Monthly Archives: October 2025

A Rebrand is in Progress

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A New Direction

Many of you have noticed my long silence here. For years I’ve engaged only sporadically, pulling back from social media almost entirely. Some assumed that meant inactivity. In truth, I’ve been busy — building, studying, writing, and re-orienting. I’ve built several custom bikes, bought two houses, published a 3rd book and have thoroughly enjoyed my life, proof that real life and accomplishment are possible without posting it all over social media.

During that time I also grew disillusioned with much of the defensive and firearms training world. A community I gave more than a decade of my life to had begun, in my view, to drift from principle into marketing and credentialism — popularity over substance, endless re-branding of the same ideas, and a culture of tearing down the elders to create quick relevance. It became a repulsive popularity contest on social media, where consensus can make nonsense the rule. Good people remain, but the environment as a whole became something I could no longer pour myself into.

Then came the real shift. COVID revealed how profoundly the world had changed. New rules emerged — social, political, economic — though no one said them out loud. I no longer felt comfortable commenting on events or even making personal and business plans. I recognized I needed to step back, study history and current events deeply, and reassess my role before speaking again. That period of withdrawal became an intensive software update: reading, thinking, building, observing. The rules have definitely changed, and we must adapt to a new paradigm now.

Today I’m in a different position. By the end of this year I’ll be able to fully step away from needing income tied to visibility. I could retire quietly, disappear, and focus on my own interests. But these are perilous times. We’re enveloped in propaganda, subversion, and weaponized provocation. Freedom is under direct attack. Because I abhor selfish individualism and consumerism, I can’t feel good retreating.

So this is my announcement to you — the people who have supported me since the early days. You’ve already seen hints of the change in my recent posts and audio uploads. The focus is shifting from purely violence and fitness to the deeper currents that make those skills necessary: the social, political, and cultural forces shaping our lives. Some of my work will take an ethnocentric stance, not out of hatred to others, but based in a deep appreciation for the Western culture, my own heritage, that built the societies we benefited from for so long, and because it is under a direct massive attack. 

I’m 100,000 words into a new book slated for early 2026. It tackles these issues head-on. My writing will increasingly center on these problems, as well as on solutions built around three disciplines: The Thinker, The Builder, and The Warrior. Alongside commentary on subversion, propaganda and perception management, I’ll be sharing practices for study and critical thinking, self-reliance and craftsmanship, and personal combat readiness. This is not a retreat from my old work — it’s its culmination.

Breaking my dependence on social-media income has freed me to speak plainly. I know that will bring malevolent criticism and name-calling; twisting my words into something I did not speak. So be it. Whoever stays with me here becomes the kernel of a new direction — one rooted in principle, not popularity.

Going forward, I have a few platforms I will use: On Patreon, I will be uploading long-form essays, sharing exerpts of the upcoming book, holding monthly live Q&A’s with archived audio, and sharing practical knowledge on living the three disciplines. On Substack, I will post serious long-form essays, shorter free essays and share random thoughts. As for this blog, I will share some shorter versions of these works, as well as random personal thoughts, so if you like what you are beginning to see here you can find more on the other two. I will provide links below. 

I’m not doing these things for the money, the main reason for the paywalls is because I have discovered that the only audience that really appreciates long-form or deep work is the one that seeks it out enough to invest in it, so I don’t want to waste too much effort where it won’t be appreciated. It also somewhat controls how much of my work flows out into the filthy subterranean depths of the internet, and gives me a chance to flesh out ideas without casting too far out, while getting some feedback in the process.

The content will be mild starting out, ramping up in intensity as I get closer to the big book launch in 2026.

Thank you for your patience, your loyalty, and your willingness to think. I hope my future work will serve you in your own growth, and in making a contribution to the culture we all share. Those who leave, I understand. Those who stay, we’re just getting started.

Patreon: patreon.com/vargfreeborn

Substack: https://substack.com/@vargfreeborn

Slow Down and Think

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Reflection is Rebellion

In an age where every waking second is filled with noise, reflection has become a radical act. The modern world does not want you to think — it wants you to react. Scroll. Click. Consume. Outrage has replaced contemplation; stimulation has replaced study. The man who pauses, who reads deeply and thinks before speaking, is no longer common — he is dangerous.

The economy of distraction feeds on attention the way empires once fed on tribute. Every ping and notification is a chain, forged not from steel but from your own impulses. The algorithms know your fears and appetites better than you do. They feed you outrage when they want obedience, comfort when they want silence. Reflection breaks that cycle. The man who turns off his screen and faces his own thoughts cuts the wires of manipulation.

Reflection is not laziness. It is the discipline of sovereignty. It is a return to command of your own mind — a place few visit anymore. It is there, in silence, that a man begins to see what he actually believes, what he values, what has been placed in his mind without consent. That quiet space is where truth survives the storm.

We have been told that silence is weakness and that constant engagement is virtue. The opposite is true. Silence refines thought. Reflection breeds clarity. The thinker who guards his attention is not retreating from the world — he is preparing to engage it on his own terms. He becomes immune to the emotional contagion that rules the mob. He sees through propaganda, through inversion, through the digital circus of outrage and envy.

Reflection is not just rest — it is the beginning of discernment. In stillness, the mind wrestles with ideas and measures them against what is known to be true, good, and beautiful. The man who studies history and philosophy, who learns to test every new idea against his cultural and moral foundation, becomes immune to subversion. He questions not only what he is told, but the very foundation upon which the telling stands. Without study, there can be no discernment; without discernment, subversion reigns unchallenged — and if it is not dismantled with intention, it will surely become your master.

Emotions are running high right now, and the manipulators are going full-blast to capitalize on it. Political division, political violence, assassinations; the psyops and lies are flying around us like a swarm of hornets.

We are enveloped in propaganda, subversion, inversion, and weaponized provocation today. It is going to get worse. The stakes are growing high, and the powers are becoming desperate as decades-long mythos now crumble. Now, more than ever, we need to be careful and think deeply. If you find yourself reacting in outrage, you are likely being manipulated. Maintain control of your mind. Observe, and try to answer “Who will benefit from this event the most?” Then wait and see who it actually is that seizes the energy of the event — who uses the emotional charge of the mindless followers to their selfish benefit.

We are entering another dark age. Do not abdicate your responsibility of critical thought. Reflection is not escape. It is the weapon that lets you dismantle deception before deception dismantles you.