Bravery, Fiction, and Sex
Welcome to The Cultured Warrior Newsletter! This is the next incarnation of The Kombat Kitchen. The e-books and podcasts are still available, but I’ve had to reassess the time (and return) for and from those various projects. In the same spirit as The Kombat Kitchen and my Instagram handle (savagezen), this newsletter will explore topics ranging from mental health to nutrition, and philosophy to combat sports. Enjoy!
Thoughts to Ponder:
Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth.
~ Albert Camus
Fiction and fantasy, dreams and day dreams, are powerful tools and insights. They tell us a lot about ourselves. Many writers, including Camus, leave (sometimes rather large) parts of themselves in their “fiction” writing. I’ve said many times before that the stories we tell ourselves matter. Much like the “symptoms” of a mental health disorder, a persons suffering and their experience tell a story — regardless of how “fictionally or not they’re expressing it.”
He who is brave is free.
~ Seneca
The message here seems to be that fear enslaves us. I’d posit that it’s actually anxiety (that remains fixated on the future) and / or depression (that fixates on the past) that both rob us of the present — ironically the only time we have to act and thereby change. In order to exhibit bravery one has to be afraid. Anxiety may be seen as a fear of a future that hasn’t yet happened and depression, the inability to construct a future — indeed, unfree.
Things I’m Reading:
Sex at Dawn by Chris Ryan
This is a fascinating anthropological exploration of human sexuality. It certainly challenges many (Western and religious) narratives regarding sex, gender roles, poly/monogamy, promiscuity, and reproduction.
There’s a ‘dead zone’ in the Gulf of Mexico this summer that’s bigger than Connecticut by Doyle Rice
“The zone this year is about 6,334 square miles, an area slightly larger than the state of Connecticut. A dead zone occurs at the bottom of a body of water when there isn’t enough oxygen in the water to support marine life. This summer’s dead zone is about three times times larger than the goal a task force of state and federal agencies set in 2001.”
“Increasing dietary magnesium intake is associated with a reduced risk of stroke, heart failure, diabetes, and all-cause mortality, but not CHD or total CVD.”
Resources to Thrive:
- Shift Adapt: This is a fantastic resource I’m excited to learn more about regarding breath-work and athletic performance.
Trainer’s Corner:
- I’ve been chunking down material from Now What by Dan John regarding The Prisoner’s Paradox and the most fundamental parts of jiujitsu and strength training. Stay tuned on Instagram!
- I also proposed an End of Summer Challenge involving 400 KB swings per day and 5,000 IU of Vitamin D (per day, from the sun).