The art outside of combat

[RW]

Some time ago a friend of mine handed me a video of some basic taichi. I watched that video several times a week and learned to throughly copy the routine and movements. (the movements as best I could of course)

One day I was walking home from school and stepped on a patch of ice. As I was slipping I snapped into a position that I had learned from the video.

Spread feet. One hand on the ground infront of you, one hand up in the air above you.

I went home happy that I didn't fall on my face, and that something I learned came in handy in an everyday situation.

so, any simular stories?

I was in the airport, some dude's bag was falling, you know those bags that have a telescoping metal handle. It was falling towards me, so I used my foot in a side-kick (yoko geri) like motion and caughte the bag for his. His kids were really impressed

[honoluludesktop]

If you are ambushed by muggers who have cased the area out and laid a trap specifically for you, do you consider it an "accident"? Certainly according to that definition, the attack is indeed accidental.

No, but if you are walking around a blind corner, and a person who has had a drink comes around the corner from the other side, and you run into each other, that is an accident, for both of you.

[Shizentai]

I don't accept the 'colloquialism' because i've watched how the 'colloquialism' is used later to absolve the perpetrators of guilt and responsibility.

I have a relative who killed someone with a car that they had been allowed to use. There is a woman who was innocent of wrongdoing broke down on the side of the road. Now she is dead, and her family has to deal with the loss. The shoulder of the road was maybe a couple feet less wide than it might have been, so it might take a minor bit of cognition to avoid a stopped car with a little bit of it poking onto the traffic lane. What is the verdict from my family?

"I was drunk, stoned, talking with friends, and speeding on an icy road and there was someone in the way... it was an accident. Nobody can control that. Gimme another beer."

"Oh, I can't be angry with him. It's called an accident. It wasn't his fault.

That sounds like a terrible situation. I'm sorry that something that horrible happened to anyone, and I agree with your assessment that vehicular manslaughter is a terrible crime. Indeed, I have previously stated that I do believe the driver that hit me was at fault, so we are in agreeance here. There is therefore no need to argue. I apologize for defending my words in such a way that caused you upset. Had I realized that I was writing for a sensitive audience, I probably would have used some other word, however I'm pretty sure that most people knew what I was trying to say regardless.

Besides, it doesn't really matter how hard either the law or I am on this particular person who caused me harm, because ultimately he got away. I have not absolved him of guilt, I have just simply let go of my anger about the situation since there is nothing that can be done. All I can do is make a point to wear contacts from now on while bike-riding and be thankful that it wasn't worse.

[JusticeZero]

I agree with you fully there. As noted, my primary annoyance is with peoples' insistence on calling all types of car crashes, regardless of what might have led up to it, as "accidents", when other, less dangerous activities are not granted a similar pass.