Another good writing on my weekly e-news...

*** This week's training ***

Focus will be on timing, as explored through the Kihon Koshi Sanpo Kata of Ichimonji no Kata, Jumonji no Kata and Hicho no Kata (not necessarily in that order).  We will also explore some close range concepts and some evasion/survival techniques against a knife attacker.

This last topic is inspired by a violent stabbing last week that happened in nearby Folsom.  I'm not talking Folsom Prison, or some inner city urban jungle, but the small city that is predominately a low crime bedroom community.  A 13yr old boy attempted to steal a BB gun from the Folsom Wal-Mart store.  The manager pursued the kid and grabbed him.  The kid fought back and the manager, trying to use "appropriate" force without trying to hurt the kid, was attempting to restrain him.  Suddenly and without warning, the kid pulled a knife (size/type unknown), repeatedly stabbed the manager in the upper body and fled.  This wasn't a quick, little stab and run.  The kid fully committed himself to the armed assault, as evidenced by the repeated stabbing and from witness statements.  Luckily and fortunately, the manager has survived and is in good condition at the hospital.  Fortunately, also, the kid's parents did the right thing and turned the kid over to local police, who are charging him with attempted murder and robbery.

From the news accounts, the kid is a pretty normal 13yr old on the outside.  Yet, in an instant, he became a murderous attacker, armed with a knife and intent on using it.  Shocked?  Sad?  Angry?  Confused?  Yeah, me too.

What if you had been there shopping with your family, or maybe alone?  Where is your head, or awareness, at during a normal day at Wal-Mart or any other store?  Imagine the scene, this kid, a young teen, stabbing this poor guy over and over.  Maybe you don't see the knife and just see a manager trying to restrain a resistant kid.  Would you help?  Could you help?  What level of force would you be willing to use?  Remember, this kid is aggressively attacking with a knife.  And, he's only 13.

There are those who might imagine themselves as the hero, jumping in and taking control, subduing the attacker and saving the manager.  There are still those who immediately default to deadly force because, in essence, the kid is using deadly force.  And, legally, they would be justified.  Morally, however, the situation is complicated.  Just as in all of life, nothing is black and white.  It's always complicated, even if seemingly simple on the surface.

Now, I'm not going to sit here and pretend to be a "holier than thou" person and lecture you on what you "should do" or "should not do" in regards to your personal choices.  In fact, the situation and the questions raised scare me to my very core and, even with all my experiences and training, I still wish to never have to face such things because I really don't know what I would do, how it would affect me or my loved ones.  As warriors, we are protectors of life.  We value the lives of our fellow humans.  Yet, we also know that sometimes to save a life, a life might have to be taken.  As warriors, we also accept that we may find ourselves in the unavoidable position of having to make that choice.  We are always accountable for our decisions, so the responsibility isn't one to be taken lightly.  Certainly none of us are in a position to judge anybody because we really don't know how we would handle such a scenario.  We can imagine, we can theorize, we can train diligently on "appropriate" techniques, but the sudden "reality check" and shocking brutality of this kind of thing can bring out behaviors and choices in us that we could never have imagined.  Sometimes it could be amazing feats of bravery and heroism.  Sometimes it could be inaction caused by paralyzing fear.  Then, no matter our action or inaction, the emotional impact in us, bystanders, and all others who are affected can also be just as unpredictable and damaging.

These kinds of violent acts exist in everyday life, in every part of the world, in every part of society, and with all kinds of people.  None of us are immune to it.  As warriors, always training, always aware, we need to take the time to read into these stories.  We need to ask the hard questions of ourselves, to honestly assess ourselves, not just physically but mentally and spiritually. 

And, we need to keep training.


See you in class!