I don’t need to learn martial arts or self-defence, because I don’t get in fights and no one ever attacks me.
Hang on a minute, is that true?
Yes. And no.
I’m no spring chicken, I don’t hang around in bustling clubs and bars, I live in the country and lead a simple sort of life.
I don’t get in PHYSICAL fights, for sure. No one ever attacks me physically, with fists or a sword or what have you.
But what about verbal violence, financial violence, psychological attacks.
Hey, you know what: I’m under attack from advertising and politicians and religious nutters and quacks and salesmen and internet marketers and spammers and on and on, all the time.
Then there’s the people all around me, bless them every single one. They’re not saints. They’re fallible human beings just like me.
I need defence against all of this.
I need psychological self-defence. I need training, tools, techniques.
When I’m under attack, I should be aware of the fact for a start. Then I’d better be able to size up my attacker and counter his (or her) moves.
Even if my attacker is simply an abstraction – like fate, or life, or murphy’s law, I still need a way to deal with it. I need to defend my inner self, so I don’t weaken, don’t give in to pointless depression or grief or resignation. So that my confidence and self-belief doesn’t take a battering.
If you need these things too, stick around. It’s going to be one of the main topics for this blog.
Pic: Flying kick by kaibara87 via Flickr
{ 1 trackback }