Defence of others

[Spartacus Maximus]

The protection and defense of others is a very well developed field. As a martial arts student or instructor it would be of significant interest to look into documentation on the subject.

It is not difficult for anyone to obtain books which describe tried and proven strategies. If one is really keen on it, attending a seminar or training session with a professional of the field may give valuable insight applicable to one’s training. If anything these types of seminars are more popular and easier to find than ever. Just remember to choose wisely.

[MatsuShinshii]

Are we really heroes?

Conversations about the defense of others seems to be fairly prominent in the news lately with the school shooting and all. The comments I'm hearing are quite interesting:

Many people claim they'd charge in to be a hero if something were to happen (Armed? Unarmed? Doesn't seem to matter.)

Heroes are the people that lay down their lives for their fellow man/woman. I have known a few. Those that claim that they would do this or that after the fact are talking out of the left side of their face. It's either in you or it's not. You will never know until it happens. I have seen the toughest guys cower while those that you would never suspect charge into the face of danger.

Bottom line that it's very seldom that those that put themselves in harms way and run towards danger actually put any thought into it before doing so, it just happens. Those that brag about what they would do after the fact while in no danger themselves are... well I can't say that on the forums so we'll just say their ego's out rule their character.

One thing I'm not seeing or hearing much about are heroes in these situations, which are becoming commonplace in the USA. There's lots of hypothetical talk of individuals becoming heroes in these times of crisis. But where are they when things really do go down?

I think it's less bravery and more how you were brought up. It's less about being big and bad and more about your own morals and belief system. It falls down to responsibility. If you have the means to do something you should. It comes down to being a good human being in my mind. If you see a weaker person being abused and you could stop it wouldn't you? It's the same thing to me. It's either in you to do something or it's not.

Those that make the conscious choice to place themselves in harms way to save others are heroes. May however react rather than think it through. I think it has a lot of how you were brought up and what has been instilled in you.

It's different from being in the situation and not having the choice. If you're the one staring down a gun barrel it's easy to react. It's instinct. Having that same instinct to place yourself in danger is something completely different. It's a choice without actually thinking and making the choice. Kinda hard to describe actually but that's the best I can do. Hopefully it conveys the point.

I'd like to think I'd be "heroic" in the event that a friend or loved one is being attacked. But I've never really been in such a situation. I do know that I get wound up when sparring to the point where I can't think clearly or react well... and that's controlled! Nerves also seem to get the best of me when I test for a new rank. How about a real test of life-and-death? How would I really react?

I DON'T KNOW!

Exactly! You will never know until you're in that position. However the mere fact that you hope you would do something is better than those that boast that they would.

What I do know is that heroes seem to be far and few between. I grew up near Detroit. Lots of bad things happened in the streets of Detroit. People won't even call the police when shooting starts in some parts, let alone physical attempts to stop bad things from happening.

Ultimately, I believe that we can't rely on others... so taking and teaching "self defense" makes a lot of sense to me.

That is a very sad statement but I can not argue your point. It's actually a very sad statement and very telling of our society and where it is going.

Times unfortunately change and each generation is brought up differently. I will say that there is hope because there are still those that join the armed forces even in these days of danger. God bless them all!