Large Fierce Mammal

“Pocket dump” posted by user Andrei to https://everydaycarry.com

EDC is a current era initialism for “Every Day Carry”. As used in the common vernacular, and at its most basic, it unsurprisingly refers to accoutrements and items of equipment and associated accessories an individual may find it necessary, be called upon, or simply want, to carry daily — spectacles, wallet, watch, keys, mobile phone, pen, hopefully a knife, flashlight, sunglasses, professional credentials, disposable lighter, a condom or two for the hopeful — things like that.

While the concept isn’t new, the adoption of “EDC” to describe it is recent and pervasive to the point where people on social media, message forums, and YouTube channels now employ it as their main, if not sole, reference to individual items they carry daily; i. e., “This has become my new EDC!”; and groups of daily carried items — “Pocket dump! Show us your EDC!” (a call to empty your pockets and show us what you have on you at a moment’s notice).

My purpose here today, or on any other day for that matter, is not to cast aspersions on any individual or group using the term “Every Day Carry” and/or its initialism EDC. Rather, I aim to register how personally troubling I find its adoption and manifestation as a social phenomenon, on a variety of levels, and will now begin the process of subjecting you to my reasons why.

First, a bit of background to establish the nature of the well from which I spring. Let it be known that what follows comes not from one who postures in any way as a Great Guru, the mysterious robed figure sitting atop a mountain of Wisdom where he deigns only to be understood by those he considers worthy to find him and hear his words. I speak from where I always speak — as the greatest living authority on Myself , from confidence in my opinions, well rounded in that they have been formed from sometimes hard and fast contact with the rough edges of reality. In this, I have had, continue to have, and anticipate more, great Teachers, not all of them Human, or even corporeal. In the end, what you get from me is from me, and none of it is, or will ever be, their fault.

“What happens after you die? Lots of things happen after you die – they just don’t involve you.” ~ Louis C. K.

People expect to die with dignity, at a century plus under comfortable First World conditions. On their own terms, at rest, surrounded by loving family. Unscarred but for those that come with the enhanced cachet of the heroic role in an adventurous tale, and otherwise physically perfect but for the fine seamed countenance of simple, and beautiful, old age. At peace with the world and ready to go, pain free and clear of mind. From this comes no urgency to live as though every day is your last, and is seen rather as a politely arranged meeting at the final limits to entitlement.

Sir Richard Francis Burton wearing the scar on his cheek that resulted from the spear that skewered his face while on an expedition to find the source of the Nile.

What this has to do with the current manifestation of EDC in popular culture is that it is built on an expectation of predictable outcomes. To illustrate, and Mrs. LFM will attest to this, I sometimes find myself physically reacting to theatrical knife and sword combat scenes in movies and television shows, with small hand and other body movements. Not always — I need to be really into the action and the quality of the staging needs to speak to me on THAT level — but the point is the full body skipping record reaction that comes when one of the combatants doesn’t defend an opening you could drive a bus through because they’ve obviously read the script and already know what happens next.

As this compares to reality, and before I continue these thoughts in our next encounter Goode Reader, I’ll excuse myself and yield the floor to the Rolling Stones to sing us out.