AM I A VIOLENT PERSON?
Self examination, they say, is a wonderful thing. I’ve done my share; and I invite you to take a minute or three and ask yourself the same essential question I asked myself a few years back after I had nearly taken a thug apart after he threatened me and drove his index finger into my chest: Am I a violent person.
Introspection rarely goes well for me. I know I have some sort of ADD thing going; but when it comes to violence, I am all ears. I was raised by decent, hard-working parents, people who abhorred violence in any of its forms. People who had been hurt by violence in their youth and from time to time after. I remembered my mother praising me several times because I was a good boy, a child who would never hurt another soul.
So, it was with some discomfort that I came to the conclusion that not only am I a violent person, but, more importantly, when the opportunity arises, I Am Violence, And, it is not that I betrayed my mother’s belief in me. I served in the Marines, completed college and graduate school with honors, and retired after 36 years as a peace officer with the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, earning several meritorious awards and distinctions along the way. Not bragging, but, point is, as counter-intuitive as it sounds, one can be a gainfully employed member of society, a person who loves and cares for his family and others, but be Spinal Tuned For Unhesitant and Automatic Violence when faced with Pure Evil, a predator with no respect for society, one who seeks weak victims.
Characteristics Of Violence Personified
- Spinal Tuned for Violence. Meaning, my first countermeasure against an aggressor does not occur to me as the threat begins to unravel. I have visualized what I would do far ahead of time and I am always observing the environment and people around me, looking for subtle changes, etc. I often ask myself “What if?” What would I do if this or that person does that? I am planning my moves in my mind as the suspicious person approaches, and I am seeking out Primary and Secondary Targets I will destroy. When the person passes by harmlessly, I dismiss those thoughts of violence and move on.
- First Touch Is A Trigger. I know that the non-violent person (Joe or Jane Citizen) will almost always freeze when first touched by an aggressor (9 out of 10). The predator also knows this and it is that look of frozen fear that turns him on so. I am Violence because Violence is exactly what I need to be when I am faced with Evil. I use the persona of violence, first of all, to discourage being grabbed in the first place, but, if touched, I will counterattack with blinding speed.
- Explosiveness. When you enjoy something, or, in this case, are something, you wrap yourself in it totally. You let it permeate you. Like art. So, when I am violence, I explode into the counterattack.
- Give and Take. A trainer of mine once told me: Hammer, everyone has a (fight) plan, until they get hit, that is. And he was right. John Hall, the founder of Kid Escape, Bully Escape and Date Escape, says that self defense is not an injury-free sport. Point is, if you find yourself in a knife fight, expect to get cut. In a gun fight, expect to get shot. And, in a fist fight, not only expect to be hit, but wrap yourself up in it. Take a deep breath and keep firing away. Self Defense and the Street Attack for a predator are mostly posturing and the psychology of intimidation. Turn the tables and communicate “Hey, punk, is that all you got?” even though the punch might have shook your world. Refuse to quit!
- Take It To the Next Level: I want to be the one firing the first flurry of shots into the Bad Guy’s vulnerable targets, but fights don’t always work out like that. So, here is an idea that I guarntee will change the psychology of the exchange. You get hit in the nose or mouth and blood is sripping down your face. You have two choices: Get scared and shrink with fear, or allow adrenaline to get you fired, make you twice as strong (Adrenaline Dump). Now, do what a famous warrior-friend of mine did. Reach up and scoop up some of the blood and put it in your mouth. Taste it. Say: “Hmm, First Blood, huh? Well, now it’s my turn—”
I hope, if you choose to do a little introspection , you discover the nucleus of violence somewhere inside. It is there inside us all. All you need to do is find a way to allow yourself to permeate that nucleus if and when the need arises. Maybe, your nucleus is not the same as mine. In a way, I hope that is true about you. My nucleus glows dangerously orange, and even throbs every now and then. Too many years on the mean streets of Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Easton and other sweltering jungles of violence. Probably seen too many things I can’t forget.
But, the key is to be comfortable with that atavistic part of you. That violent part of you that you can become in that one moment in the heat of the night when you are all alone and the wolf comes to your door.
Next post: The Survival Motor Skills you will need to prevail.
Hammer
Self examination, they say, is a wonderful thing. I’ve done my share; and I invite you to take a minute or three and ask yourself the same essential question I asked myself a few years back after I had nearly taken a thug apart after he threatened me and drove his index finger into my chest: Am I a violent person.
Introspection rarely does well for me. I know I have some sort of ADD thing going; but when it comes to violence, I am all ears. I was raised my decent, hard-working parents, people who abhorred violence in any of its forms. People who had been hurt by violence in their youth and from time to time after. I remembered my mother praising me several times because I was a good boy, a child who would never hurt another soul.
So, it was with some discomfort when I came to the conclusion that not only am I a violent person, but, more importantly, when the opportunity arises, I Am Violence, And, it is not that I betrayed my mother’s belief in me. I served in the Marines, completed college and graduate school with honors, and retired after 36 years as a peace officer with the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, earning several meritorious awards and distinctions along the way. Mot bragging, but, point is, as counter-intuitive as it sounds, one can be a gainfully employed member of society, a person who loves and cares for his family and others, but be Spinal Tuned For Unhesitant and Automatic Violence when faced with one of the “Two Percenters” who have no respect for society and who walk among us seeking out victims.
Characteristics Of Violence Personified
- Spinal Tuned for Violence. Meaning, my first countermeasure against an aggressor does not occur to me as the threat begins to unravel. I have visualized what I would do far ahead of time and I am always observing the environment and people around me, looking for subtle changes, etc. I often ask myself “What if?” What would I do if this or that person does that? I am planning my moves in my mind as the suspicious person approaches, and I am seeking out Primary and Secondary Targets I will destroy. When the person passes by harmlessly, I dismiss those thoughts of violence and move on.
- First Touch Is A Trigger. I know that the non-violent person (Joe or Jane Citizen) will almost always freeze when first touched by an aggressor (9 out of 10). The predator also knows this and it is that look of frozen fear that turns him on so. I am Violence because Violence is exactly what I need to be when I am faced with Evil. I use the persona of violence, first of all, to discourage being grabbed in the first place, but, if touched, I will counterattack with blinding speed.
- Explosiveness. When you enjoy something, or, in this case, are something, you wrap yourself in it totally. You let it permeate you. Like art. So, when I am violence, I explode into the counterattack.
- Give and Take. A trainer of mine once told me: Hammer, everyone has a (fight) plan, until they get hit, that is. And he was right. John Hall, the founder of Kid Escape, Bully Escape and Date Escape, says that self defense is not an injury-free sport. Point is, if you find yourself in a knife fight, expect to get cut. In a gun fight, expect to get shot. And, in a fist fight, not only expect to be hit, but wrap yourself up in it. Take a deep breath and keep firing away. Self Defense and the Street Attack for a predator are mostly posturing and the psychology of intimidation. Turn the tables and communicate “Hey, punk, is that all you got?” even though the punch might have shook your world. Refuse to quit!
I hope, if you choose to do a little introspection that you discover the nucleus of violence somewhere inside. It is there inside us all. All you need to do is find a way to allow yourself to permeate that nucleus if and when the need arises. Maybe, your nucleus is not the same as mine. In a way, I hope that is true about you. My nucleus glows dangerously orange, and even throbs every now and then. Too many years on the mean streets of Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Easton and other sweltering jungles of violence. Probably seen too many things I can’t forget.
But, the key is to be comfortable with that atavistic part of you. That violent part of you that you can become in that one moment in the heat of the night when you are all alone and the wolf comes to your door.
Next post: The Survival Motor Skills you will need to prevail.
Hammer