximize the satisfaction of ink on paper, and whatever your own passion project is.
Brings to mind a quote from Robert E. Howard: "To hell with the psychologists and city-bred psychoanalysts and all the other freaks spawned by our rotting civilization. They've lived between concrete and shingles so long they've forgot their origin. They ought to get out before sun-up and walk through the grass barefooted some morning, just for an unfamiliar experience. I once wrote a rhyme in which I tried to express my resentment:
You have built a world of paper and wood.
Culture and cult and lies;
Has the cobra altered beneath its hood,
Or the fire in the tiger's eyes?
You have turned from valley and hill and flood,
You have set yourselves apart,
Forgetting the earth that feeds the blood
And the talon that finds the heart.
You boast you have stilled the lustful call
Of the black ancestral ape,
But life, the tigress that born you all
Has never changed her shape.
And a strange shape comes to your faery mead,
With a fixed black simian frown,
But you will not know and you will not heed
Till your towers come tumbling down.
I've forgotten the rest of it, which is doubtless as well. "
I've been saving this one because I anticipated it would be good. Now I have a new concept I need to weave into my next novel. I can see the dialogue now.
And to add to this, the use of the knife is primal. I grew up processing venison in Northern Michigan as part of my parents' side business. Using the knife to pass through the muscles and separate them from the bones, and turning them into food.
Even more primal, I slaughter my own meat when I can. The sacredness of slicing the artery properly and watching the life slip away gives a profound respect for food that you don't get anywhere else. It sticks with you with every bite. You feel the impact in your soul.
Astute point that primal tools free us while modern tools, more often than not, tend to enslave. As Twight says, “Punish the body to perfect the soul.” The liberating tools are those that connect us to this axiom. Axe, adze, hoe, plow. I’ve been at a sticking point on an essay on the transformative capacity of manual labor and this piece has stoked the fire to get back after it.
That is an epic quote, from an epic man. I like the premise of your essay. I did manual labor through middle and high school and would not trade the experience for anything. Thank you for dropping this here and godspeed with the essay—the world can use it.
Some of the best in fine arts - music, painting, poetry, dance and theatre - come out of the depths of souls in torment. These artists walk the fine line in transmuting grief, sadness, rage, lust, love, and regret into a historical perspective the reflects their inner turmoil and angst. I believe this follows a line back into our primal being and heritage. Not all of us are warriors, or hunter/gatherers. But we, in the now sense, can follow that primeval path that leads us into a greater understanding and appreciation of those who came before us.
This is beautiful Dana. Your point about torment is intuitive. Some of my favorite thinkers made the comment that their best writing was done when they were suffering the most deeply. It makes the creative act truly paradoxical. All the more reason to love it.
I really liked this one Sam, especially your comparison of the knife and smart phone. I fear the loss of skills we humans are experiencing with technology and the impact of AI. Great post!
I think this is a self portrait, Sam. “But a madman need not be creative, while the creative must at times be madmen.” I say this, of course, with the greatest respect.
I would honored to own it. The most interesting people I have ever met were not "normal" in any sense of the word. This includes you. You are so humble after all you have done my mind cannot comprehend it.
It’s like an invisible hammer, somehow making us think we are doing the hammering. I deal with this reversal every day in my own mind. I’m grateful this resonated.
Great one, Sam. Laughing to myself imagining you opening a package with a pistol. You might enjoy this: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/evolutionary-insights-by-anthropology-net/id1796608496?i=1000712590166
Rock on, Lou, thanks for sending—I'll put this on later. Yeah, a knife is still the best (and safest) bet for most of what we need to do, though both are beautiful.
Lou - I was going to say, this was another great essay from Sam, but it could have been way more powerful with a video of him opening every Amazon box he gets with his pistol!
I'm pretty sure it would been censored, or at the very least terrifying if taken out of context.
My grandfather would hand one to me when I was a young boy and growl "it's always loaded". One of my favorites: https://winklerknives.com/collections/frontpage/products/blue-ridge-hunter?variant=7291716108311 -- 4" / single sided is the max I can carry in my blue state and folders are always compromises.
There is no greater wisdom to prime us to remain disciplined. This is a beautiful blade... the savagery is strong within it.
“Homo Habilis”. We made tools. Tools made us. We lost our tools. We lost ourselves. Thanks for illuminating a path back to ourselves, Sam.
Well said, Baird. Thank you. The best part about the creative tools is we may only be beginning to complete ourselves.
I try to replace the phone with paper, books and journals. It’s a massive work in progress, but it’ll be worth it eventually! This is a good reminder of our roots…
Thank you Kai. It is extremely hard, and maybe even impossible without getting off the grid. I've done the most I could and still spend a majority of the day on a screen. But it only serves to maximize the satisfaction of ink on paper, and whatever your own passion project is.
Brings to mind a quote from Robert E. Howard: "To hell with the psychologists and city-bred psychoanalysts and all the other freaks spawned by our rotting civilization. They've lived between concrete and shingles so long they've forgot their origin. They ought to get out before sun-up and walk through the grass barefooted some morning, just for an unfamiliar experience. I once wrote a rhyme in which I tried to express my resentment:
You have built a world of paper and wood.
Culture and cult and lies;
Has the cobra altered beneath its hood,
Or the fire in the tiger's eyes?
You have turned from valley and hill and flood,
You have set yourselves apart,
Forgetting the earth that feeds the blood
And the talon that finds the heart.
You boast you have stilled the lustful call
Of the black ancestral ape,
But life, the tigress that born you all
Has never changed her shape.
And a strange shape comes to your faery mead,
With a fixed black simian frown,
But you will not know and you will not heed
Till your towers come tumbling down.
I've forgotten the rest of it, which is doubtless as well. "
This is poetically hardcore. Thank you for dropping,
I've been saving this one because I anticipated it would be good. Now I have a new concept I need to weave into my next novel. I can see the dialogue now.
And to add to this, the use of the knife is primal. I grew up processing venison in Northern Michigan as part of my parents' side business. Using the knife to pass through the muscles and separate them from the bones, and turning them into food.
Even more primal, I slaughter my own meat when I can. The sacredness of slicing the artery properly and watching the life slip away gives a profound respect for food that you don't get anywhere else. It sticks with you with every bite. You feel the impact in your soul.
Astute point that primal tools free us while modern tools, more often than not, tend to enslave. As Twight says, “Punish the body to perfect the soul.” The liberating tools are those that connect us to this axiom. Axe, adze, hoe, plow. I’ve been at a sticking point on an essay on the transformative capacity of manual labor and this piece has stoked the fire to get back after it.
That is an epic quote, from an epic man. I like the premise of your essay. I did manual labor through middle and high school and would not trade the experience for anything. Thank you for dropping this here and godspeed with the essay—the world can use it.
Some of the best in fine arts - music, painting, poetry, dance and theatre - come out of the depths of souls in torment. These artists walk the fine line in transmuting grief, sadness, rage, lust, love, and regret into a historical perspective the reflects their inner turmoil and angst. I believe this follows a line back into our primal being and heritage. Not all of us are warriors, or hunter/gatherers. But we, in the now sense, can follow that primeval path that leads us into a greater understanding and appreciation of those who came before us.
This is beautiful Dana. Your point about torment is intuitive. Some of my favorite thinkers made the comment that their best writing was done when they were suffering the most deeply. It makes the creative act truly paradoxical. All the more reason to love it.
I really liked this one Sam, especially your comparison of the knife and smart phone. I fear the loss of skills we humans are experiencing with technology and the impact of AI. Great post!
That AI impact is only growing, too. This is a great time to contemplate and celebrate what it means to be human. Thank you Laura!
I think this is a self portrait, Sam. “But a madman need not be creative, while the creative must at times be madmen.” I say this, of course, with the greatest respect.
I would honored to own it. The most interesting people I have ever met were not "normal" in any sense of the word. This includes you. You are so humble after all you have done my mind cannot comprehend it.
You are kind. I have much to be humble about.
That is so awesome Sam, you are a great author. Thank you. Have a great week and weekend. It is spring again.
Rock on, Don. Thank you!
"With our digital tools, we are no longer strike first. We are now the ones being struck."
I never thought of it this way, but from now on, I will.
It’s like an invisible hammer, somehow making us think we are doing the hammering. I deal with this reversal every day in my own mind. I’m grateful this resonated.
Good one, Sam. I like thinking out of the box, especially upon getting up in the morning.
I appreciate it, Barry!
I love how you get to the core of our psyche.