Not too long ago Andrew Tuohy from Vuurwapen Blog posted a video titled I am not a “sheepdog”

This echoed many sentiments that I have had for a long time. The moniker “sheepdog” as ‘one who loyally obeys the shepherd and protects the sheep’ did not sit well with me. The term sheepdog has always bothered me. I will fight for myself and my loved ones. I’m not here to protect everyone.

I carry a firearm and a knife at all times, and I know how to use them. I know and stay equipped for multiple levels of first aid and trauma care. I maintain my vehicle to maximum and have it equipped and outfitted for escape and evade driving. When I shoot my rifle, I wear armor and maintain cover.

What are we doing? We attend classes and train hard, run drills and push ourselves to be better shooters and learn to do things that have almost no application in normal civilian life. We stay fit, practice survival techniques, educate ourselves, and hone our skills and our minds.

Asymmetric Warfare is a term coined in Andrew J.R. Mack’s 1975 article “Why Big Nations Lose Small Wars” and has come to be a buzzword for western nations with billions of dollars of training, equipment, supplies and infrastructure facing off against men in sandals wielding 30 year old rifles and cellphones.

I propose Asymmetric Living. I want to be faster, stronger, better trained, better equipped, more informed, and more educated than any opponent or obstacle that I may encounter.
Be prepared for anything that you might encounter, also be prepared for things you might not encounter. Respond to any challenge with overwhelming force, skill, or knowledge.

You can ‘train down’ for any scenario, you can’t ‘train up’. If your training standards are for the most difficult scenarios of combat, you will excel at lighter engagements. You can always dial back from full kit and rifle plates to having a couple mags in your pockets and a rifle, the transition doesn’t go the other way.

I keep an inventory of ammo, weapons, and my kit with rifle plates ready to go at all times. Somebody asked me if I was preparing for the “zombie apocalypse” and I said “no, I’m prepared for all of them”

I encourage every one of you who reads this to look at yourself and see what it is that you’re doing, and more importantly, what you’re NOT doing. Take classes, sure. Work out, great. Keep your gear handy and in good condition, excellent. Do not become complacent, there is always an extra mile.

It’s go time, and I’m ready.