Before you decide you are the Gray Man, blending into your surroundings with the stealth of a pecker in a whorehouse, might want to glance around first. Most everybody would agree that it's advantageous to blend into wherever you happen to be, but it amazes me how many "operators" think they create their surroundings regardless of where they happen to be standing. For those who just looked like they fell off planet Dimwit, figure out where you are. Philadelphia PA and Buckhorn WY are not exactly next door to each other.

Check out what regular, local people wear. Multicam and an Infidel T-shirt might not be exactly gray man attire. People do notice things that are out of place and in this century, don't ever think that there won't be somebody around who will know exactly what Rhodesian camo looks like. And they will be asking, too. Maybe not you, but they will damn sure ask local law enforcement - and the local Sheriff may have just been in South Africa and wondering the same thing, which is just who do you think you are? Better have a great backstory for those kinds of questions. Unless you really like attention, you might be much better off wearing Wrangler jeans and a work shirt.

Most of the readers who stop by this blog are used to being around guns and other weapons. Not so with the average person, but if they do know guns, they'll respect competency, not expense. If you go hunting someplace, the guides will not be impressed with your engraved Weatherby unless you can shoot it like a rock star. Do your firearms fit your location? If the locals use Winchester 30-30s, your FN-FAL or M4 is going to get noticed. If I am in Kansas City, a sport jacket and any high capacity semi-automatic for concealed carry, I look like everyone and no one. Where I live now, I have not seen a sport jacket here ever.

There's a time and place for anything. If you want to disappear, it's something to consider.

Loyalty. I wonder if this one word means a thing anymore. I ponder on this often, I consider all the possibilities of what it might mean but I can find no answers. Loyal. I was taught that means the old west notion to "ride for the brand," to absolutely serve one's employer to the best of one's ability. Seems, though, that our modern society does not value that. Somewhere, loyalty got tangled up in a fence with the ass that kisses itself. And those who you were loyal to, they'd rather have ass kissers.

How in the world did this happen? Do they think that because they somehow make more money that they are really more important? It's all very strange. And when I did speak up, after losing everything I owned, to say that the cocksuckers are not worthy to be employed, it was I that lost. Guess years of loyalty didn't mean a thing and I really should have just shut up and done nothing. Honestly, is your life worth losing for anyone who does not value you? Or, perhaps you are just a slave to your employer so you can keep your "stuff." The stuff doesn't mean shit. And neither does your employer. Where I used to work, we were "associates." Ok, we're part of the whole. Then, we were termed "employees" so that the terminology would match the criteria for the "best run company" — right. Perfect.

The company didn't follow a damn thing about keeping its employees. In fact, the company instituted so many policies that there was a written procedure for how to put apples in a bowl.... so, when my friend brought in some oranges to give away for free, the company berated her because there were no oranges listed in the procedure document. These people are not part of the best run of anything, they are part of the problem here in the USA with those who think they should buy loyalty rather than earn it. Thank you, God, that I am away from that company and no longer have to kiss my ex-VP's ass just so I could have a real job. I do feel sorry that the company's owners would rather have children in power than real, loyal people. But, WTF, it's not my place to say. A telling comment might be that the son of the owner moved to China to get away from it all.... but, hell, what do I know? I'm unemployable since I am so dangerous. It will all make a good book someday.

Me? I have nothing, so they can all just sue me and stay the fuck out of South Dakota. Loyalty doesn't mean shit in "corporate USA." Well, it does to me but seems like I am the only one left.

Most of what I read about survival has to do with being lost in the wilderness or escaping to the wilderness, where one would kill animals and build shelters. It seems more likely that most people would need skills that would better serve some type of economic survival rather than wilderness living. It can take very little anymore to put one in a position of having no income. If you think you might face that risk, the skills you relied on to be employed out in the world may not mean much. The economy of unemployment and especially if deciding to be on the move for a while will mean you need to be able to fend for yourself while offering the ability to do things that others cannot or would rather pay for than do themselves. You'll not get far at a truck stop in the flatlands by expousing your expertise as a marketing expert. If instead you can work on diesel engines or can wash dishes, then you may get to eat that day. Consider the basic skills that most of our grandparents had that are now considered almost lost arts. As society became more specialized, the types of employment changed, of course, and people spent so much effort getting more educated to reach higher status that basics were no longer needed. If you have the time, you might want to search out some knowledge that's useful in the real world rather than the corporate one. You might wish you had if your life suddenly takes a drastic turn in an unexpected direction.

Some examples of these would be whether you can change a tire on a vehicle (plenty of people cannot), start a fire - if you don't carry a lighter, better have some way of doing it, change an electric outlet, do basic plumbing repairs, use an axe efficiently, cook over a campfire and for that matter, cook without any appliances. Do you know how to drive a tractor, run a backhoe, dig a trench with a shovel, drive a big truck with a manual transmission? It takes only a few tools and supplies in a bag or pouch to be useful rather than useless. Know basic first aid, there may not be the luxury or funds to call 911 or drive to a hospital. On a similar note, I have a firearm and know how to use it. It should be basic, with readily available ammunition, and it should blend in. The ability to blend in is an extremely important point.

Wherever you find yourself, look like the people who live there as much as possible. Being unemployed and broke is not the time to draw attention to yourself. People universally distrust "different" and you'll not be in a great position to answer multiple questions from anyone in law enforcement if asked. Consider what you really think of some homeless person you see and then consider how others will think of you if you're the one without a physical address. Blend in and be nice - others who have very little will be the people who will help you with places to stay and finding underground economy jobs once they learn what you know how to do. What you were in the past is not going to help, it's what you can do for yourself and others that will make the difference. It's not hard to learn, just seek out people with real-world basic skills and ask them to show you. Next time you get your oil changed or some wiring fixed at your home, watch what that person is doing. It may be you think that you'll never need to know how to do what that repair person is doing as your life and your job are so completely secure. If so, I hope for your sake that you are right. But, it takes so little effort to learn while you still have that opportunity and before you end up where you can only be sorry that no one needs an accountant or your Master's degree at a campsite.

Was there a time when employers really cared about employees? I'm running through history books in my head but can't recall anything specific. Personally, I think there are employers who care about profit - a good thing, since having the company solvent means those who work for the company get to have jobs, and then there are many more employers who care about profit plus. Plus means the ability to be superior to the employees. The owners are rich, management gets paid staggeringly more money than those who are managed and everybody above use their powers to inflict duress on those who actually do the work. That's not something to increase profit, it's just something to show that those who are higher are somehow better than those who are lower on whatever ranking system the company arbitrarily uses to chart or graph or measure that the people in high places get to be in high places because they are in high places. I am not making this up. Some companies will even use their power to tell employees what they can and can't do on their own time - not like they can't commit felony murder but telling the employees who they can and can't talk with on their own time.

After many years of working in both low places and high places, I've picked out a few differences that I find interesting, though I have not yet come to any real conclusions except some thoughts on the dismal state of human nature in general. Those in low places all seem to get along with each other, while some authority figure way above their pay grade is just a jerk but nobody has to really deal with him or her. Those in high places step on anyone in low places, while trying to stab the others in high places in the back so that the stabber will come out ahead and remain in some exalted position. What an incredible difference in the conscience of people or the lack thereof. It's like when you have some issue with a fellow member in a motorcycle club. You just spit it out and work it out as equals. In the corporate world, it's the smarmy false one who kisses an ass greater than yours who wins. Don't dare say what you really think, as those in power don't want you to think. And not only will they use every means at their disposal to shut you up, they'll make sure that everybody else there is suitably frightened of their almighty power that they will shut up, too.

How did this happen? Seems to me that a company would be better off by treating their employees as equals, asking for and encouraging independent thought, looking for new directions from the people who actually do the real work, listening. I know this doesn't happen and I know that employers succeed through the usual practices of remaining superior while treating the people who actually work as inferiors. I'd love to see some of the highly-educated and self-aggrandizing clowns try to survive out in the true world, not their own self-created world where they trample on others to fulfill their need for egocentric awards and acclaim from other asshats. But, I know that won't ever happen. Oh, and since I am "unemployable," I can say whatever I want about employers. Like Janis sang, "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." I have nothing left to lose so I am free and get to have a voice. And mine is that if ever anybody starts a company and treats everyone there as equals, that company will not fail.

And, by the way, (ex-) boss, how in the hell do you live with yourself? Quite well, I suppose. Some advice: be sure you hire sheep. You obviously can't deal with wolves.

Firing ranges are where most people learn the fundamentals of handling and using guns safely, and at any range I have visited, firearm safety is stressed very strongly. But, once the basics of learning how to shoot and how to not blow holes in things that aren't designated targets are learned, it's equally important to do some shooting in a different kind of environment where other skills can be learned. If not, ingrained range rules may take over during a situation where the ability to destroy an adversary is a hell of a lot more important than making sure your gun's muzzle doesn't point in some arbitrary unsafe direction.

A mindset that shooting in a direction other than where a target stand is located can mean fatal hesitation if you find you need to shoot in multiple directions, especially while moving (and if you're not moving, you're likely already hit). With the availability of Airsoft guns, these skills can be developed almost anywhere, though it is still important if a suitable location can be found to use live fire at least once in a while. I read an article about malfunctions on a range where the shooter would not keep the muzzle pointed down range when attempting to get the gun running. In the real world, there's no "down range," there's just you. Practice getting back into the fight without concern for range rules, only your own rule to win the fight.

This reminds me of people who try to chamber a round in a semi-automatic pistol by pointing the gun at the target, then grabbing the rear of the slide and pulling the slide toward them. The problem is that some people do not have the hand strength to do that. It's a safe technique, but these people then think they can't operate a pistol as it's just too hard to get the slide back. If they'd (based on a right-handed shooter) point the pistol across their chest to the left, then take their left hand on top of the slide and push with each arm - right hand pushes left, left hand pushes right - there is a lot more mechanical advantage and the slide can be easily operated. Yes, the shooter is pointing the gun at whoever is to their immediate left. So what? If the shooter knows to keep his or her finger off the trigger, the gun is not going to go bang by itself. The safe part of gun handling is the shooter's brain and the shooter's finger. Learn range rules for the range, learn to win the fight in the world.