Sapere Aude

Humans are unique in that we have a capacity to think and express our thoughts in language. Other species may share communications and think, but humans do so differently. Chiefly among them is we can imagine beyond the present moment and are conscious that we must die. Maybe if elephants and whales could talk with us maybe they would tell us they do the same, but because no other species has altered its environment to its will. As far as we know, humans are different.

While all have this in common, yet rarely do we exercise our ability to think. We have the gift to learn from what other people think, which we exercise less than we can. Clearly we’re thinking all the time, but consider that most of us walk around in a fog. Unconscious. Unaware of the forces shaping our decisions as we unconsciously make one decision after another until we turn around and see our live different than we imagined.

This thing about thinking isn’t so much about how many facts we can rattle off, what we remember or how we can use the technology we’ve created, but there is an opportunity to decide what to think.  We get to consciously, quite literally, choose what to think about and what meaning we want to give to what’s happening all around us. This isn’t easy to do, but we can. None of us are under any obligation to be who we were 5 seconds ago. Being mad or whatever 5 seconds ago does not mean you have to be now. Sometimes this is incredibly difficult to do; however, if you practice you can begin to recognize these opportunities and develop a genuine superpower: your innate ability to think.

This is much harder now that ever. Rarely do we have uninterrupted moments. The devices we are tethered to beep and buzz constantly interrupting thoughts. Modern work has modern distractions like email, chats that pop up in addition to calls and people that interrupt. Then there is technology engineered with the help of behavioral experts to hijack our attention. X, Instagram, CNN, this, that and everything else. Our minds are constantly pulled in a million directions that we sometimes lose sight of what we are experiencing now. This can have a huge impact on us. Our emotions can be pulled into a tempest of life.

Consider this for a moment. Why? Any thought is just a thought. Whether it’s the shock, fear or rage about the asshole that nearly hit you on the highway or desire for something sexually alluring, they are both thoughts. We can choose to pay attention to them or decide that they are just like any other thought and just notice them. When we do the latter we have an opportunity to decide how we are going to react to all the things happening around us. This is how you stay as chill as a penguin when the world around you is chaos.

And this is just what we notice.  This is just what we pay attention to, even unconsciously. Some of this is that our environment has a lot more going on that our brains can take in at once. The human brain can process about 11 million bits of information every second.  That’s astounding considering that a bit of information is a logical binary of 2 choices. Despite this amazing ability, our minds can only consciously handle between 40 and 50 bits of information per second.  That million to 50 ratio of brain : mind is important. It reminds us that there is so much happening that we have to consciously decide what to pay attention to and what meaning to give it.  Consider this: you did not notice the feeling on the bottoms of your feet while reading this until you read this sentence. How many things in life affect us, or lead us to making unconscious decisions, unknowingly? There are things going on around us all the time we don't notice because we aren’t focused on it. We make unconscious decisions based on this. It’s not that any of this is right or wrong, good or bad. The point is we risk going through life unconscious. Unaware that our life is drifting a long, rudderless. A slave to our emotions and reactions we aren’t even aware of. If you can pause and think, you can have some control over this, or at least your attitude about whatever this is. This is real freedom in this life.

The poet Horace brilliantly stated “sapare aude,” quite possibly one of the best statements ever made. It’s been defined as having the courage to stand for your convictions or to think for oneself.  It’s been simplified to mean “dare to be wise.” It is daring. It takes a lot of courage to think for oneself, and the world isn’t going to encourage you to do it. Perhaps this is why courage is the most important virtue to cultivate.

The ugly truth is that we are much more productive and profitable to our handlers when we are unconscious. But if you can think for yourself, decide what you want to think and feel about something, you’ll be outside the matrix for the mind is infinite and free. This is incredibly liberating.  It cannot be caged. How do we do this? Well, it’s the hardest and easiest thing there is. Some days it’s impossible; other days we just don’t have the horsepower to make the effort. This isn’t easy, but it is worth it. You’ll be happier and able to set your soul to the matter at hand.

The Power of Loyalty

It’s 3 a.m. Who can you call? It’s 6 p.m. Who can you call? Who will answer? We hear platitudes about loyalty all the time.

“I’d do anything for you.”

“‘Till death do us part.”

“We’re a family here.”

“Ride or die.”

“You and me versus the world.”

This is almost always a lie. Most people are not there for us. They may want to be, but they really weren’t serious, don’t know how to be there for us or simply can’t. The same is true of us. We aren’t there for others when we said we would be. It’s not that any of us are necessarily bad people or lying on purpose. It’s just that we can say things without having to back our words up most of the time.

Think about it. Your job will be posted before your body is in the ground. She zeroed the checking account before you even had a chance to get home. We live in a time where its hard to be loyal. Things move too fast. Your life has too many windows open and music coming from one of them. We’re in the redline and the cult of efficiency tells us to be happy at our cubicles making spreadsheets from meetings that serve little purpose. This begs the question. What value does Loyalty provide?

People are “quiet quitting” by putting in just enough work not to get fired. People have kids together but don’t get married. People throw things out in our disposable world carelessly throwing things out without reflection. People today are not loyal, but they promise you that they are. They do this because we understand the importance of loyalty even though it is rarely practiced.

Loyalty is one of the 7 virtues of Bushido, the Way of the Warrior. There is good reason for this. The other 6 are Integrity, Respect, Courage, Honor, Compassion and Honesty. Duty or Loyalty is the glue that holds our society together. We make promises all the time. We promise to pay our credit card company back for that midnight snack off GrubHub. We promise to provide value for a salary or wage. We promise to be a good parent or child. What makes the question of Duty/Loyalty so interesting today is how easy we can live without it. We don't really need to be loyal to get by in this life. Many aren’t. Most people are self-serving. We don’t acknowledge how repulsive this is, but it’s true. Most people only care about themselves. This can be a dangerous path because when we convince ourselves that we are the center of the world and that our immediate needs and desires are what matter, we ultimately end up unhappy. Dissatisfied. Incomplete. Searching. Lonely. It’s true. Look at the people in your life. Self-centered people are vapid. This is not to say that being self-centered isn’t immensely profitable. It is . Our economy and culture is fueled by self-centeredness. The Ego. Me. Algorithms are crafting the perfect thing for all of us right now to appeal to our sense of self, soothing our insecurities and feeling our desires. Some of these things can make us a lot of money and fame. A popularity house of cards. Our house of mirrors world won’t discourage you or me from feeding this dog of our ego at the table.

Loyalty. Duty. Commitment. This will serve you in a much deeper way. When you really dedicate yourself to something or someone you develop grit and courage. You have to otherwise you’ll quit. Loyalty creates the courage to become selfless. To dissolve the ego to serve another. Why would anyone do this? Ask any parent. Parents are so totally loyal to their children that they refuse to give up on them even when their own children steal from them and threaten to kill them if they don’t get more money for meth. Who runs to the gunfire? Who grinds in the fields or office for someone else? Who risks it all for another? Those who are loyal. It takes guts to be selfless because it’s hard. Most people don’t want to do it, but selflessness is the doorway to love. With that, all things are possible. The more I think of it, I don’t know that there is anything in this existence more rational than love. If you deconstruct things enough, love is really the only logical choice in the end.

When thnking about Loyalty, there are 3 a.m. friends and there are 6 p.m. friends. There are plenty of people you can reach out to that will help you out, do you a favor, give you advice or move that couch until about 6 or 7 in the evening. If we are being honest with ourselves, most of us are these people. Most people have the Do Not Disturb mode on by bedtime. That 3 a.m. call isn’t getting answered. That’s fine. Just know who the 6 p.m. friends are, especially when they tell you they’re all-in, ride or die, bury-a-body friend. That one might be neither.

Then there are those mother fuckers that pick up at 3 a.m. and are already getting dressed before you ask them for anything. These are rare people, and if you have them in your life, hold them close and value them. If you’re smart and it’s an option, marry that one. It’s among one of the most important decisions you could ever make in your life. What’s surprising is the 3 a.m. people aren’t always who you think. There are some 6 p.m. dudes cosplaying the 3 a.m. friend. There are people you barely know pulling for you and will show up for you. Be smart. Know the people in your life.

Loyalty is a dog that’ll walk right to the gates of hell with you. This is the friend that will tell you when you are full of shit, not pulling your weight or lying to yourself. This is the one that will pull you out of a hole or into a foxhole. If you don’t have that person in your life, then be that person. Be that dog.

Podcast Update

Due to some pretty wild and tragic life circumstances, the podcast was paused. We’re working with some guests and others to create content that will be published soon.

The Savage and the Sublime

In Plato’s Republic, Socrates carries on in a dialogue with Glaucon and others about how to build the Just society. In order to do so, we must have a society comprised of good citizens. An educated warrior class. Not just men, but women need to take up athletics and the sword. Socrates cautioned that if we only teach our children music, or the arts and poetry, they’ll be too soft. Too weak. Conversely, if we only teach our children to wrestle they’ll become brutes. Therefore, it is necessary to marry these two great qualities of human nature. We must be people who wrestle and play instruments.

This concept was repeated again by the founder of Judo, Jigaro Kano. He called it “Jittya Koei” or “mutual welfare and benefit.” For Kano, in order for Japan to be a great nation, its citizens must also be great. By creating an educated and strong populace, you create a strong Japan. This is not a new idea for Japan. Musashi, arguably the most famous samurai to have ever lived and author of “The Book of Five Rings” understood that to be a master strategist (his term for the compete samurai) one must understand dancing and calligraphy or farming as deeply as he understood the sword. He correctly noted, “from one thing, see ten thousand things.”

Men of chivalry understood this well. The western gentleman is a product of the Renaissance which yielded the greatest pinnacles of human achievement in a single time. Leonardo Da Vinci was a master of sculpture, mechanics, painting, and the written word. Machievelli advised the Medici family in how to balance ruthlessness and cunning with grace and sophistication. This has endured into the modern era. The most impressive among us pursue this goal. This ideal.

Today, there is great emphasis on education, going to college and appreciation for modern wonders. This has much to recommend it, but we also revere the violent and capable. In today’s world we need the linebacker, infantryman and the statesman. We need the beauty queen that can deadlift. The goal of becoming a complete human is a lifelong task. This work is never done, but it is always worth doing. Some thing that will vastly improve your life and those in your orbit:

1. be well-read, explore foreign topics, challenge your beliefs and research the ones you have;

2. Be well trained and know how to fight, with and without all relevant without weapons;

3. be capable of giving a good speech, even on the fly, at weddings, funerals or on demand. Be the person others can count on to say what must be said;

4. know how to dance, hold a baby, cook a good meal;

5. carry yourself with dignity and represent your ancestors well;

6. be honest, not just with oneself but with everyone for there is no better thing in life than to be wrong, to have your mind changed and develop into a more compete person;

7. practice and support the arts, music, literature and theatre,

8. be a good person, which isn’t always the same thing as a nice person; and

9. have the courage to think for yourself and stay humble.

There are a million more suggestions from many smarter people in the world, but these are things that have been true throughout history. They all have the same thing in common: nature your spirit to be capable of genuine sublimation and absolute savagery. Like Apollo and Dyonesis pulling the chariot of your soul.

Why Ignore 5% of the Human Body?

Wrist locks. People either love them or hate them. They come on quick and hurt. They work. They work when you could have just done something else, which makes them sinister. It’s also why me and my buddies find them hilarious. During covid our little training pod had a chart on the wall for wistlocker and wristlockee. It got dirty as we chased wrist locks over other subs. Feelings were hurt and unbreakable bonds of friendship formed. Yeah, that you have been a triangle, but…wrist lock. Nice arm lock. Nope. Wrist lock. Or Kesa Gatame? Wrist lock. They are the prime example of gratuitous violence and the Jiu Jitsu equivalent of “stop hitting yourself.”

So, to understand them better, Pete the Greek is coming to Denver. Pangea Jiu Jitsu is bringing our friend in, and our friends at Katharo Training Center are generously offering up their mat space as Pangea is pretty snug.

The seminar will be April 20. The time and cost will be announced soon. We’re making some T shirts for purchase, so you can let everyone in your academy know you have no scruples, probably don’t put shopping carts back, chew with your mouth open, and absolutely question the status quo. Check back for updates. Hopefully, we’ll have time to sit down with Pete and share a podcast now that we’re up and running again after some life stuff that took over, well, everything. See you on the mat.

Fat, Drunk and Stupid is No Way to Go Through Life, Son.

Something like 40% of Americans are obese, and that number is expected to be higher soon. According to John Hopkins, 56% of Americans ages 18-25 are obese. Adding some middle-aged weight or post-retirement pounds has always been common, but now obesity is an epidemic affecting the youth. 20% of young men and 40% of young women are too fat to join the military.

7% of Americans think chocolate milk comes from brown cows, and according to the Pew Research Center 24% of Americans haven’t read a book in a year. Most haven’t read anything since they were required to in high school. About 54% of Americans can’t read above a 6th grade level, and 21% of Americans are illiterate.

College isn’t making it better either. About 39% of Americans have a college degree, but a lot of those degrees are meaningless. What’s worse, is they cost a lot. So we have a bunch of credentialed people that can’t think, and they can’t earn. They’re stuck with a huge debt, yet they lack the intellectual skills to pay it. Many that I’ve met are bitter about this. Many also believe they know more than they do. This is oftentimes a function of technology-augmented knowledge like Google and an education in how to string together impressive sounding, magic words. A lot of graduates talk a lot but never communicate anything.

There is tremendous value in a classical education steeped in Aristotle, Rosseau, statistics and astronomy. It enriches our lives. It makes it possible for us to engage with the world in a meaningful way. Moreover, it helps us to find meaning in the world. It can even make us marketable. Being a citizen no longer carries with it the duties of being a well-read, well-rounded and well-adjusted person. Life is better when you are. Knowing how systems operate, how policies are formed, and how to think critically are more valuable today than ever before. It’s a superpower. In a world where more people know what powers the starship Enterprise (dilithium crystals) than what powers a nuclear reactor (uranium), having some smarts makes life better. It’s more fun and more navigable. It also pays. Educated people earn considerably more in what has become a knowledge economy.

College isn’t required to get this education. Discipline is. The internet is often wasted to feed our base desires, but it has also made it possible to get an education, for free that used to cost us thousands at a University. All we need is to want it. To want it we need to understand why we would want to know things.

Being fit is the same. Life is harder when you are unable to do basic things, and it is also a predictor of how long we can live. Not only that, but it can predict how well we can live in advanced years. The European Journal of Preventative Cardiology published an abstract about a simple test that was getting up off the floor. The fewer limbs and movements to get up were scored higher. The better people did directly correlated to longevity. Each unit measured that showed men could get up from the floor with less effort lead to a 21% improvement in survival. That’s huge. Yet, we all know people in their 30s who can’t get up off the floor without using a couch or something to pull themselves to their feet.

Grip strength is the same. This is a true biomarker of mobility and longevity. It’s simple. More muscle mass we build and carry into advanced age, the more likely it is we can live on our own and function well. The converse is true too. Being fat isn’t good. This has nothing to do with beauty, although Aristotle would tell you it’s the moral good to “desire the desirable,” so fit is sexy, when sexy means long life and better mating opportunities. It’s something we should aspire to attain.

Extra chub makes for extra problems. More fit makes life more fun. Once I was in beautiful Nice, France and recall talking to a shop owner who was talking to a 20s something, American woman who stayed behind on a day trip because she was too obese and incapable of walking more than a few blocks. This is the real travesty of obestity: it robs us of enjoying life. Not only does obesity increase things like diabetes and shorten life, but it makes life more difficult to enjoy.

The RNT believes that we are all our own first responders. When things go sideways, being fit is essential. Escaping a car accident, being capable of handing the ocean intelligently, running when gunshots at a mall or other public place ring out, and being able to deal with life is what we’re all about. Modern life has brought modern comforts. Modern comforts have made us dumb and weak. We don’t have to use our big super computer between our ears because we can “google that” or use mapping software to find where we are going. We can get away with being physically incapable of walking a flight of stairs because our world permits us to work at desks, in air conditioned offices, ride elevators and avoid any physical strain. While these things are great, they are also robbing us of our potential. It is making us sick, weak and easy to manipulate. Modern comforts are stealing our abilities evolution and our ancestors bequeathed to us. With a cellphone most of us don’t remember phone numbers anymore, or much of anything else, and we abandon our true nature. By nature, we are highly intelligent, resilient and adaptive animals.

We can unleash our potential when we do it all. Enjoy the technology that softens our minds and bodies in a way that augments our intellect and bodies. Text in yogi squats. Park at the far end of the lot and walk to your destination. Work in to your life ways to use your body and brain more and the benefits are almost immediate. This is all free. None of us have extra time, so if we use what we have we maximize it. I once read that Michelle Yeo does squats brushing her teeth. She just turned 60, still looks 30 and performs athletics at an elite level.

We have everything we need to think and move better. Some easy, quick and actionable things for you to up your game:

1. read 15 pages a day, preferably something in print because it has less distractions;

2. incorporate walking into your routine. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk whenever possible;

3. burpees. A habitual felon in prison for life once told me that was all he needed to stay fit for the inevitable violence of prison life. He did 300 a day, which is a lot, but he also has some time on his hands and idle energy to use;

4. eat the rainbow. The world is your medicine. Eat every color of berry, vegetable, fruit and lean meats; and

5. be grateful. We live at a time where we can effortlessly live three times longer than when our ancestors that had to scrap for opportunities and calories. It’s all here for us.

Life with a clear mind and capable body is true wealth and freedom.

It All Made Sense at the Time

The Rear Naked Truth is an extension of a conversation the Primary Witness and I have been having for years. It started at a training at a police academy, continued onto the mat, and ended up on my back porch fueled by whiskey and cigars. Then it ended up here. We hope this is a creative outlet for us and fun for you. We hope this is a mechanism to learn from each other and share the things we love.

There are plenty of blogs and podcasts about the subjects we explore; however, we have our own take. We are not world champions. We are not millionaires. We are not celebrities. We are just like everyone else. The digital media world ignores all of us, the regular guys just trying to squeeze the most out of life between busy jobs, relationships and questioning the very value of our existence. We believe in Jiu Jitsu for all and that philosophy should not be left in universities or Zen on some misty mountain top. We are seeking actionable practices we can discover and share that all of us can use to better ourselves and practice. We hope you enjoy the ride. We are.