No, it is not. If it were a crime then it would NOT be self defense. Again, if it were a crime then it will not be self defense! First, the line the separates a crime from self defense does move a bit yet if one is well versed in remaining behind that line then SD remains legal.
Second, if you fail to know and understand that line then you can easily cross it while remaining convinced your still using SD yet in reality and in the reality of the police, the prosecutor, and those twelve folks that will judge your view of SD is fluid. As long as you can "explain" it well to them you stand a good chance of remaining within the "legal" zone.
Finally, most folks who pass this line, still believe they are defending themselves, and are in trouble will find that when analyzed they failed to maintain enough awareness and use of restraint to remain legal and thus fall into illegal. This is easy to do especially when you take into consideration such things as pride and ego - especially and almost exclusively male oriented.
If you know what to look for in SD situations; if you train adequately; if you remain in present moment mind and leave all the stories the monkey throws out there then you can remain within the realm of avoidance self defense. This is optimal in SD yet if you let slip the dogs of war then your mind will fool you into believing your safe within the SD zone - Not.
SD is tricky, it is sometimes elusive that line between SD and Criminal activity but if you have the right tools to get the job done then if you have to resort to some physical act you will remain in SD mode, not crime mode. Last note, SD is legal and if you leave SD then the crime is fighting.
A lawyer I used to train with had some good advice for one who prevails in an altercation: be the one who calls the cops first. This will mitigate the possibility of being charged or hit with a lawsuit.
ReplyDeleteHi, John: How would it mitigate a law suit? or being charged for that matter? Wouldn't this be a subjective decision?
ReplyDeleteBy alerting the cops first it wouldn't look like you were trying to hide anything. You get to tell your side of the story upfront: That you were not the perpetrator as it might at first appear, but a potential victim that was lucky enough to turn the tables.
ReplyDeleteHi, John: Hmmm, my understanding, which is pretty much academic, says this may be advisable as to calling them yet to discuss any particulars with them once they arrive is not exactly recommended.
ReplyDeleteI would be inclined to hold off until I had a clearer understanding as to what happened due to the effects of the adrenaline dump involved.
I also understand that even tho it may not be an interrogation everything said is documented even for an interview and can/will be used to determine charges, etc.
There are examples where someone who did what you suggest and ended up in jail.
One more reason to really seek out verbal/communications self defense because knowing what to say and what not to say is critical in legal circumstances such as here - generally.
Also, you don't want to hide anything yet you don't want to miscummunicatate and give impressions that don't match what you perceive.
ReplyDeleteAre you aware:
- reality is grossly distorted by our human perceptions.
- is is unlikely that "real" things are not anything like our perception of them.
- reality is what we construct with our human perceptions.
- the reality upon which we base our language behavior is the reality we store in our memory.
- the definition given to reality varies from person to person.
:-)