Self defense

In martial art there is a lot of talk about self defense.
Who does the average person need defense from?
The answer might surprise you, they need defense from themselves.
It's true we are the biggest threat we face, from our habits, to our thoughts no greater threat to ourselves exists than us.

Go to a public place full of people and look around. What is the average person in danger from?
What we eat, what we do and how we do it, what we think and why all pose greater threats to us in a day to day setting than any imaginary mugger or bad guy.

When people think self defense they often imagine situations where a gun will help them. Will a gun protect you from heart disease from eating fast food? Will it protect you from lack of exercise?
Martial arts can help you learn to defend yourself from your own worst enemy, yourself!

It is true that martial techniques can be used to fight, even to fight to protect your life, but there is more to martial self defense than violence. With a martial art you learn discipline and develop self control. While learning to protect yourself from those who would harm you, you discover the real threat to your health and security comes from within. It is true that there are people who want to harm others, but these people are bigger threats to themselves, just like you are!

The next time you hear or read someone talking about self defense and martial arts consider whether the person is able to defend themselves against having a sour attitude or being easily offended. Consider if the art teaches defense against poor judgment and aggressive personality. I'll tell you the truth, harming others, even in self defense is easy, that side of self defense is not a challenge compared to real honest self defense: defense against yourself.