"The Author, it must be remembered, writes from his own standpoint!"
My personal "Interpretive" Lens!

Do You Have A Question?

If you have a question not covered in this blog feel free to send it to me at my email address, i.e. "snow" dot here "covered" dot here "bamboo" AT symbol here "gmail" dot here "com"

"One thing has always been true: That book ... or ... that person who can give me an idea or a new slant on an old idea is my friend." - Louis L'Amour


"Ideally, your self-defense will never get physical. Avoiding the situation and running or talking you way out - either of these is a higher order of strategy than winning a physical battle." - Wise Words of Rory Miller, Facing Violence: Chapter 7: after, subparagraph 7.1:medical

"Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider..." - Francis Bacon

Warning, Caveat and Note: The postings on this blog are my interpretation of readings, studies and experiences therefore errors and omissions are mine and mine alone. The content surrounding the extracts of books, see bibliography on this blog site, are also mine and mine alone therefore errors and omissions are also mine and mine alone and therefore why I highly recommended one read, study, research and fact find the material for clarity. My effort here is self-clarity toward a fuller understanding of the subject matter. See the bibliography for information on the books.


Note: I will endevor to provide a bibliography and italicize any direct quotes from the materials I use for this blog. If there are mistakes, errors, and/or omissions, I take full responsibility for them as they are mine and mine alone. If you find any mistakes, errors, and/or omissions please comment and let me know along with the correct information and/or sources.

Reader's of this Blog

Search This Blog

Theory vs. Reality

Remember that things you might read or see are simply theory until you are able to vet them out in reality, i.e. reality training or real life encounters. Until then it remains theory and academic. It might seem that simple yet, my theory to date, is nothing is that simple.

Things that seem simple are often very complex but our minds and our nature wants to put things in nice neat compact and simple packages. The first time I was to read about violence I tried to find simple steps to make it jell in my mind. I could not find any such simple formula to learn about it and that was an eye opener. Violence is very complex.

Even now I am reading Rory Miller's new book, "Force Decisions," only to discover yet once again that things are far more complex and convoluted than I imagined.

I was attacked as a teenager by a drug dealer who outweighed me by about one hundred pounds. I survived but felt I could have done something more. Today I reflect on such incidents and say to myself that for fifteen years of age I did pretty darn good. I lived and suffered only some bumps, bruises, cuts and abrasions - very lucky me.

As a Marine I encountered first an attempt to toss me out a second story building. It may not seem like much but you have to remember how much damage you get when gravity pulls you down a couple of feet to the cold hard ground. I managed to actually "act" and "end" the conflict. I survived that one as well. Later I was sleeping in my bunk, rack or bed and suddenly felt a huge pressure on my forehead. I instinctually woke and jumped down off the top rack and pursued my attacker. He was faster and got away but I survived the encounter and lived.

As a Marine, dangerous life you know and this was not even combat, I woke the next morning after a real bender to find my OD green issue blanket in ashes and a burn whole over my torso. This one was just lucky as LCpl Balthazar, never forget this guy, came by and said a couple of Marines kept setting my rack, bunk or bed on fire and he kept getting up and putting it out. I can only say in this event I survived through the will and effort of another Marine willing to set up to the plate.

My thoughts on these events as I consider those close encounters violent in nature but are not indicative of true violence and the kind of violence that one would live with in their jobs like Rory Miller and would live with in their lives like Marc MacYoung.

I was lucky and proud of it as other more minor incidents over the ten year tour as a Marine taught me that at least on those occasions I was lucky to have acted. I came to realize that often how I acted didn't sit well with me but now that I have at least been academically introduced to what violence and what violent people are really like I thank my lucky stars that I have "avoided" it and live a peaceful life.

Some of what I have learned theoretically and academically I have managed to assimilate but many things will remain theory and academic because I chose to have it this way. After all, I am 58 years young and I do want to get to be an old Marine, an old guy and remain healthy but aware.

Don't mind me, just going over some things and trying to achieve some enlightenment. I want to remind everyone who has been so kind as to register that they read my crap and enjoy it but that often it is part theory, part academia and just a smidgeon of experience.

Thanks for listening, you get to think about crap as you gain in years of life experience. I chose my path and I feel I chose wisely, now for some more fun. If you can't tell I like to write and hope to get good at it some day :-)

No comments:

Post a Comment