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Having a little empathy for someone can make you safer, a better person, and the world a better place.
Today:
This is Five Minute Friday (FMF), just a little quick tip on how you can think differently about your self-defense in today’s modern world. Things are always changing, but we always have to remember the basics. These tips are designed to keep the perspective of basic self-defense while looking at our ever-changing world.
When is the last time you practiced true empathy for someone outside your circle? Did you feel for George Floyd and his family when you watched him die on camera? I did… and it was horrible. I got sad, I got scared, and I got mad!
I’m sure most people felt the same thing. But what about his family? What about him? What do you think he felt laying there blacking out with a “peace officer” sitting on his neck?
Little different feelings?
Now we have protests that turn into riots. I can understand people’s anger. I’m there. It’s not about doing and being with them, it’s about feeling what they feel.
I don’t understand racism… really. I’m a white male that grew up in a white middle-class neighborhood in southern California. I knew a lot of Hispanic people growing up, but no black people. I saw racism on both sides of white versus Hispanic but what do I know of black racism?
What got me on the empathy kick was hearing a message from about a black man teaching his preteen son that the son cannot go to a police officer in America for help when something happens because most cops will assume he did it.
What a horrible thing. It’s something I have empathy for. I teach you as a self-defense person who carries a gun, to have no doubt, that if you have an official interaction with a police officer and you do it wrong, your life is in danger. A misunderstanding can get you killed.
I have empathy and can understand that fear. I took that and looked at my own son. I don’t want to teach him that he is in danger if he has an interaction with a police officer. Just think about doing that and how much it would suck. Now you have empathy for someone.
Take that into de-escalation techniques and you have something you can use to keep yourself safe.
Like any self-defense strategy, you need to practice.
Practice every day when you are interacting with other people. You will get better at it and it will make you a better person because you will care about more people and be able to help them out.
When you help other people, you make the world a better place. Simple.
When you can have empathy for people you can use it to your advantage in a dangerous situation. Cops call it Verbal Judo and it’s been around since 1980 something.
Now go practice every chance you get.
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Stay Safe,
Ben
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Stay Safe,
Ben