http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e274/ ... 0_0001.jpg
The knife presented to me by Flintknapper from all the members of the forum. I don't know much about the hobby of arrowhead collecting but I am able to look at this knife & know something about the original maker. There are lessons of survival & personal defense to be learned by looking at this.
There is a saying today among us redneck country boys that goes like this. The Indians had it right. The men hunted & fished all day while the women did all the work. Those Indian women may have done the cooking, hide tanning, putting up the TP's, & all that "work".
When I look at this knife and the only arrowhead that I own, I know something about those men that hunted & fished. They also took personal defense & the defense of their families & loved ones very serious. When they were not hunting & fishing to feed the family, it is evident to me that they were not setting around spinning yarns about who caught the biggest fish or arrowed the largest deer. They were very carefully carving out the weapons of defense that may be needed to protect those women & children that they loved. This knife was not chipped out in 30 minutes.
Whoever made this original knife made the best knife he possibly could. I am often asked what pistol should I buy to carry? When I give several quality arms & talk of different makers another question often comes. Why do I need such an expensive gun? I don't want to spend that much money. My answer is always the same. If you need it, you will be betting your life & the life of your loved ones on the weapon you choose.
The maker of this knife could have said, Why do I need to make one that good? Why should I spend that much time & effort making that good a knife? Because the lives of his loved ones depended on it.
In this work I also see one who knew that what we call situational awareness was the key to his survival so he could protect those loved ones. In the day that this knife blade was used for survival there were no ambulances to get them to the hospitals. In a knife fight in that day both were very likely to die. Infection could very well claim the life of the "winner". Truly the only fight that was won was the one that was avoided.
Be vigilent. Be watchful. Know what is going on around you. Practice walking around in condition yellow all the time. Let the slightest hint of trouble be noticed & taken seriously. Samuel Colt may have made all men equal. But he did it only after the shooting started. Be far above all men in awareness & truly hope you never have to prove you are the fastest gun or the best shot.
He who struck first was the one who lived to protect his family again. The close quarters of a knife culture demands constant training as well as vigilence.
Take your training seriously. I know of no person that trains regularly w/ weapons of mediocre quality. Step one leads to step 2. If you can get professional training, do it. If you cannot then read, think through the different possibilities, and do it as often as possible.
Find someone to train with. I have 3 that I train with at every opportunity. Flint is one of them. Dpatterson on this forum is another. When given the opportunity to meet, visit with, & train with others on this forum take every opportunity available. It does not matter if they are young or old. Of the ones named, I am the oldest but have learned from every one I have trained with.
The quality of this knife also says to me, "I will not be a victim." I am not going to this much work, expense, trouble, & time invested in training & then lose everything precious to me because of one minute of letting down my watchful guard or fearful surrender to those who would harm my family. I will live with a gentle character but fight w/ a vicious intent for victory. I will be politely armed. I will not be a victim.
Every one of you are the givers of the lessons observed from the gift given to me. Hold all the lessons dear to your heart. Continue to be as gracious & caring as you are. Be as vigilent as you can. Enjoy life with the loved ones God has given you. Share with others as you have with me. Thank you all for this life experience.
LT.
Home Sat afternoon. I continue to sleep better as the days go along. I slept for 3 hrs w/o waking up. Stayed in bed & slept a full 7 hrs w/ intermittent times of waking. Did not stay awake long. As is his character, Flint said nothing about the knife. After he left, Barbara opened the bag for me to read the responses. The box was on top & when she opened it she began to cry. I knew he had done something. The note said he presented it to me from all on the forum & That is the way I receive it. Thank you all for your care.