Dark Sentiments 2015 – Day 12: Tooth and Claw
Posted By Randy on October 12, 2015
When in this world’s unpleasing youth
Our godlike race began,
The longest arm, the sharpest tooth,
Gave man control of man ….~ Rudyard Kipling, The Benefactors
While I will stop short of joining the Esteemed Mr. Kipling in granting the Human species the epithet “godlike”, I admit to absorbing no small amount of Truth and inspiration from that massive compendium of creativity he saw fit to pass along to future generations. I offer those at the top of this evening’s Dark Sentiment with a caveat on the last two lines, most particularly that, “… the sharpest tooth, gave man control of man.”
To my mind, a sharp tooth and the willingness to wield it invokes better behaviour on the part of those who might be predisposed otherwise. Indeed, to the mind of the truly sound Man, this “control” might be summed up in two axioms:
- “One sword keeps another in its sheath”; and
- “If your anger goes forth, withhold your sword; If your sword goes forth, withhold your anger.”
We live in an age in which fear of what is unlikely to happen has supplanted any willingness to understand, or even acknowledge the existence of, the more risky probabilities. Where proudly self-identified “victims” believe in a fantasy world where signs proclaiming a “gun free” zone are equivalent to unquestionable safety, and prophylactic surveillance of the innocent is justified by the acts of the guilty whose minds and hands were, and forever will be, unaffected by the laws of nations.
This poem was inspired by all of the above, coupled to no small degree with some weighty Wisdom spoken by the Esteemed Master at Arms James A. Keating in the LFM recommended documentary A Riddle of Steel (trailer here). It is with my Esteemed Friend Jim’s kind permission that I present that segment to you now before going any further.
We can’t uninvent weapons – there are always rocks, clubs, and pointed sticks in abundance – and short of self-imposed extinction, we can’t uninvent people either. Best we reinvent the mind of the evil doer, for as the late Col. Jeff Cooper wrote, “If violent crime is to be curbed, it is only the intended victim who can do it. The felon does not fear the police, and he fears neither judge nor jury. Therefore what he must be taught to fear is his victim.”
Here’s …
Tooth and Claw
By LFM
More likely to be stabbed, is he,
In brawl or street melee
Who carries but a single knife,
At least that’s what they say.
I’ve heard the blade’s an awful thing,
More lives it takes than guns.
But as to mine, I’ve come to think
I have the lazy ones.
For none of this makes sense to me.
I’ve always one in reach,
My knife and axe n’er cry for blood,
Nor violence beseech.
The blade is but the tooth and claw
That Nature never gave,
So Man no longer hides in trees,
Nor cowers in a cave.
Why scrabble for what lives beneath
The rocks and rotting logs?
Take blade, go forth with Comrades bold,
And Trusty Hunting Dogs!
The power of a Man resides
in Spirit, Heart, and Mind,
And if he’s blunt in any one,
His blade’s not far behind.
For as the blade empowers Men,
It raiseth not the knave,
Nor can it grant wise counsel,
Or turn cowardly to brave.
The blade has power to destroy,
To rend and slay withal,
To take the lives of mighty Trees,
And make the meagre tall.
But notwithstanding all of this,
Do hold this to your breast,
When wit and wisdom aren’t enough,
A blade can do the rest.
Ah great stuff, all. Too bad I can only share this blog and video with about half of my "associates". BTW, was that a Cold Steel extra large Voyager that Uncle Jim Keating whupped out there?
Really excellent, sir. I note that we don’t live in times that tax men’s souls, we live in times that steal men’;s souls … and in many circumstances, their bodies. I know I will probably never have to engage in mortal blade vs. blade combat and detest the emphasis on so-called regulatory bureaus attempting to confiscate a gun and so I continue to work with my blade(s) knowing that should the situation arise I would be without qualm to cut some beligerent and dastardly cad to death so that I could go home and write about it. Even at my tender age, I do not think in terms of consequence other than my own self being eliminated. I will not walk unarmed and as Keating says, (more or less) Mowgli was no longer was a jungle servant but a jungle master.Definite repost on this. Ous!
Really excellent, sir. I note that we don't live in times that tax men's souls, we live in times that steal men';s souls … and in many circumstances, their bodies. I know I will probably never have to engage in mortal blade vs. blade combat and detest the emphasis on so-called regulatory bureaus attempting to confiscate a gun and so I continue to work with my blade(s) knowing that should the situation arise I would be without qualm to cut some beligerant and dastardly cad to death so that I could go home and write about it. Even at my tender age, I do not think in terms of consequence other than my own self being eliminated. I will not walk unarmed and as Keating says, (more or less) Mowgli was no longer was a jungle servant but a jungle master.Definite repost on this. Ous!
Ah yes. I have a few "associates" like that as well. And in case you haven't seen it yet, Jim beat me to this reply by confirming on MAAJAK1 this morning that you are correct in identifying his knife. CS Voyager fer sher.
Outstanding as always.
Thank you David, and welcome back.
oooohrah!!!!! I have been away for a bit due to some horrific and depressing life circumstances, and still struggle, but so glad I saw this. A triple crown – an homage to the Master, a lesson in philosophy in brief, and a poom with the subtle sting of the scopion's tail. I do love the sentnece about Mowgli being no one's jungle bitch any more. My own suggestion to the shootings in places boasting 'gun free'signs is a simple one. Change one word so that the signs now read, "Weapons Free Zone" ( I am sure you know that in military parlance,'weapons free' means take every shot that you see available and kill whatever rises against you. Israeli schoolteachers can choose to be armed with pistol or mini-Uzi and the total number of school shootings there is exactly zero.
Without trivializing whatever horrific and depressing circumstances forced your absence – 2015 seems to be the year for that, affecting individuals and families everywhere – there's a small note of delightful irony in that something called "Dark Sentiments" can be so uplifting in the wake of the late unpleasantness. Welcome back!