After all these many years, I am still amazed that people will not carry or have access to items they will or may need, specially at the workplace. And this is beyond weaponry, but simple stuff like a pen or a piece of paper to write something down.

The problem for us begins when out of the stupid kindness of our hearts, we help somebody with a small item like a band aid. Do you think the person needing the band aid would think “Hey, he was ready and had one, that is a great idea. Maybe I should have a band aid with me or nearby. Yes, I will do that.”? Chances are that the next time they need a band aid or somebody near them needs one, they will come to you because you are known to have it.

Same goes for tooling and I am including blades in this. How many times boxes or envelopes need to be opened and it is time to see the monkey-fucking-football comedy sketch of people trying to slice through packing tape with dull scissors or even fingernails? Tightening a small screw? If you solve their problem, they will not learn and be prepared for next time, but you will be their unpreparedness 7-11 where they can go to get something open or repaired. And the problem goes double if your workplace has a “No Weapons” policy because if you happen to get an enemy, they will be happy to snitch on you to HR.

So, be selfish and let them ruin their manicure and bleed all over. Keep your stuff for yourself the same way you carry a tourniquet in case you are gravely wounded in an extremity.

PS: On the tool side of things, one of my solutions is The Swiss Army Card that hides pretty in my wallet and has enough tooling to get some menial jobs done and remaining almost unseen for almost everybody.

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