Comments on: You Will Shoot Your Biggest Gun

By: Drew Jacob

Drew Jacob — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 20:50:39 +0000

Susan, I really like that you pointed this out. It sounds like was very mindful about his choice to carry a gun – mindfulness changes so many things. Great take. Thank you for posting!

By: Susan T. Blake

Susan T. Blake — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 16:15:55 +0000

Hi Drew,

I agree that we get very creative and use whatever is on hand when we have to. On the other hand…

I once knew a guy who had a dangerous hobby. He told me that when he began carrying a gun, it actually made him more careful because he never wanted to be in the situation where he felt he had to use it. I don’t know if he ever did.

Carrying a gun isn’t like having a rapier wit, but we do have the capacity to say, “No, I’m not going use that/say that” to hurt someone.

By: Drew Jacob

Drew Jacob — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 17:32:02 +0000

Jodi, that book is hereby going on my reading list. Thanks for the suggestion! And welcome to Rogue Priest :)

By: Drew Jacob

Drew Jacob — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 17:21:39 +0000

Wow, excellent parallel Chase. I hadn’t thought of that but yes, that’s the exact same kind of escalation. Really good point.

Now that you’ve got me thinking more broadly I realize I also do the same thing with my free time. When I have any, I tend to use it all up just because I can.

By: Drew Jacob

Drew Jacob — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 17:19:11 +0000

Hahaha, and smelling like baby poo….

Thanks as always for the comment Bob. I love your stories.

By: Shanna Mann

Shanna Mann — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 13:58:42 +0000

Very interesting take, Drew. You’re absolutely right– whatever we have on hand is going to come out when push comes to shove.

By: Jodi Ettenberg

Jodi Ettenberg — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 20:01:37 +0000

Thanks for the feature, Drew. It’s true that we all tend to go into crisis mode when confronted by an emergency, and in many cases surprise ourselves with the ingenuity of how we managed to survive. I don’t know if you’ve read Jonah Lehrer’s How We Decide, but I found it fascinating for that reason: many eureka moments happen when we’ve actually got no time to think about what to do; instinct takes over.

Great to have met you at WDS and I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the post!

By: Chase Night

Chase Night — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:48:46 +0000

This can be applied in so many ways. It made me think of credit cards. How you know they’re dangerous, but you decide to get one for emergencies. And then one day you’re at Target and you spot a lovely mass-produced painting for $179 and you feel you’ll just die without it and surely this is an emergency. Zip! And then suddenly there are emergencies everywhere you go. And then suddenly you’ve maxed your emergency card. So… you better get a second emergency card while you pay off the first one… and then a third and then…

I think I might pick up a safety whistle soon. Just read about a man getting mauled by a Grizzly in Yellowstone. Could have used a whistle.

By: rpatrick

rpatrick — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 13:24:35 +0000

I tell a story to my students every year, about being a young father, at home with my baby daughter, and failing to go out and get diapers when it was clear that they were running out. And then, there were none. That’s when I learned the lesson of using what was available. So, she and I went to the store with her wrapped in a bright red and white plaid cloth napkin. It worked for a temporary diaper right up until I was paying for the bag of diapers at the cash register, and suddenly a very warm, wet feeling came over me. Never put off buying diapers again, and discovered that life is full of these moments–where you quickly learn to use what is available. To me, it’s the difference between enjoying life and feeling miserable.