What 18th Century Naval Warfare Can Teach Us About Personal Protection [And Day-to-Day Life] by Mark Hatmaker
“ Shipshape and Bristol fashion .” Have you heard the phrase? If so, have you pondered what it means? Well, whether you answered yay or nay allow me to lay out a little history behind that phrase, the pragmatic wisdom that fostered it and along the way roll out a few more vintage nautical terms, quote some Rudyard Kipling and bring it right back to combat training and, if you can believe it, we streamline our lives in ways Marie Kondo never pondered. Back to our opening phrase: “ Shipshape and Bristol fashion .” I’m sure we all have a handle on the first half of that nautical proverb: Shipshape. To be in shipshape, is exactly that, a ship that is properly prepared and good to go. It means an extensive review of supplies, a thorough examination of structure, standing rigging, running rigging, and all the extensive necessities required to keep a land mammal [man] alive in the precarious environment of the Seven Seas. Shipshape, got it. Now h...