meditations_on_violence.md 4.8 KB
I first picked up this book attracted by it's title. The word "mediations" is a keyword for deep reflections regarding whatever topic in question. Usually, when it comes to books about the art of performing violence, they all seem to derail into giving poor advice on how to be dangerous. Needless to say, no one can truly learn how to best act on situation where their well-being, their life even, is at play. At best, we can prepare for such situations, but to truly know them, experience is required.
In this sense, meditations on violence is a breath of fresh air. The author, Rory Miller, makes his goal to paint an accurate picutre of what is violence in the real sense, all the while remembering us to be skeptic of everything, including himself. Rory gives us the perspective of someone in which violence has become the quotidian and that seems to genuinely care about the well-being of his students. Not only solid and beliveable aspects of violence and self-defense are shown in the book, but also it provides some actually useful self-help.
In gereal, it was and enjoyable and educative read. There are only a few warts necessarily borne out of Rory's military background. These being a recurrent defense of police officers, which while fine in theory, - I feel no disdain for the indivual police official - it is a miopic feel of the police as an institution; and the oddly hate espoused towards the homeless, denoting the classical "they want to be like this" rethoric.
But, besides these little drawbacks (which are to expected from an relatively privileged white american with a military background), Mediations on Violence at least gave me a decent picture, howhever inevitably incomplete, of violence and self-defense from someone with a lot experience on it. Plus, some actual useful self-help.
One of the most important things in any situation of violence, specially when you're the victim, is to beat the freeze. Violence, to most of us, is a suprising thing. Whenever we have to deal we something out of the ordinary, we freeze trying to understand it. In scenarios of violence, understanding might get you killed. In thise moments, merely act in whatever way, run, figth, scream, do anything, but do it with intent.
Do whatever in your power to avoid violence. It’s better to avoid than to run; better to run than to de-escalate; better to de-escalate than to fight; better to fight than to die.
If you have to fight, remember: "Violence of action trumps technique". That is, violently fighting as hard as you can, can beat good technique, especially with someone unaccustomed to figthing. This not saying that technique is unimportant, only that it solely cannot compensate for lack of violent intent.
Self-defense comes in a variety of ways, merely avoiding confrontation already is an aspect of self-defense.
The most dangerous foes are the truly deranged ones, whose state of mind is altered either by some mental disorder or drugs of sort. They are unpredictable and numb to pain
Forget any rules that you might have, in a situation where self-defense is required, do what you must. Be tricky, cunning, smart and violent. Though, also be careful, figthing is the last resort and you be cautious not to end up in a tangle legal with the legal after the fight is over.
Try to make your opponents "freeze". In other words, act in unexpected ways to catch them off guard.
Awareness, intent and permission are three important pillars of self-defense.
- Awareness. Know your surroundings, note what you can use as weapons, where you can escape from.
- Intent. When you act, truly /act/, do not hold back, do not stop, no matter how bad is it for you, how hopeless, do not stop.
- Permission. We, as humans, are held to complex social contracts which may hold us back during crucial moments, these contracs might even be result of trauma during upbringing. Give yourself permission to be violent when neeed.
The concept of permission goes even further, touching into self-help. Two excerpts to illustrate the idea.
You do what needs to be done without regard for whether it is possible, because nine-tenths of your “impossibilities” are imaginary.
Can this be taught and transmitted? I can give you permission to act and show you how a lock or a pin is an agreement and that works pretty well, but how well does it work when I tell you that you don’t need to be a victim? That you can change your world? That you can do the impossible every day?