Category: Edgar

The AK 47 Philosophy

Edgar, Surfing, Travel

The AK 47 is a gas-operated assault rifle developed in the late 1940s.  It was the brain child of
Mikhail Kalashnikov.  He was a self-taught tinkerer, and at 26 he built this masterpiece.

The AK 47 was designed as a weapon of defense, but it has played a major role, on varying sides, in almost every military conflict since its invention.

I know a lot of shooters who turn their nose up at the AK 47.  Usually for the same reasons: it isn’t accurate; it is clunky; it has quality issues.  For AK owners, those are difficult arguments to dispel.  Two things can not be taken from this rifle. It is cheap (in bulk or individually). It is reliable (before and after abuse).  The soldier has to have reliability, and the provider has to be able to afford them.  For these two reasons, the AK 47 works.  Things that work are wonderful, and function can be more important than form. This is the first part of the two-part AK 47 philosophy.

When I look at the gear I have (and keep), it has one thing in common; above all else it is functional. If it does not work, it does not stay. Why would it?

I don’t want to hang out on the beach w/a sexy hot rod short board while some mushy surf is firing off.  I wanna paddle out and ride that slop! I want a board that will work for me, even if it is not as cool to carry around.

It is the same way w/my motorcycle (KLR 650), truck (93 Toyota Landcruiser), snowboard (beautiful 165cm kona wood Element), etc.  Some of my gear looks cool; some of it looks mean; and some of it just looks used, and that is the point.  This is the second piece of the AK 47 philosophy.  Tis better to participate than to contemplate.

This does not advocate hopping in w/out thought. It is very important (and fun) to plan and scheme and consider consequence, but life is dynamic, and waiting on perfection can lead to no execution.  No execution is not consistent w/an adventurer’s heart.

In the age of the consumer, it is easy to loose focus. Ads and articles swirl around telling us what we need to spend our money on, so they can increase their profit margin.  I hate to sound jaded, but some of these manufactures may not care about us as individuals.  So we need to look after ourselves and our own philosophies.

My suggestion, look at your budget, understand your needs, and get products that work.
Keep your end game in mind.  It is very easy to get stalled out on the shopping section, but don’t.

Get your gear, and go do!
See you on the battlefield.

Edgar~

Blessed

Edgar, Travel

It is the last week of February, and I am on a plane headed from Alberta to Texas.  Tomorrow I fly from Texas to Idaho. After three days there, I return to Texas for a week. Then I’m headed back to Canada. From there, I fly to Mexico for a long weekend, and then I return to Texas.

That is my next three weeks, and I am looking forward to it.  I like to travel, always have.  I like to see varying places and experience them.  People, landscapes, food, weather, cultures and all of their intricacies excite me.  I’m an anthropologist, a theologian and a philosopher, among many other things, and I’m wandering through God’s great big world considering implications of actions observed and interacting w/the local flora and fauna as myself.  I am very fortunate for this opportunity.

Edgar~

Balance: A Libra Weighs In

Edgar, Surfing, Travel, Yoga

When I look at surf and yoga, I see, and feel, many things. These two arts are often and curiously linked to one another. I had to explore the why…
To an outsider, is it simply a Ken and Barbie beach date? Active couples on vacation and participating in their gender’s sport dutifully?
Not even close…
If you strip surfing and yoga back to their essence, what is being sought? When you take this approach, it is amazing how deep the similarities run.
Yogis and surfers simply seek balance. They seek physical balance, in the pose and in the wave, but they also are searching for a sustainable balance in life through a more focused way of living.  We don’t need to start chanting, and I will not be passing the platter for an offering, but that is reality.  A surfer that is only chasing the rush of a single ride will never stick with the sport through its thrashings, near drownings, and other countless pains to get good enough for that ride.  In the same vein, a yogi can not reach inverted sea horse without a dedication that is unaltered, by sliding feet, sore shoulders, and possible wardrobe malfunctions.  These folks are dedicated beyond the moment, past a rush, and are pursuing an inner balance.  With this balance comes a sense of accomplishment. The greatness of this accomplishment is understood better when dissected.  The accomplishment is rooted in overcoming oneself.  These are not team sports, and greatness is found in challenging yourself and overcoming our greatest opponent.  They are both focused and deliberate acts to improve our mental and physical beings and self perpetuated.  Soo much for Spicoli……”dude”.
How many of us avoid discussing these passions to non-believers, because of associated stigmas? Lots of hands, especially in the back rows.
How many of us use our increased level of focus to enhance our careers, relationships, and daily lives?  I’ll field this one, all of us.
These benefits are coupled with a wonderful physical by-product.
We get healthy to pursue our passion, and our passions reward us with health.
Hey, everyone over here…This is a good deal!
We should stretch, and paddle, and focus….
A deliberate lifestyle is not accidental.  This way of being finds its own converts.  I can encourage surfing and yoga, but to what end?  You can’t really convince someone to be a hard charger; that river flows from an internal well.  These will be self-perpetuated by the traveler’s heart, and found by the seekers.

Edgar~