Balance of Instinct and Intelect

[zps00]

Everyone seeks balance. It is the ultimate goal. Perfection, nirvana, whatever. There is a constant battle between animal instincts and human intellect going on in our minds. We should not live letting our instincts rule us but we can not live without them. When people let their instincts rule their judgment, they become simple and predictable beasts. Martial arts is all about the discipline of the mind and body. Using your intellect in situations where most would fall back to their primal state of mind and panic and make rash decisions or freeze up. Hesitation is the perfect example of the conflict going on in your mind. The animal inside of you wants to flee, lash out, and scream. You, on the other hand, want to understand the situation as much as you can and choose an action that will likely lead to an acceptable outcome. When you try to fight the panic and fail you will sometimes hesitate and not do anything at all, your mind in a blunder. If you find yourself in a state of panic, try to know what you are able to do to effect your surroundings. Focusing on gaining the control of your body will often focus other parts of your mind out of panic and you will be able to make much better decisions faster. You alone can teach your mind how to handle it's self in tough situations. Next time you find yourself stressed, stop and think about the situation as a whole, examining every aspect as if you were someone else, completely separated from your world.

[Jiffy]

Excellent Post.

Couldn't agree more.

[Ace2021]

Yes, very insightful.

[bushido_man96]

Nice. Good points.

[gzk]

What do you think of the idea of making an intellectual decision to trigger an instinctive response?

[bushido_man96]

What do you think of the idea of making an intellectual decision to trigger an instinctive response?

That is kind of an interesting question. Could you elaborate a little more, or give some kind of an example? I like the question, but need to see a little bit more, if you can offer it.

[gzk]

For example, in a self-defence situation, the engaging question could be used to trigger your "fight mode", or your pre-emptive strike. After making an intellectual decision that the fight is on, you ask the question then instinctively strike; you deliver the right cross, right elbow, left inside leg kick, whatever, without thinking, your brain knows to do it a certain amount of time after asking the engaging question. It's like a boxer reacting to the bell, or a karateka reacting to "ICHI! NI!" (my instructor jokes, semi-seriously, that when karatekas get knocked out in the street it's because no-one was yelling that at them, so they didn't know to start fighting) , exept that you have intellectually decided to "pull the trigger", so to speak.

Or is that still all intellectual?

[bushido_man96]

That makes good sense, gzk. I understand now.

[granmasterchen]

I don't think it would be a good idea to give in to primal/feral/savage purposes....for one I believe that you must have a clear calm head to fight effectively which only comes from experience and confidence which usually comes with experience in itself. By clouding your mind with anger you develope tunnel vision and no control of your body, it is a powerful alternative and very effective at destroying things, when you do this you give up a piece of your sanity and eventually it will become easier to perform these actions as you continue them until you start making insane action against the civil society that we have that demands order instead of chaos. I don't think the risk is worth the payoff unless it is a very dire situation...but even then you risk losing yourself

[gzk]

What about adrenaline, granmasterchen? Would you suppress it, and be without its assistance in resisting pain? How do you strike faster than when you do so instinctively?

To clarify, I'm not talking about giving in to anger, but rather giving yourself the all-clear to act on well-drilled, almost-automatic responses, eg: he's doing 'x' which will soon open up his jaw which I will hit with a left hook, etc. except that this process of recognition and response is so well drilled as to be instinctive