It is much easier to judge than to love, which is why you are more likely to find folks flappin’ at the mouth rather than listening to others with open hearts and minds.
You’ll know a righteous Badass by their keen ability to listen, accept, and tolerate those who disagree with them.
The Badass is confident enough to not feel threatened by disagreements and differences, but instead is intrigued and ultimately enriched by them.
All unshakable and shit.
A Badass individual understands communication is not limited to the verbal form, but is more honestly found in the actions of one’s self and of others. Like some Badass wild animals, and shit.
. . . . .
“Always listen to your teacher and do what he says.”
“Look at me when I’m talking to you.”
“Pay attention to what I’m saying.”
“Do as I say, not as I do.”
“You had better listen to your Nana.”
Did you ever get sick of that “listen” bullshit when you were a kid? You bet your sweet ass you did, Scout. Because when we were children, we were still in tune to all types of natural communication that occurs in humans and animals alike so we often knew straight away when someone was full of shit and should be avoided, ignored, or escaped from entirely.
“But I don’t like him mommy! He’s a scary man!”
“Get your ass over there and say hi to Mr. Rupert, this instant!”
“But, but, but . . . “
Then, over time, our innocent little asses were domesticated. We were broken like wild horses until we could no longer trust our own instincts but instead were trained to place importance on the words of others, like good little submissive puppets should. (And every Badass knows good little puppets shut up, work really hard, and go into debt by buying lots of shit to make the sting of shutting up feel better all the while making a very few people very, very rich.)
“I’m so sorry. I’ll never hurt you again,” said for the fifth time.
“No one will ever love you like I do,” said following a terrible insult.
“You’ll never get anywhere in this world. You’re a loser.” said by a Class A dumb ass.
In our domesticated state of mind we often choose to trust words and ignore actions. Again and again we return to the unnatural, the unsafe, the unhealthy—like a fly returns to a hot, steaming pile of caca. Some asshole insults you again and again, and yet their apology, to your washed brain, represents hope that said asshole will change. Well, how about we call bullshit on that theory right now? Because that’s exactly what it is: Bullshit.
Someone who loves you will naturally make mistakes (accidentally forgets a birthday, shows up 10 minutes late to a lunch, spills tea on your favorite rug, steps in dog shit and enters your vehicle) and of course you forgive them. But another asshole discourages every great idea you have, makes you feel bad about yourself, and plays manipulative games of praise and punishment. Guess what? That stupid ass is giving you the greatest gift one can give—honesty. This bastard is showing you his or her true colors and now it is up to you to take that gift of honesty and make a choice—address the actions and give a chance or walk the fuck away, with your dignity intact. That’s power back in your hands, Superstar. That’s badass.
Some people are supportive, loving, loyal, and make great friends. These folks, Player, are worthy of being your tribe.
Others charm their way into your life and make you feel like a juicy ass turd. Like a sneaky snake ate your sorry ass up and shat you right back out.
The Badass knows the difference.
We humans think we’re so very clever. And yet the Badass animals of the Serengeti, or even the ones howling and yapping just beyond our own back yards know that we are a stupid-ass species as we ignore the gift we’ve been freely given at birth—the ability to quickly determine friend or foe through our own observations and intuition. A Badass individual is honest by being authentic with oneself and with others. A Badass communicates with actions.
“How does that shit look?” you ask.
If we’d just shut our pie holes for a moment and look up from our technological brain suck devices, we could observe and trust our observations to keep us safe and protect us from liars, narcissists, emotional manipulators, and worse—bonafide assholes. We could take a step out of our desperate dream land and not only regain the ability to use our own Badass intuition to keep us away from the riff-raff, but also to guide us toward the good, the loving, the kind ass bitches (who are everywhere, by the way—just look up) who rather than discourage us from reaching our full potential, are running right along side us in that marathon of sweet dreams, Tiger, with a wink and a high five.
Dare I say that all plants are potentially little Badasses?
“How could that be? I’ve killed every plant I’ve owned,” you say. “Not the other way around.”
Simple. You’ve killed them because you’re not a Badass. Not yet. Let me explain.
We’ll discuss limits and shit at a later time. Now, let’s talk about how badasses are like plants.
A plant knows it cannot grow and thrive for long when it shares space with weeds. Why? Weeds are selfish, narcissistic little bastards that have no care but to feed and nourish themselves, therefore taking the nourishment right from the good plant, eventually killing it.
“Fuck that shit,” says your mama’s geraniums. In unison.
Sound familiar? Sound like those dumb-ass-going-no-wheres you’ve been spending your precious time with? Remind you of that bitch-ass relative of yours who likes to degrade your every positive move and create constant chaos by causing disagreements, false scenarios, and emotional manipulations? How about those “friends” of yours who seem to have caught the crab mentality (“If i can’t have it, neither can you.”)?
Good. Admit that shit, wipe that tear away, and listen up, Superstar. It’s about to get real.
Weeds will always grow up and thrive around healthy plants, but if the healthy plant has a boundary around it, root deep, and is maintained on a regular basis, the weeds cannot progress to sucking the life out of the healthy plant. That’s badass.
“What does a plant, or weeds for that matter, have to do with me, punkass?” you ask.
Clearly you’ve not yet reached badass status. Badasses are patient, attentive listeners. Sit your no-attention-span-having ass down and take a deep breath. Exhale that shit slowly while you open that sweet-ass mind of yours.
Ready? Good.
My point: so can you, Sensei, create healthy boundaries around your sweet little innocent heart. Treat that shit like a prized garden. Weeds may pop up now and again, but if you treat your little “garden” with love and respect, tilling the soil, weeding it ever so diligently, fulfilling its needs–you’d better believe peace, beauty, and all that good shit under the sun will prevail.
Ever hear the saying, “You are only as good as the company you keep”?
Indeed, hero. Indeed.
The Badass Constitution 
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