It was a late drunken winter night in Asbury Park, New Jersey a few years ago, and I knew something clicked back then when I pondered over the philosophical musings I arrived at from a simple exchange with my best friend Kyle. Why has this moment of clarity come rushing back to me years later? A day before my 35th birthday on a nice Friday off from work, I’m unsure. But I’m glad it did.
Picture this, a small but perfect apartment for two dudes to become adult men. A few blocks away from a Williamsburg-Esque hipster downtown, and equi distance to the beach. We had it made, still do. We’re just all grown up now.
That night as I ate cold remnants from the bottom of a can of soup, from which seconds earlier I was emptying into a pot on the stove--my roommate at the time, the aforementioned Kyle, quizzically questioned my decision to eat the cold canned leftovers.
“You can just eat out of a can of soup like that…?”
(Now I know there is a heightened risk to not heating up certain canned foods, but let’s be real, 99 out of 100 times nothing is going to happen to anyone. And, if it does, it’s probably a bit of a stomach ache at most).
I plainly answered. “Yeah man it’s already cooked, it’s just cold.” As I continued to finish off a couple straggler beans and rice from their respective tin can Campbell's Chunky Condominium, Kyle responded with a funny declaration.
“Zach you will have no problem with the Apocalypse.”
We both shared a good laugh, cracked open a couple of beers, and went about our night. That exchange at the time was funny and enjoyable, as I could not ask for a better friend or roommate. But, as the night went on I started to feel more and more pride from his satirical words of adulation. I started thinking to myself “I will have no problem with the Apocalypse, no fucking problem at all.” Why was such confidence derived from a buzzed up conversation on a cold night in Jersey? Why? I will tell you why. It’s simple. It’s because through personal and professional failures, lot’s of both. (The only way one can truly learn). I decided to become a strong willed individual that continually questions everything, even my own thoughts and actions.
I firmly believe in critical thought rooted in rebellion. I support any and all well thought out against the grain philosophies. And, honestly, even not well thought out ways of thinking, as long as they are rooted in questioning the flock. A man will never know the truth until he purposely sits alone in the crowd. Reject the common cure. There is no cure, and there never will be. Only suffering, and then success, and then repeat. The first step for me in this personal journey was deciding to ardently reject collectivism, and learned behavior through socially accepted trends, and ethics. Creating a learned system of behavior, and an ethical compass should come from family, friends and a personal spiritual awakening. Anything else will be a fleeting and empty existence. And, nothing will shake me from these deep realizations, not even during this 2020 pandemic. Even if the world was suffering through a post apocalyptic struggle, I would staunchly stick to what I know to be true. I will always eat the cold remnants out of a can, that the rest would tell you to leave behind.
Mel Gibson in “Mad Max,” and “The Road Warrior,” is a perfect example of surviving based on individualism. A critical thinking rebel versus a collectivist misguided tribe. Mel’s masterful portrayal of Max Rockatansky: a post-apocalyptic loner ex- cop who lost his entire family, raged against the collectivism of a villainous anarchistic gang takeover. The type of thought subscribed by these villains in these films lead them to a life of cannibalistic tendencies, and a blood thirst for the upheaval of common decency, and peaceful society. They represent the weak willed flock in a time of serious turmoil. Their lack of belief in anything honest and good, and their disbelief in fortitude reduced them to a group that became nothing more than a twisted cult of gas raiders. Ready to burn anything, and anyone in their way.
If history, and amazing Aussie Cult films have taught us anything-- it’s that the critical thinking individuals will always fight for what is truly right. Not the collective socialistic tribes. End of story. And, although these movies are Australian through and through, they showcase better than most movies the essence of what it means to be an American. The idea of pride in individualism, and liberal thought (in its classical form). I believe if a man’s core value system is rooted in these tenets then honestly why the hell wouldn’t they be prepared for the apocalypse; or in our current case The Year of 2020.
The moral of this story? Find meaning, stay true to it, and don’t bow to the mob mentality. Tell the mob to bring it on, no matter who they might be; Alien Space Vikings, Aussie Gas Raiding Cannibals, or these very real non-fictional ANTIFA lunatics we see destroying our cities today. Name the cause, and it shouldn’t change the course of action. For me, I will always fight for any and all forms of a peaceful and free Western Liberal Democracy. Western Civilization is rooted in everything that brings about real personal freedoms; questioning authority, hard work, and the right for every individual to have their place. Fight for it, and honestly express the beauties of our society, because right now the Mad Max gangs have arrived and they want blood.
Max’s tools of the trade would be rather helpful to further along a good fight; a souped up muscle car, a sawed off shotgun, and a rabid Austrian Cattle Dog-- but we’re Americans. We’re resourceful, and are always down for a good old fashioned slobber knocker to fight for what’s right, especially when we are the underdogs alone in the crowd.*
*I don’t support or condone violence, but don’t let your beliefs or ideas ever get pushed around because they may not represent the trends of the day. Stand your ground for what you know to be right, and true. Express your beliefs, and if you lose friends because of it, they were never your real friends. Good riddance.
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