Welfare on Ego
The following incident occurred on June 26, 2009 and I wrote about it as soon as I got home. What this incident perfectly illustrates is that self defense encompasses and deals with much, much more than a physical defensive response; it requires enhanced awareness, the ability to spontaneously improvise moment to moment as a situation unfolds and to strategize under pressure while manifesting the tactical applications of one's chosen strategy. The ability to decipher the kind of individual(s) you are dealing with can be determined by various factors from environment to time of day/night, and can greatly enhance one's chances in interrupting and shifting a potential shit storm simply via proper choice speech and a solid communicative delivery system. That said, here's a great example of what I am talking about.
I’m walking through the park as I frequently do with my dog, usually at hours where people are either working or having dinner, or long lost in their slumbering dream worlds, suffice it to say, it’s pretty empty when we stroll.Today however, there was what seemed to be a young father (could have been older brother but by the tone he was taking, it was most likely his dad) ‘coaching’ his little boy in soccer (football for our European friends) in what sounded like Russian.
So the coach dad replies in English and with a heavy (we’ll call it Russian) accent, “Mind your business, this is my boy.” To which the other dude, who looked Hispanic but I could be wrong, yells back, “Go the fuck back to your country!” as he turns and walks away with incredibly condescending and dismissive body language.
Well, my heart raced… I ran with my dog, who seemed ecstatic at this point, probably thinking we’re playing or chasing something, towards the guys yelling "Yo! Yo!" to get everyone’s attention thinking what the hell do I say now? As I got there, everyone looked at me and I directly addressed the first individual saying “Hey man, take a look at his little boy's face” were the first words that came out of my mouth as I exhaled from my run and nerves going haywire, to which everyone there stopped and looked; and there was this kid in his soccer outfit standing there, not exactly crying, but looking like he’s been on the verge for the last hour or so but biting his tongue with perseverance and determination to hold it back and look strong.
The brother stopped, looked at me and then said, “Some people oughta know when to keep their mouth shut.” as he began walking away with his 2 friends. The dad, still trying to save face yells back “That is right!” as he grabs his kid by the hand, but the Hispanic fella turns right back around saying “That’s it!” and storms in only to find me right in front of his face stopping him dead in his tracks.
He walked away dismissing me, signalling his buddies to go with him yelling, “You’re lucky this guy was here to save your ass in front of your boy!” As I turned to face the dad, hoping he keeps his mouth shut, which he finally did. I approached him and got nicely told off. “Next time you mind your business!” and he picks up his kid and storms off…
Ahhh… an early evening walk at the park in the suburbs of the south shore Montreal.
This just happened, moments before I wrote this up, I figured I’d get home right away and type it out, as it is still fresh in my mind. This had a nasty potential. And thankfully, it ended well and without anyone getting hurt or anyone having to pre-empt anyone.
I have to say, it crossed my mind taking the guy out on my way running there, as he was determined at this point, both times actually, to seriously hurt the kid's dad. I also kept thinking about that kid and how witnessing any kind of violence at this stage in his life would serve him, he sincerely didn't need that. Then there was my dog, though once the situation remained verbal after I got there it became easier to deal with, had I had to strike earlier, she would have been much harder to deal with.
The predominant factor in this entire confrontation had nothing to do with the kid, nothing to even do with loyalty to any country. It was 2 human beings suffering from the worldwide epidemic of the “anger” virus, which plagues so much of humanity.
Not the most exciting story to read about in terms of action or cool moves or how I defeated 3 armed men or anything… but hopefully you were able to gain something from this. John Lennon said it best when he said, “All we are saying is, give Peace a chance.”
