Revisiting Abandoned Skills

The most key skill one can possess is the ability to defend oneself.

Though we no longer reside in the wilderness or savage tribes, man
is still a mercenary creature. There are always threats of varied sorts
vying to destroy us or take what is ours. Unfortunately, as the import-
ance of society in general has been promoted, man's vital protection
skills have been outlawed and lost. Morality, as well as a lazy
sedentary lifestyle, is guilty of incapacitating people's natural
defensive capabilities and territorial nature.


The previously innate self-preservation skills have disappeared.
The need to retrain citizens in the way of self-defense is crucial;
not just physical strength and fitness, but emotional and psycho-
logical spiritedness, too. Many modern men and women are
casual and passive in their daily lives. They have been brainwashed
by religion, workplaces, and government to be demure and calm
at the expense of their own sense of self. People are conditioned
to accept bad situations, rude people, and violations of their bound-
aries. Citizens are expected to 'grin and bear it,' for the power of
the individual has been subdued.

 When someone becomes reliant on someone or something outside
themselves, they give away power. A man should not be concerned
with the restriction of laws or interference of the police when
defending his home, his things, his honor, or his life. If a family
member is maimed or killed due to negligence or cruelty of a
stranger, what is the repercussion? The stranger may get some
jail time, but the man is simply expected to go on as if nothing
happened. There is no means of returning a life or a limb.
There is no justice once an act is committed. (This example
speaks to the situation of a poor man without influence,
obviously. There are different rules for different people in
this classist culture; yet another reason people must take
care of protecting themselves.)


People will respect a person only to the extent that that
person demands respect. They will take advantage of
an individual to whatever extent they are capable. Even
‘simple’ name-calling that goes unanswered gives bullies
an invitation to further disrespect a passive person. And
small incidents build into larger ones all the time. Insults
devalue a person and set the stage for submissiveness to
build. This is still a world of ‘kill or be killed,’ even though
the pretense is that civility and societal laws prevail.

 The ability to defend one’s self may be a secondary skill;
the initial need might be that people must be taught to have
greater self-respect (the more butch cousin of the much
promoted ‘self-esteem’ of the last 20 years.) But the end
results of being actively capable of protecting oneself and
belongings may become necessary before a strong sense
of self is intact. So, this is a case of needing to put the cart
before the horse. With the increase of economic instability
and social unrest in this last two years, the possibility of being
robbed, overlooked, or hurt increases all the time. Human
beings need to adapt a more proactive response to potential
violence or violations besides thinking they are safe in their
little corner of the world. Wishful thinking won’t cut it when
the eviction notice or the home invader comes.


People need to know that everything from 'unsatisfactory
customer service' to 'illegal wars fought with their tax dollars'
is not something they must begrudgingly accept. Each time
one allows another to step on one's toes, a precedent is set;
the smaller battles are cumulative in effect. When someone
is dismissive or disrespectful, they must be confronted.
When a person in a position of authority takes advantage of
you, a line must be drawn. When another person invades an
individual's space or threatens them, the individual must be
willing to speak up and defend themselves.
 The first step in learning to protect oneself is to recognize the
existing problem of passive acceptance. The only difference
between someone who is a victim and someone who is a
victor is willingness. We are trained in schools, jobs, families,
and churches to be submissive; standing up to all manner of
threats is a skill which must be learned. A first step in altering
the existing problem is to seek out classes or books to learn
what is needed. Martial arts, boxing, and other physical self-
defense courses are available most anywhere.


There are also books and self-help classes to become more
assertive and even aggressive in work, personal, and financial
relationships. Sometimes one has to learn to release old
relationships, as even friends and family can be contaminants
restraining one from achieving a better self. Some people are
sick enough to prefer a friend’s failure so they can continue to
feel good about themselves, or keep the status quo. The reach
of cutthroat thinking is far indeed.


The need to properly and confidently defend oneself is the
greatest ability a person can have. Unfortunately, it is a lost
art that has to be learned (or at least reawakened.) Without
the ability to defend self, people in all areas of a person’s life
will take advantage of them. No one else can be expected to
defend us adequately or fully, and it is therefore our right and
responsibility that we train ourselves in this area of expertise.


Once one recognizes how fragile life is and how easily it may
be diminished or extinguished, the reality of defending oneself
is seen as imperative. ‘Survival of the fittest’ is still in play,
even in the Land of Plenty. Don't be fooled by claims to the
contrary.


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