Thanks for putting this into words. I’ve had a vague discontent and disgruntlement with superhero crap for a long time. While this isn’t the only reason I dislike superhero movies, this is a big part of it.

I do still like The Punisher movie with Jain, Dredd, The Crow, and a few others. Antiheros in general. They’re also more human and not as one dimensional.

I’m the backwards man!

I think it was ahead of its time.

See Cultural aspects on Wikipedia.

Your general feeling comes from what you know, and what you know is limited to your personal worldview.

See, that’s kind of condescending. I know that solstices and equinoxes are important and were recognized by prehistoric humans all over the world. This isn’t western vs eastern hegemony bullshit. Note that even the Chinese calendar is divisible by 4 and delineated by the solstices. I’ve also read about the solar observatories found in Mexico that predate European involvement as well as the wooden ‘henge’ of the mound builders.

Trying to act like recognition of solstices and equinoxes is some sort of Western cultural imposition is silly.

Wouldn’t solar observation pretty much universally divide the year into something divisible by four? Unless you’re directly on the equator, there are four points in a year and four points of direction (other than ‘right here’).

I haven’t read deeply about world calendars, but do know that the solstices are pretty much universally recognized.

Not a history or anthropology buff, but I have a general feeling that four pointed symbols are often tied to the solar year. You can build a solar calendar with a stick and rocks.

I’ve always kind of figured this was the actual origin of the swastika and why it was created independently by various cultures. The arms from the center are the solstices and equinoxes and the trailing arms from the elbows are the seasons that follow.

Sounds like your grandfather was a wise man. That’s a great story!

Luckily, I’ve never ended up in a survival situation. However, I have a few habits. I keep a fire source or two in my truck, zippo in my jeans. Feel naked without a pocket knife and keep a knife or two in my truck. I also keep a piece of pine heart in my truck bed. Has come in handy many times and I’ve built fires in southern February thunderstorms.

Taught my kids how to build a one match fire with just a knife and a match when they were in elementary school.

Also taught them to never go in the woods without a knife, fire, and water. Taught them how to find pine heart. Probably time for a refresher course for my son on fire building.

I’ve been trying to teach my son how to sharpen knives, but it requires a level of stubbornness that he doesn’t have yet. (I don’t see the point in all those fancy angled sharpeners.) Use a flat stone, diamond preferred for speed and sharpness. You can make any sort of edge you want. Get good, and in a pinch you can sharpen a knife or other piece of metal with a brick or flat rock.

Very nice. Never owned a Benchmade, can’t justify spending that on myself. 😁 I carry Chinese Kershaws, easy to sharpen and I can beat the hell out of them without guilt. I’m a cheap knife person, other than the Victorinox Swiss Champ I also always carry (on my fifth or so). Like Dexter Russell and Mora for fixed blades.

Any chance you’d share the survival stories?

Here are our kitchen knives, mostly carbon Dexter Russell:

What kind of knife? Also, just like cats, got a pic?