Clean or Worn, Which Do You Trust?

So I was thinking, when something is worn out and beat up and dirty from traveling (either literally or figuratively) we trust that it knows a thing or two just by looking at it. Like say, your grandpa, who is not actually beat up or dirty as he most likely bathes regularly, but rather, we can tell he knows a thing or two simply from history etched into the callouses in his hands and from the depth in his eyes that tell you there are a few stories you've never heard before.

Let's draw from another example. Let's go with the Ranger. Maybe it's the Lone Ranger, he fights for justice, so we like to trust him, or maybe a park ranger at Yellowstone, they keep us safe and informed. Now comes my question, who would you trust more? The park ranger who has tanned skin, worn boots, a beard, and eyes that tell you they've seen every mile of trails the park has to offer and then some? Or the guy with the brand new uniform and a look on his face like he's not sure where the nearest rest room is? It's obvious right? The second one hands down! The first one is obviously a deranged serial killer who has stolen the uniform from one of his victims and has been hiding out in the expanse of wilderness for months. Just kidding, the first one is the right answer, sorry to derail you. Congrats to everyone that didn't fall for my joke. Why do we look at someone like that and think, "I'll ask him where ______ is." Because he looks like he's probably been there and back a few times.

Speaking of rangers that have been there and back again...

Look at the following pictures and tell me who you would want to lead you through an unfamiliar forest.

Here we have option A:
First off, he has a horse.

Second, notice the trail worn leather jerkin and belts... Obviously been wearing them for a while, and I'm sure they were new once upon a time, but no one remembers when that was.

Note also the long hair. He clearly hasn't seen a barber in a while. Maybe he likes it that way you might think, and maybe you're right, but I think he's just been away from cities for so long he hasn't gotten the chance for a proper cut.

The scruff. That just shouts confidence and street cred.

The shiny necklace that definitely belongs to a girl. This means there's someone somewhere waiting for him. As you can plainly see, this guy has been through more than you have, and he still plans on getting back. So, if a guy like this walks into the clearing in the woods where you are, ladies, he's taken, so don't go pining and sighing for him, (besides he's like, 83 or something) but you can trust him to get you out of the woods safely, cuz he sure as heck ain't letting something stupid like a bear or a thousand miles keep him from his true love. Don't fret, there's someone out there for you too, you just haven't met him yet.









Now look to the right.

This is option B.

This guy looks pretty legit. He's got the hooded cloak, and the bow and arrows, and the sword and the leather jerkin and the belts...

But we can't see his face, which means we can't tell if he has that awesome scruff or long hair that prove he's been on his own for a while. And he's not wearing something that definitely belongs to a girl, so it's pretty safe to say there's no "driving will to return home to his beloved" to save you from that bear.

Plus, everything is CLEAN, I'm not trusting no ranger with clean clothes. He doesn't look like he's been anywhere near the range.

There are signs of civilization. He's standing by a wall for goodness sake.

And finally, there is absolutely no horse.



I wonder if that's why people like the jeans with pre-worn holes in them... Does it make them feel like they've had experience? Because it doesn't make me believe it.

Lightsabers are Awesome!!

I recently purchased a couple lightsabers from Ultrasabers.com and they rock. I got the Collectors Edition "Prophecy" RGB (meaning you can switch and mix up to seven different colors) and a Liberator V2 in Guardian Blue.

I have been wanting to duel with them ever since they came... and on March 11th I got my chance :)

My cousin Josh was pretty pumped about it and we took them outside to mess around a bit. After a five or so minutes we started filming and did this on the first try:



Epic.

Lightsabers are awesome.

You're Welcome

Fun is Not a Scarce Resource

Ok, so I am still alive, but not like anyone actually comes here to see if that is the case... you come here for entertainment and wisdom blended boldly into a delicious life smoothie so you can walk away a better person.

Today's special:
Creative Liberty - Made with a healthy dose of imagination on a creamy base of established franchise. We mix in some shared experience and laughter and voila! enriched friendship and lots of fun!

Some people don't like this flavor for some reason. I don't really know why.

I am confused why sometimes something that one person thinks is cool is off limits for other people to like. If I had something really fun or cool, I would want other people to enjoy it too and then we all have fun and that is more fun than just doing it all by myself. Think about it. What do you like to do that is fun? Eat food, play board games, play video games, play jokes on people (nice ones that aren't destructive) watch movies or TV shows, go to the mall, go to Disneyland, go to parties, go bowling, dress up for Halloween, have a photo scavenger hunt, go on a date, chill, and anything else you like. These are all more fun when you have someone to do it with. Who wants to go to Disneyland by themselves? Or a date...by yourself... yeah, it's better with someone.

Let's say one person knows a lot about something and has enjoyed it for a long time, then someone else who thinks it is cool but hasn't really put a lot of time into it comes along. Then they have a shared experience with that cool thing, and then an opportunity to get more involved with a group comes forward for the first person especially (since they are better equipped) but that is open for the second person to participate with and it sparks the second person's interest to get more involved. While together, the two are having a blast and laughing and joking, and eventually the experience is at an end and both go their ways feeling excited and satisfied. Now, the second person starts getting more into it and wants to talk to the first person about it, but the first person seems to be avoiding contact and starts talking everything down like it isn't really that interesting. What is the motive behind this? Does the first person not want the other to share this interest? Why would the second person's interest have any impact on the first person's ability to enjoy it? Making matters more confusing, the first person now complains to others that the second person is wanting to be involved. Why are they frustrated? It would seem that they are looking at things with some sort of scarcity mentality, like that there is only so much water available in this pitcher and if you take some there won't be enough for me. But this is FUN and ENJOYMENT and SHARED EXPERIENCE, it is not a finite measurement of water but a boundless ever expanding state of being. If one person enjoys a nice tuna sandwich, and someone else says, "I love tuna sandwiches, they are so good!" does this remove the ability of the first to taste the sandwich? Does this physically alter the sandwich the first is enjoying to another substance? NO! You simply have two people that enjoy the same thing. Perhaps the original individual will worry that this newcomer will want to steal his sandwich, but you know what? I bet if they thought about it, they would realize that a rational person would not try to steal someone's partially eaten sandwich, but would go make their own. And if they were to eat them side by side how could that hurt either of them? would the one sandwich rob the other of it's flavor? I don't think so.

Physical objects are easier to understand. They follow set rules, but people are irrational. Emotions are incalculable, and unpredictable, which is lame sometimes. The reasons behind these emotions are equally unpredictable and varied so understanding someone's motives or fears is next to impossible. Perhaps there is a desire to feel unique or special, or maybe it's less endearing and it's a need to be better than others, to assert one's superiority and dominance without fear of being eclipsed by some other person. I hope that isn't it. That is short sighted.

I guess I just wish it was easier to connect without complications. Why are we such fickle creatures?

Next episode:
Lightsabers are awesome.