| Mention "self-defense" and images of Dirty Harry or | | | | say seriously, with respect and with focus. |
| Bruce Lee may well come to mind instantly, but the | | | | In today's modern environment, self-defense is a lot |
| reality is a lot more prosaic (perhaps helping to explain | | | | more complicated and also a lot simpler. More simple |
| to some degree why such movies are so entertaining). | | | | because it needn't involve eliminating one's enemy, as |
| Indeed, for most of human history, self-defense was | | | | in times past, with blood feuds that can run several |
| just another fact of life, another chore in life, and | | | | generations, but more complicated because it takes |
| something of an everyday affair, too. Speaking of | | | | real skill not to fatally harm someone. Indeed, the true |
| movies, one of the most famous transitions in all | | | | martial artist is one so masterful as to be able to finely |
| cinematic history was in 2001: A Space Odyssey, near | | | | tune his or her lethality. Such an ability is a whole |
| the beginning of the film when an ape-man throws up | | | | skill-set in itself, and requires years of training at the |
| into the air a bone he'd just used as a weapon, said | | | | least, not to mention innate aptitude and who knows |
| bone then cutting sway to a cylindrical spacecraft | | | | what else! |
| afloat in space - thus linking war and technology, a | | | | A simpler way would be to employ weapons, |
| connection that's been observed by many thinkers | | | | specifically those which only disables one's assailant(s), |
| through the ages. For far from being a relic of | | | | and only temporarily so, with no permanent damage |
| uncivilized times, war and struggle is what has made | | | | incurred. After all, it would be ridiculous to win on the |
| civilization possible! As the ancient Greek historian | | | | streets but lose in the courts! So this rules out firearms |
| Heraclitus wrote, war is the father of all things. Or as | | | | immediately, and even knives, which have great |
| Vegetius' Roman military manual advised, si vis pacem | | | | potential for inflicting fatal injury. Stun guns, then, appear |
| para bellum - if you seek peace, prepare for war. | | | | to be the best choice, everything considered. They are |
| Self-defense should be assumed as a chose, then, or | | | | basically non-lethal but definitely effective, capable of |
| a duty - to oneself, for one's loved ones. It is too often | | | | knocking someone out for up to a whole half hour at a |
| either something scary or something fun, thus putting | | | | time, even the drug-fueled. That's plenty of time to run |
| off the right crowd and bringing along the wrong one. | | | | to safety or run for help. A pepper spray is a much |
| But taken as just another task in life, it can be seen in | | | | cheaper alternative that's almost as effective. Both |
| the proper light and then pursued properly, which is to | | | | options are great where allowed by law. |