February 2nd

Defense


Demons who enter your circle
Must be pushed out.

No matter what world you walk in -- office, school, temple, prison, or the streets -- there is an underworld populated with demons. These are people who are avaricious, aggressive, sadistic, and cynical. They not only take advantage of others without compunction, they delight in it. They find pleasure in seeing others suffer.The why of it cannot be answered. There is only the fact, with no metaphysical meaning or other ramifications. It is not karma, it is not fate. If these people decide to attack you, it is circumstance. You must fight or be mowed down.
Compassion and humility may be among the most treasured of human virtues, but they are not useful in conflict. A beautiful gold statue of your most adored god is a treasure, but you would not use it as a weapon. Virtue is to be value in the proper context; only a sword will do in battle.
Whether an attack is physical -- assault, rape, murder -- or whether it is mental -- business intrigues, emotional abuse -- you must be prepared. It is best to prepare for conflict by learning as much self-defense as possible. You will not become a bully or a monster, but instead, you will learn that you an respond to any situation. If you are never attacked, that will be wonderful. Training will still help you work out your fears, inhibitions, and anxieties. In the case of conflict, no one, not even a veteran, is ever sure that they will come out alive from a confrontation. But they resolve to go in there and give themselves a fighting chance. This in itself is a triumph over evil.

Personal Interpretation

When we are confronted with evil, we must resist it. While compassion and humility serve us well in times of peace, they fail to defend us in times of war. We must work to prepare for conflict. Martial art training can ready us to fend up would-be thieves and rapists. We can practice self-control in order to endure those who would cause emotional anguish. To train to fight the demons that populate our world is not necessarily to learn to wield a sword or fire a pistol. There are many means of preparing ourselves, physically, mentally, emotionally. Even if we never need to use the skills we gain by training, we have not wasted our time. The very act of training helps us to overcome our fears and inhibitions.