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I am surprised that no one else has mentioned the course of action that would first come to mind to me. I would walk into a lamppost, roughly shove it and start yelling, swearing and kicking at it as loudly as possible. Then I would walk off muttering loudly, occasionally turning around to shake my fist at the lamppost until I found a nice dry piece of dog shit. I would then pick that up as if I had discovered a precious treasure and hold it to my chest like it was a baby and talk to it lovingly.
Most people avoid those they think are psychotic, even if they are gang members. They figure that if you go all psycho on their ass, it isn't going to be worth whatever fun they will have by hassling you.
Of course, the best real life example I have of this sort of situation was from my guru. He was a Cuban who emigrated to the US a month after the revolution. He was riding on a subway in New York City and heard some toughs talking to each other and saying "Hey, let's rough up that freak." in an obscure Latin American dialect.
He had a shaved head and robes, but his father was German and mother was Spanish and he looked a lot more like a tall German. When they came up to him, he replied to them in the exact dialect that they were speaking in saying "If you lay a hand on me, I will lay a curse on you so bad that you will wish you had never been born." The gang made a very quick exit at the next station. Sometimes turnabout is fair play.
I'd break out the Kung Fu grip...........and let them play with it. It's a pretty cool action figure/doll. It might distract them long enough that I could make good my escape!:p
I am surprised that no one else has mentioned the course of action that would first come to mind to me. I would walk into a lamppost, roughly shove it and start yelling, swearing and kicking at it as loudly as possible. Then I would walk off muttering loudly, occasionally turning around to shake my fist at the lamppost until I found a nice dry piece of dog shit. I would then pick that up as if I had discovered a precious treasure and hold it to my chest like it was a baby and talk to it lovingly.
Most people avoid those they think are psychotic, even if they are gang members. They figure that if you go all psycho on their ass, it isn't going to be worth whatever fun they will have by hassling you.
Of course, the best real life example I have of this sort of situation was from my guru. He was a Cuban who emigrated to the US a month after the revolution. He was riding on a subway in New York City and heard some toughs talking to each other and saying "Hey, let's rough up that freak." in an obscure Latin American dialect.
He had a shaved head and robes, but his father was German and mother was Spanish and he looked a lot more like a tall German. When they came up to him, he replied to them in the exact dialect that they were speaking in saying "If you lay a hand on me, I will lay a curse on you so bad that you will wish you had never been born." The gang made a very quick exit at the next station. Sometimes turnabout is fair play.
Thanks for the story it's an interesting take on the subject. If you act psychotic it just could work as a deterrent to discourage your attacker. After all, they're usually after people with money.
I have been learning Eskrima recently, and one thing I learned is that if someone is trained with a knife it is very risky to try to disarm a trained knife attacker. It is like sticking your hand into a meat grinder. A well trained attacker won't be disarmed without you getting cut.
But chances are, most people who are well trained in fighting arts won't attack an innocent person with a knife. That type of action would come from an undisciplined thug. If you are attacked by a trained fighter chances are it's a hitman. In that case you better know how to run, fight or double their pay.
The point of your meditation practice is not to keep you alive, it is to give you equanimity when you die. So if self defense and running away fail, then you will find out how good your practice has been.
Be aware of your surroundings at all time. Scan and look ahead, and you will avoid places and bad situations 99.9% of the time. Don't go walking around in possible bad places at bad hours.
Use common sense at all times, yes run away quickly and avoid harmful situations. Forget meditating at a time like this.
[....]As you walk around a corner, a couple of hooded youths slip behind you and pull knives out, ready to stab you for coming into their territory.[....]What do you do.
Embrace your Karma?
Meditate?
Prey to Buddha to forgive them?
Ignore them, and hope they will disappear?
Be prepared that such an encounter would take place somewhere, at some time in the future. Know how to defend yourself, how to talk yourself out of the situation and appear unthreatening, or run and yell out of the zone that they consider theirs and do not stop until they do. Treat gang territory as killer bee territory.
To not prepare for the likelihood is unskillful, to the extent that in that instance you will not then know how to act skillfully and will act out of ignorance. That the subject is broached, I for one would always be prepared to run flat-out if they got too close and I was unable to take their attention and aggression off of "me" (not a fighter). It's like being prepared in case the house catches fire...
Comments
Most people avoid those they think are psychotic, even if they are gang members. They figure that if you go all psycho on their ass, it isn't going to be worth whatever fun they will have by hassling you.
Of course, the best real life example I have of this sort of situation was from my guru. He was a Cuban who emigrated to the US a month after the revolution. He was riding on a subway in New York City and heard some toughs talking to each other and saying "Hey, let's rough up that freak." in an obscure Latin American dialect.
He had a shaved head and robes, but his father was German and mother was Spanish and he looked a lot more like a tall German. When they came up to him, he replied to them in the exact dialect that they were speaking in saying "If you lay a hand on me, I will lay a curse on you so bad that you will wish you had never been born." The gang made a very quick exit at the next station. Sometimes turnabout is fair play.
Thanks for the story it's an interesting take on the subject. If you act psychotic it just could work as a deterrent to discourage your attacker. After all, they're usually after people with money.
I have been learning Eskrima recently, and one thing I learned is that if someone is trained with a knife it is very risky to try to disarm a trained knife attacker. It is like sticking your hand into a meat grinder. A well trained attacker won't be disarmed without you getting cut.
But chances are, most people who are well trained in fighting arts won't attack an innocent person with a knife. That type of action would come from an undisciplined thug. If you are attacked by a trained fighter chances are it's a hitman. In that case you better know how to run, fight or double their pay.
Defend yourself in anyway possible, if you want..practice at home the patented "GROIN KICK"..on a sibling or family member..
And I guess if you can't defend yourself and you are for sure going to die....hmm take it like OBI WAN KENOBI.
Use common sense at all times, yes run away quickly and avoid harmful situations. Forget meditating at a time like this.
Islington, but only if you're all decked out in white and blue :-/
To not prepare for the likelihood is unskillful, to the extent that in that instance you will not then know how to act skillfully and will act out of ignorance. That the subject is broached, I for one would always be prepared to run flat-out if they got too close and I was unable to take their attention and aggression off of "me" (not a fighter). It's like being prepared in case the house catches fire...