More from Spirit Warriors Martial Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Taking Personal Responsibility
Taking personal responsibility for your own safety is the
greatest gift you can give yourself and your loved ones.
We all want a safe and secure world for ourselves and our
children and it is up to us to create that world by taking the steps necessary
to make it so. Accepting responsibility
is the first step. Sticking your head in
the sand and pretending that the world is safe and there is no crime or having
the mindset that “It will never happen to me” are just delusions that allow us
not to deal with reality. The reality is
violent crime has increased 500% in the past 50 years. There are many ideas as to why this is
occurring and many factors that can be blamed.
I feel however that the biggest reason is complacency. People have become so selfish, so self
consumed in their drive for personal satisfaction that they have failed to take
responsibility for what goes on in their communities. They blame economics, politics, social class,
lack of police presence, religion and just about anything else they can think
of. This is much easier than taking
personal responsibility and making a difference themselves.
The police can not be everywhere, the politicians are too
busy with their own power lust and our neighbors have their head stuck in the
sand. So it is up to you.
What can you do?
The first step is to become aware of what is happening in
your community. What types of crimes are
being committed? Who is committing
them? When are they occurring? This creates awareness, the first step in
self defense. The second step is
learning how to assess situations and how to avoid being in the wrong place at
the wrong time, as they say. When you
are aware of what is happening and know how to assess situations you can make
choices that will decrease your chances of becoming a victim of a violent crime
substantially.
Avoidance is always the best option when dealing with a
potentially violent situation. I had an
experience a couple of years ago with a lunatic on the highway. He started following me and yelling at me as
we were driving. I guess I offended his
sense of honor or something. He followed
me for about 15 miles until we got to my turnoff. When I moved to the right lane to take my
exit he followed me so I got back on the highway. I went a few more miles and then made a U
turn at which time he yelled some racial slur and derogatory comment about my
heritage out his window and kept going.
I could have stopped and pulled over got all offended about his comments
about my parents and perhaps kicked his butt.
I have, after all, been a police officer and have a black belt. The problem is he didn’t know any of that and
he probably didn’t care. He may have
been armed or just been lucky and kicked my butt. I guess we will never know. What I do know is that I went home, happy and
safe, and spent the rest of the evening with my family.
If all attempts at avoiding a situation fail it may be
necessary to take action. The actions I
am talking about here are defending yourself and others. They are actions that should only be taken
under the most threatening circumstances and when there are no other
options. Self defense is your
right. It is also your responsibility. It is your responsibility to learn safe and
effective skills that can be used when your health and safety are
threatened. It is your responsibility to
know your legal rights and what you can do without getting into trouble. Using force against another person has to be
done within the confines of the law. If
you use too much force you may have prevented physical injury but now face
civil and criminal liability. It is not
an easy subject. You must learn more
than just the physical skills, you must learn how to protect yourself in all
areas.
At Spirit Warriors Martial Arts we offer a comprehensive
program of self defense that covers all areas of personal protection, physical,
mental, emotional, legal and financial. Our
programs teach you everything you need to know to protect yourself, your loved
ones and your property in an increasing violent and uncertain world.
Spirit Warriors Martial Arts
Santa Fe, New Mexico
