There’s challenge to stay hard when times are good. Why would one want to stay hard? Life is hard, strong men keep the monsters at bay so civilization may happen. Recently, I talked about steel sharpening steel, but what does that mean? In order to become sharp, metaphorically the same as hard in the way I’m using it, also synonymous with dangerous, to get there one must come into contact with hard things. It is through stress and pressure the individual can become hard, the Nietzsche quote is, “Whatever dosen’t kill me, makes me stronger.” What’s the cost of staying hard? A real life effect of being rough is not being able to feel soft things, I will use the back of my hand if I want to feel something, the front is for a strong grip. There is a cost for this readiness and a cost if we’re not ready, the gamble is that we don’t know when evil will turns it’s head. To be prepared means disconnecting from others and not engaging with happy chores, this could go one forever with no danger happening; trading one’s life for nothing. The opposite being surprise attacked and losing everything. Happiness isn’t in between, the varieties that humans come in are in between those points, the disconnect is part of the service people are thanked for.
Chris' Morning Pages 