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tamarack wrote (edited )

You, my friend, need a hefty dose of samurai mindset.

Whether we like it or not, whether we want to be or not, we are at war right now, because there are intelligent beings out there who are trying to kill us. We aren't engaged in combat 24/7, but we are at war 24/7. You and I aren't in the same squad, but we are comrades; so let me offer some comradely advice.

Anger used to get me into trouble too. Road rage, cussing folk out, that sort of thing. You know what I'm talking about. Some of it was youthful indiscretion, but more importantly, I didn't have the correct mindset. I did not appreciate that 1) we are at war; 2) our side is fighting with disadvantage; and thus 3) we cannot afford to lose even one fucking comrade. Therefore, we need to be very careful with regard to our tactics.

So I started asking myself, in situations where I'd normally be disposed to anger, "Is this anger a wise tactical decision? Will it work to my advantage and the advantage of my comrades? Will it help the cause? Will it further our strategic objectives in any way?"

Often, the answer to those questions is "no", and there you have it.

Sometimes the answer is "yes", though, and that's where it gets tougher. You have to ask different questions, like "Is this the proper time to act? Can I preserve OPSEC? Should my anger be brought to a nice simmer, so that it can fuel more effective actions in the future?" This is what is meant by the adage, "Revenge is a dish best served cold."

Usually by this point I'm not angry anymore. Resentful? Embittered? Frustrated? Sure. But not angry. An angry person is a stupid person. I cannot afford to be stupid. None of us can afford to be stupid. Let our enemies be the angry and stupid ones. That's when we fucking win, yo.

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