“ … when we allow ourselves to become weak, we allow the predator to label us as prey … “ - Shaolin Kempo Premier Martial arts and Fitness (as shared on FB by Aaron S. Pretzer
Caveat: This post is mine and mine alone. I the author of this post assure you, the reader, that any of the opinions expressed here are my own and are a result of the way in which my meandering mind interprets a particular situation and/or concept. The views expressed here are solely those of the author in his private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of other martial arts and/or conflict/violence professionals or authors of source materials. It should be quite obvious that the sources I used herein have not approved, endorsed, embraced, friended, liked, tweeted or authorized this post. (Everything I think and write is true, within the limits of my knowledge and understanding.)
Often I am asked, “Why do we have martial arts? Isn’t modern society above all that?” Then I see something like the quote, “ … when we allow ourselves to become weak, we allow the predator to label us as prey … “ - Shaolin Kempo Premier Martial arts and Fitness, and I remember that one of the reasons we as humans as well as society as a whole still have military, still need our military and still train our military and other professions for protection is that we must never allow “others” to perceive us as weak, easy, and prey. If we do so regardless of our true strength we then allow others the opportunity to perceive a means to our being dominated, subjugated and killed.
It was used in a story where a person who had never before been exposed to such conflicts and violence and who perceived society of the times as safe, secure and without conflict and violence not needing such disciplines of war, fighting and self-defense. They are also the ones who have lost sight of the value to carrying arms, etc.
Humans are about conflict and violence, the type that reaches all levels beyond what we believe as conflict and violence. We are so brainwashed by media such as television and movies and eGames that we assume that conflict and violence is such that it always involves things that are perceived as horrible but in reality conflict and violence permeates society and humans completely to the reality that human beings would not exist without it.
Upon reading this we will encounter loud and boisterous opposition that this is patently false, stupid and not the human condition because we have fooled ourselves into the belief that we are better than that yet that is based on a very narrow meaning of conflict and violence.
The mere fact that folks will read this and adamantly argue (argue is a form of both conflict and violence you see) their side and belief becomes the proof that conflict and violence is a human condition. It is a part of us that is as natural as breathing the air, seeing the blue skies and experiencing the wonder of nature itself all the while ignoring that under the facade of natures beauty there is conflict and violence at all levels.
This brings us back to the topic of this post, our necessity to keep our conflict and violence skills at a level that others will perceive us as strong, effective and unconquerable - this is how we remain safe, secure and free. It therefore must be a state of readiness that is impeachable and capable of achieving our goals in conflict and violence leading to survival. Human are about survival and only survival. Survival is foremost of the human condition and drives everything. Consider our sport orientation, sport is also a form of conflict and violence. It may not lead to either death or great bodily harm but it is still conflict and violence.
We practice, we train and we teach those skills that in modern times promotes our ability to remain the wolf, the protector of the tribe and protector of ourselves by eliminating any chance others will see us as weak or prey. We are the predators but a predator that is benevolent yet capable of fending off others who might try to concur, destroy and enslave.
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