Grazing

Dr John Meade

Director of Tactical Medicine

Suarez International

 

I was emailing back and forth with a friend, who sent me this about a coworker.

Other than being both shooters and about the same height, the two of you are polar opposites.

He is all MT/IDPA and doesn't seem interested in wanting to learn anything else. He has two custom Kimbers and an AR15, but mostly uses them for matches. He does carry regularly, but it is a J-frame (though he does at least carry a reload). I am foreign to him as I carry more and better arms and ammo in more places and more times.

He fits the description Gabe uses quite well (although he eats cupcakes and drinks Dr. Pepper for lunch instead of Krispy Kreme). We were just talking the other day and he seemed to be struggling with his breath, weighing probably close to 300lbs.

Trying to work with him, but it is a long slow process.

In thinking about this, I believe his issues are much deeper than simply chatting with him at lunch can address. Some of this is truly an approach to life. Think about this. We have all heard the phrase: “Ignorance is bliss.” It is distressing in many ways to realize that evil lurks, just waiting to pounce on the good. Just like most Christians would rather hear platitudes from the pulpit, telling them that everything is good, love your fellow man, “coexist”, blah blah blah. When you realize that bad things happen to good people, and are actively working to deal with that, it is a complete change in your life.

Most people don’t want to change their lives very much. Think about what Suarez International preaches.

• Physical fitness (lost 99% of adult males right there).
• Carrying a fighting gun with reload and dress around it (lost 99% of those who claim to be shooters).
• Actively train to deal with any confrontation or catastrophe (you want me to miss watching the ballgame this weekend?).
• Work really hard to improve your lot in life, to provide for your family in a way that relieves them of stress (It is easier to whine and moan about “the man” keeping you down).
• Trust in God, and devote your efforts to His glory (Whoa! You can’t be a Christian and believe in all that gun stuff, can you?).

While I am not a huge fan of the sheep/sheepdog analogy, it does fit in certain ways. At least, as far as the sheep are concerned. It is easier to relax, graze and ignore the wolves circling on the perimeter of the herd. Those wolves probably won’t attack if we leave them alone. And if they do, the odds of them going after me are so low, it isn’t worth worrying about, right?

POUNCE!

Dr. John Meade is Director of Tactical Medicine for Suarez International , and a board-certified Emergency Physician. He is a reserve police officer on a multi-jurisdictional SWAT team, an EMS medical director and an NRA certified instructor. He may be contacted on WarriorTalk, or his website at www.statdoc.com .