It sounds like the start of a joke—an Australian butcher offers $130,000 a year and 140 people apply. Every one of them is from overseas. Not a single local apprentice. No qualified candidate. Just a pile of resumes from far-off places and silence on home soil. This isn’t just about …
Read More »Against the Grain and Why Grit Still Matters
Because doing the hard thing is often the right thing. You’ve heard the phrase “go with the flow.” It sounds easy. It sounds peaceful. But in the trades—and in life—progress doesn’t come from drifting. It comes from grit. From leaning into resistance. From doing the thing that needs doing, even …
Read More »Why the World Keeps Doubling Down on Stupid — And How to Avoid Joining It
If there’s one thing you’ll notice walking through life, it’s that there’s no shortage of nonsense. It comes at you in news feeds, in ads, in politics, in corporate slogans, in even the simplest daily choices. And sometimes, you — yes, you — will buy right into it, without even …
Read More »How to Negotiate Pay Without Burning Bridges
In the trades, especially in collision repair and other blue-collar fields, many young workers make the same mistake: they wait until they’re angry to bring up pay. They let frustrations simmer, bottle them up, and then — usually in the worst moment — explode. That’s a sure way to wreck …
Read More »The Order and Stoicism: Brothers in Calm- Divided by Action
In many ways, the philosophy of the Order of Grunts and Gesticulations is a modern heir to the teachings of the ancient Stoics. Stoicism, practiced since the days of Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus, urges men to build inner strength, to accept what cannot be changed, and to pursue virtue above …
Read More »Building a Life That Matters
How Civic Engagement Enriches You Most of what you see about “civic duty” sounds like a chore — voting every few years, signing a petition, maybe picking up a stray piece of trash on the sidewalk. But there’s a deeper way to see it: Civic engagement is how you build …
Read More »When Fear Meets the Will to Act
When Fear Meets the Will to Act Fear is older than language. It’s the primal gut check, the alarm that screams something is wrong. Whether you’re facing a subway fight, a workplace bully, or the day the rent is due and you’re short, fear shows up. It always will. That …
Read More »Starting Out: Savings, Sanity & Standing Tall
💸 The Order’s Unofficial Guide to Money For Young Men, Broke Blokes, and Anyone Trying to Get Their Sh*t Together You Don’t Need to Be Rich. But You Do Need to Be Clear. This isn’t about crypto. Or yelling “invest in yourself” into a mirror. This is about how to …
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