Are You Dangerous?
Fundamentals of Life: Be Dangerous
I have had the privilege to train with and under some of this earth's best warriors and instructors. For many years, I trained at a Royce Gracie-affiliated jiu-jitsu Academy. I trained under Texas martial arts icon Pat "Hawk" Hardy. Alongside me was one of my best friends and instructor, Mike Ellender. He is the "Godfather of Jiu-Jitsu" in my area. His sacrifices over 20 years brought so much to so many. I've trained with Royce Gracie personally through seminars and private lessons many times. He was a great fighter; even better teacher. I've also trained with the legendary Tony Blauer. I've spent countless hours training with another of my closest friends, Todd Ory, over the last twenty years. He is one of the best law enforcement instructors there has ever been; the academy of my former agency is blessed to have him. I've trained firearms and combatives with legendary green beret Jack Nevils. Each of these men has impacted my life and made me a better warrior and man.
One man stands alone in the impact he has made on my life as a man, combative instructor, and father. There will be plenty of blogs and podcasts about him, so I will not go into his extensive background in depth. That man is Johnny Lee Smith, the owner of Strategic Self-Defense and Gun-fighting Tactics (SSGT). There isn't, in my opinion, a better instructor (in anything) than Johnny. He can break down a philosophy or technique like no other person I have ever seen. He is among the nicest and most humble human beings I've ever known. But, he is an extremely dangerous man.
In 2006, Todd (Ory) and I were searching for new defensive tactics system for our department. The systems we had been teaching over the years were outdated, basic, and neglected the aspect of ground defense. A fellow instructor that I respect recommended I get in touch with Johnny. Todd and I went to one of his courses that same year, and the rest is history. SSGT hosts their instructor conference every other year in Pigeon Forge, TN. Todd, several instructors from our agency, and I would go. We became friends with many instructors from all parts of the country, and Johnny became like a family member.
There were many impressive things about the conference. One of them was his family. His wife and his three little girls (who are now all grown and, I think, married) were always there. He brought all of them up front at one of the earlier conferences. He introduced them and told us his philosophy about being a "girl dad" (at the time, he didn't have a son). He told us he was raising them just like if they were boys; they would know how to shoot, how to fight, how to take care of themselves, and not depend on anyone. Johnny doesn't cuss, but he pretty much said we were all pieces of shit if we had daughters and didn't do the same. I already shared that philosophy, but the way he broke it down resonated with me. My daughter was around six at the time. I went on a mission. My son had been training in jiu-jitsu for years, and my wife is a career cop. My daughter needed to be as prepared as them.
I started studying a well-known psychologist, Dr. Jordan Peterson, a few years ago. Dr. Peterson is brilliant, unique, and thought-provoking. I've read many of his books and watched many of his lectures. I appreciate his thoughts and philosophies. None more than his opinion of men being dangerous. He has strong views on what a "good man" is and what men should be capable of being. He feels that all men should be capable of extreme levels of violence. You should have self-control, morality, and discipline to control it. If you are not a formidable force, then there is no morality in your self-control. He also argues that weak men are far more dangerous to a civil society than strong, dangerous men. In his opinion, a "good man" is a dangerous man. If you are harmless, you are weak. If you are weak, you can't be good. Therefore, to be a good man, you must be capable of being dangerous.
If you combine the teachings of my friend Johnny and Dr. Peterson's teachings, you get this: every human, male or female, should be able to defend themselves and be capable of violence. Whether we want to admit it or not, we live in a world that is capable of violence. If we want peace, we must be ready to meet that violence with greater violence. One of the fundamentals of life should be to be dangerous. Like General James Mattis says: "Be nice, be kind, have a plan to kill everyone you meet!"
Yesterday was my birthday (yes, I know the world doesn't give a f..k). I drove a few hours to celebrate it with my 21-year-old daughter. What did we do? What else would we do? We went to the gun range. Afterward, we returned to her house and worked on weapon retention and room-clearing tactics. She no longer lives under my roof. I am making sure her roof is as safe as when she lived under mine. We finished off the night enjoying dinner at our favorite Brazilian steak house. Why? Because that’s what meat-eaters do!
My daughter is five foot nothing and weighs one hundred and nothing. She is intelligent, beautiful, and carries herself like a lady. But, make no mistake, I did not raise a princess; I raised a warrior. If you break into her home, you are getting a bullet between your eyes. If you attack her, she will leave you lying lifeless with your jugular in her hand. She will bring it to me, and we will mount it like a trophy. She was raised to be kind, but with the capability to not be kind if, God forbid, she is ever forced not to be. Make you and your family (especially your daughters) dangerous today and incorporate that as a fundamental to your life.