Badass Howto: part II

Assemble your crew

Some, like myself and the other members of my kickass band, the johns, are born badassess, and it is both a blessing and a curse. For others, becoming a badass is an ongoing process. You will not just wake up one day, and be a badass. Rather, over the course of time you MAY find yourself in situations in which you will do some badass things that go on to become the stuff of legends.

A crucial step you must take while on the path of the badass, is to make the commitment to always back up your crew. This choice can sometimes get you into some hairy situations. For expample, going back The Outlaw Josey Wales, when his friends were captured by Ten-Bears, he rode in all alone, to get them back. As we know from the chief, he wasn't expecting to return, but he went anyway. For him, the choice of facing certain death for his friends was simple: there was no choice. Not many people have the intestinal fortitude for that sort of commitment, but for those select few, the title of badass awaits.

Backing up your crew, no matter what is important, but to the badass, the crew can also serve as a litmus test. While on the path, with the danger of becoming an asshole on one side, and a total douche-bag on the other a badass will need to check his/her progress. If for example you find yourself facing a horde of angry drunks, and you look behind you to find yourself all alone, you have gone over to the side of the assholes. If on the other hand, you find yourself with a group of people who are more like accessories than friends, who you would gladly sell at not only the first sign of trouble, but also the first hint that you could be hanging out with somebody "cooler," then you my friend, are a douchebag.

For further study I recommend Alexander Dumass' The Three Musketeers. Until next week, regard every smile as an insult, and every laugh as a challenge.