Sometimes Violence is the Answer

Here I am, minding my own business in the gym, when I notice that some of the ladies are doing lunges with the weights, and holding the squat positions for their legs. Since these moves resemble the forward and horse stances, respectively (actually they're the same, if you do it in sweats it's an exercise, if you do it in white pajama uniforms, it's a stance) I figure that the next time I go in the gym I can get in some much needed stance work without alarming anyone.

So the next time I'm in the gym, I do some forward stance and horse stance work between the upperbody sets. No one is bothering me, until a former martial arts practitioner looks over at me and the drama begins:

• Him: He, you doing Shaolin?
• Me: Nope, just working on my legs.
• Him: Naw, man, that's Shaolin or something.
• Me: Okay, it's Korean. What, only Shaolin guys work on their stances? Besides, how do you know (what I am doing) anyway?
• Him: I used to do Shaolin. I can tell by the way you do your stance that you know SOMETHING.
• Me: Yeah, okay, I do. I figure this is a good way for me to build up my legs since the leg machines don't have enough weight to challenge me since I carry around a lot of weight all the time. Hey, I'm a big man.
• Him: So, why do you do martial arts still, at your age?
• Me: Because I like being able to touch my toes.
• Him: Yeah, I did it for a while, and I used to get in a lot of fights, but I've outgrown that now. You know violence is not the answer to everything.
• Me: Yep, that's right. I agree.
• Him: So would you ever use it on anybody?
• Me: Nope. I'm still a student, and I'd probably get in a lot of trouble if I did. Besides, if someone as strong as your or I am attacked me while I was in here, instead of FIGHTING you, why I'd just knock you over the head with one of these weights and get the hell outta here.
• Him: See! You're still thinking wrong! Violence is never the solution!
• Me: Look, man, you don't know me, you don't know why I practice, and you can't assume that I go around fighting people all the time just because I can do the splits. Especially since people can have guns and shoot you.
• At this point his unwanted lecture continued, while I just did the smile and nod while I curled my dumbells. Whenever I tried to get a word in edgewise about how there are people who don't listen to reason, ironically, I was ignored

The last person I'd expect to turn on me like that would be another martial artist. But former practitioners are not the only people who are amazing anti-violence in a country that owned slaves, wiped out natives, killed women for being witches, has car-jackings, and has bad cops who stick plungers in the rear ends of men they think are easy prey. Yet, people want to look at me when I walk down the street or they catch me doing a form in a secluded area (which I've done because I a desperately trying to AVOID spectators and hecklers) like I am a problem. I know what I will do: I will play some hip hop or house music on my radio so that everyone who is being nosy will think that the big scary black guy is actually doing TaeBo. But then again, they'll probably pester me for a copy of Billy Blanks' videotape! Can't win, I tell you.

I wrote an Egyptian yoga site for information about how yoga can be used to aid the martial arts. I figured the meditation aspect of some yoga could help someone keep their cool should they be approached in a back alley or by a disgruntled office worker.

The response went something like this:

There were no Egyptian warrior yogis. True, there were police officers and soldiers who used the principles of MAAT and other philosophical teachings in order to further their consciousness and resolve situations non-violently....In an ideal society there will be no need for violence....a practitioner of the Egyptian yoga philosophy is above any need of brute force....

Yawn. Yawn. Yawn. I wish these people would get their heads out of the clouds.

Folks, in rare instances you have to fight. You do. Not all of the time, but sometimes you do. In addition, for those of you who think that martial arts training would make one more prone to attacking or think that a person who does an "external" art would be more aggressive, let me tell you a little secret: it's easier to duck a punch if you are used to dodging them all of the time.

I wrote in another article, called "It's Not About Fighting", that if we never need to use violence, then people like cops and security guards and bodyguards should be out of work. They are not, because we all know that there are violent people among us who will not stop unless they have been held down or knocked out or held at gunpoint. All of you anti-gun and anti-concealed weapons people must have never had anyone try to rob or hurt you or a loved one. You automatically think that if a person is trained in anything martial it means that they are quick to jump the gun and attack you. That is just not the case.

I will admit there are some sadists in the martial arts. But sadists are everywhere, and they don't need a shiny white uniform to be mean to people. Some of them hide behind their positions in order to use their power and abuse others. Others are glad that there are people out there who will bring shame on anyone who swings a fist, club or knife if they are attacked because it gives them license to intimidate people. Thanks to the people who take non-violence to mean lay down, roll over and die, I cannot hit a yelling, screaming, woofing antagonist first because I sense that he is about to do something to me, I have to wait until I get clobbered before I can get phyiscal. Having done just that a few times, let me tell you that only in the past couple of years has my jaw stopped hurting a little bit a little bit when it rains. I got decked by a bully years ago because my school teachers always told us to never hit first!

This article comes during the aftermath of the shootings at the Colorado high school where reactionary people are using a tragedy as an excuse to further their agenda of banning guns and other means of self defense from us law-abiding people. Yes, the martial arts are in there too: I have seen copies of legislation in New Jersey that wants to regulate the way martial arts are taught in that state. Folks, again, I must say that regulation is not going to stop the criminally violent: there are strict weapons laws in DC, yet I don't feel safe walking around there at night. All it will do is make it harder for people like me to protect myself and my family.

Oh, and by the way, it makes it harder for men and women like me to be able to protect some of you who may be reading this now. Believe it or not, some of us do not feel comfortable with the idea of using non-violence if some nut is trying to beat our FRIENDS over the head for no good reason.

Cain did not use a gun to kill Abel.