Many of you who follow my blog are also practitioners of Krav, or soem other form of self defense. That’s great. I’m a strong believer of the idea that force is sometimes needed to protect either yourself, your loved ones, or even a stranger(s). But there is another form of self defense that some of you may know about, and some of you may not. I first came across this method in the movie The Peaceful Warrior. There’s a scene where the protagonist is mugged by a few guys, and his instinct is to ask his teacher for help—i.e. he wants his teacher to kick their ass because he knows his teacher can—but instead, his teacher (nick nolte’s character) tells the protagonist to give the muggers his money. then he tells him to give them his pants. and his jacket, his watch, everything he has—he must give to the muggers. the idea is that if the person or persons mugging you are willing to risk their freedom for some petty cash or belongings, then they are in deeper need than you. this idea was very recently brought to mind by a gentleman in New York who did exactly the same thing:

http://www.npr.org/2008/03/28/89164759/a-victim-treats-his-mugger-right

I found this story on facebook, and as such, i reposted it. it in turn received a number of comments and re-shares. but what struck me funny was someone commented that we need more people like this. i agree, we DO need more people with this mentality. but instead of just thinking “yeah, we need more people like this…” why don’t we each decide to change how we think about these things, and actively decide to do this ourselves? it seems simple enough, and it doesn’t take much more than a conscious effort to hold this new mindset. If we want to see change in the world, we have to start with ourselves. If we change how we view the world, we’ve effectively made the change we were seeking. 

So… yes, knowing how to defend one-self is important. but more important is learning how to recognize another fellow human in dire need—more-so than ourselves—and learning to be open to that person, and actively doing something to help create a change in that persons life as well. when you read the story, its amazing how much the mugger has changed within the time of the mugging, to the end of a dinner. 

I’m not exactly a “god-fearing” man, but i did have to go through a 12-step program a number of years ago, and i’ll share this quote, because it fits:

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things i cannot change, the courage to change the things i can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

the key is being able to recognize the difference between the two. and Mr. Diaz had the courage to change the things he could, as well as the wisdom to know that he was able. So, know that your first option in self defense does not have to be a physical attack, but it can be a verbal defense. Just don’t go shouting in your attackers face, that WILL backfire (don’t ask how i know this…).

Peace and love. and remember, it all starts with You!

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