Staying smart is essential in everything we do as a society. I’ve tried really hard to be “wicked” smart…. and probably missed the mark more than a few times. I would be all too forgetful though if I didn’t pass on some of that educational endeavor every once in a while. I have fully decided to never put any of my previous ideas and writing in order or with context. That just makes them more entertainingly arguable. Staying on the trail is for the unadventurous.
Samurai-
“When researching the belief system and structure that the samurai lived by there are a variety of different results easily found that can start an academic on a path filled with sources both beneficial and bordering on useless. Hagakure: The Secret Wisdom of the Samurai written by Yamamoto Tsunetomo over three hundred years ago is definitely of use to the reader and scholar alike. To show the worth of this text it is important to discover a brief history of the author and the period it comes from. The introduction of the version translated by Alexander Bennett is beneficial for putting the book in context, understanding who Yamamoto was, and gives the reader a realization as to the interest and phenomenon that have followed this work for over three hundred years. The literal translation of the title Hagakure-kikigaki is ‘Dictations hidden by leaves” which has a meaning that was best explained by John Man and will be better covered later while reviewing his work concerning the samurai. Yamamoto Tsunetomo was a monk and samurai who created a discourse comprised of a collection of adages that were intended to dictate the idyllic behavior for the samurai. Yamamoto Tsunetomo had dedicated over thirty years to his master until he died and after deciding not to follow him into the hereafter he dictated his thoughts and these proverbs to a fellow samurai Tashiro Tsuramoto. His life was interesting and the context it provides the reader allows them to understand the dedication that was put into these thoughts pertaining to devotion but also shows them why the work is not easily translated and lacks in fluidity at times. It is important for the reader to know that the original manuscript of Hagakure has been lost and that what most people read now has been based on copy upon copy. Some of these copies found have different translations and variations, but the focus here is the Kohaku version that is considered the closest to the original. “
.30 Cal Then and Now?
“Occasionally, poor decisions concerning the selection process of the machine gun were made and this was due, in part, to inexperience. The selection process of rifle ammunition, however, relied more upon finance and effectiveness. During the First World War three separate American companies were already manufacturing weapons for other countries, so sensibly when the United States needed rifles for the war rechambering those weapons for .30 caliber made sense. To think that the basis for selection such as this recast itself during the Interwar period while developing a semi-automatic rifle also makes sense, but only under the assumption that excesses of ammunition were still procurable. This logic and assumption omits a questionable component by both primary and secondary sources, the element of extensive testing.”
“In our study of this weapon it is vital to get to know what it can do, how and when it can do it, and, having grasped that, not to expect miracles from it, realizing the job it is designed for, it is a first-class weapon—in fact, there isn’t a better one.”
-RIFLE, BOYS ANTI-TANK. Boys Anti-Tank Rifle, Mark I. Gale & Polden: Aldershot, 1943.
Tet
“Reasons for delving into events similar to the Tet Offensive regarding revolutionary motivation and idealism derive from conflicts in culture and necessity. After looking at a series of reports show the initial ambiguity of the report’s results allude to discrepancies. “It should be pointed out that there was substantive disagreement among the Rand researchers involved in Vietnam research at the time,” and “This internal debate mirrored the debate that was then current throughout the nation,” both quotes indicate dissention in both report and possibly the philosophy of those initiating the Tet Offensive.”
Passivism over the Cuckoo’s nest-
“Passivism is a valid and effective form of resistance when we look beyond its limitations, but that brings us to the discussion of force. The center between dismal suffering through sacrificing too much and the use of absolute force to achieve positive results has existed seldom throughout history. The idea that not having the ability to inflict harm is the ultimate form of passivism might exist as an idea that needs retirement. That is not to say that those who reject violence do so incorrectly, they deserve veneration. The issue arises when violence is used against them and their ideals simply cease to exist, because those who conceived the ideals cease to exist as well. The less righteous, yet more willingly violent in nature, increase in number, and consequently, compassion and progressive thought disappear. So who, envisioned as separate cases, personified this idea of mental force over extreme violence?
The question is better answered by looking at those who survived in a diplomatic manner, held onto ideals, and ultimately lived to tell about it. The storyteller is generally the one to survive, like Kesey. Even though he alluded to the fact once that the storyteller’s existence was a “flash in the pan” or someone growing archaic, I don’t think he meant the storyteller as becoming extinct. He meant that no matter what or how things change, he is ever-present. The storyteller survives everything, war, famine, struggle, birth, celebration, love, and hate. If they didn’t, the story would die and no one would tell it. Does that make them passive? Not necessarily, they could possess a great capacity for the use of force, just an extremely educated and cautious knowledge of when to use it.”
