postheadericon Knives, Tool and Symbol




by Miles Hoffs


Life is a day to day battle in progress. It's a constant scuffle for individual growth, for material wealth, for social stature, and ultimately it's a race for survival. It is under this paradigm that man sought to employ tools to aid him in the battlefield as he scrambles not just to win the fight but also earn its spoils.

One tool that has since been symbolic to life's daily battle is the knife. Since it was created out of pointed stone, it has been used by man to aid in his survival. In vanquishing enemies, in defense against the wild, in gathering foods and in preparing them, knives have been every bit what it's made of.

Knives nowadays are mostly used as kitchen utensil, preparing foods by cutting them into edible pieces and making them ready for cooking. In the absence of a can opener, it can also be used as one. If other kitchen utensils need some cleaning, knives can also be used for scratching dirt formations.

Another use of knives of today is as an outdoor tool. The recent trend of outdoor activities likes mountain climbing, camping, and terrain hiking has got knife companies busy. This is because knives are among the basic tools they need to include in their backpacks, as recommended by safety authorities. These outdoor knives are usually packed with unique features that make it exactly fit and useful for outdoor survival.

A traditional defensive tool as it is, knives have been for a while carried by man and women for protection from unpredictable wild creatures and unpredictable wild people. While the idea has been a suspect to knife's illegal use, it also stays very real today.

The traditional defensive identity of knives is actually because they have since time immemorial been a very prominent military implement. The era of knives as a purely combat tool however have come to pass. Today, knives have assumed a dual role in the military. One is its traditional combat role and which earns it the title of being a soldier's last draw. Second is it new role as a survival utility where it is used as a soldier's tool for cutting ropes, plants, leathers or even wires - whatever is it needed during field operations.

Emergency responders are never without knives when they rush to a scene. Popular entities like the Red Cross, Red Crescent, 911, the Fire Department, the Coast Guard - all keep knives as part of their emergency kit upon responding to an emergency. An emergency response without knife is considered flawed right from the start.

Knives are used in many ways other than the ones enumerated above. Some of them perhaps I overlooked but those that I didn't are those that I'm not supposed to count. Like for example, knives are favorite tools for burglars, street hustlers, etc.. These the ugly side of human survival that knives likewise served.

In more ways than one, knives are indeed a symbol of human struggle. They have been part of human history ever since its prehistoric origin.




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