When studying self-defense, it’s important to understand just what you are protecting yourself from. Having an honest understanding of what you are facing is the key to honing a mindset relative to a problem at hand. In general, we don’t want to be controlled by our fear. What we should do is use our fear as an indication to be vigilant and prepared.
When self-created fears start to get in the way of good-natured vigilance, that’s when issues get overcomplicated. A general example from the martial arts is either lacking information or laying too much importance on the wrong information. In either of those cases, you’ll end up filling in the blanks with personal fears.
In self-defense, we want to avoid being controlled by something that is not happening now.
That also goes for the fear of being seen as weak. This type of fear can put us directly in the line of danger (the “it-can’t-happen-to-me” syndrome).
It’s so important to find a balanced approach to processing fear. It is possible to find it in studying the ways we stay safe in the interest of the well-being of ourselves and others (self-defense).
…Or as my dad would say: “Don’t act like a darned fool: act for yourself, and act accordingly for those around you.”
