The founder of our martial arts dojo liked to tell a story about a 98-pound wimp in high school who served as an unwitting punching bag for local bullies.
Unsurprisingly, he would be verbally harassed and then pushed around by these bullies, and I guess, somewhere in the distance, our founder might even have chickened out; who knows?
Anyway, one day the idiots messed with this “little guy” and something in him snapped. He went completely crazy and started defending himself!
Swinging wildly but relentlessly, he chased away his attackers and was left alone from then on.
The moral of the story is that the toughest creeps are afraid of people who snap, who act like uncontrollable animals, who are willing to risk everything in their own defense or in defense of another.
I have given much thought to the idea of ​​developing a nonviolent martial art, realizing, of course, that excellent training in karate, aikido, and judo, to name a few disciplines, will strive to create a “peaceful warrior: “Someone that he is less and less likely to engage in physical battle as his training increases.
The problem, as I see it, is fear. Good people fear too much and evildoers fear too little.
And I’m not convinced that a completely peaceful approach to training will turn the tables.
Like blood to water, the meek attract conflict and are all too tempting as targets.
I’m going to watch the movie about “Gandi” again, to see how this amazing waif changed the world through the practice of nonviolence.
There has to be something he knew or did, or both, that martial artists can benefit from.