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Brian H · 06-11-2002, 10:12 AM

I'm a policeman. My department has lost two officers since I joined. I knew both of them. I practice Aikido so I can better use force to protect myself, the public and those I have to use force against. I studied karate for awhile but got away from it because solving problems by kicking and punching them will eventually result in you getting to meet some nice citizen types in a grand jury room. (picture the prosecutor asking "tell us about the roundhouse kick to the back to the subject's head"). Aikido techniques generally don't require beating the suspect into submission and are over very quickly, big pluses in a street fight.

So what is harmony in a street fight?

All I can say is that by training in an art like Aikido that you learn how to control yourself and your opponent. If you have a measure of control then it could be said there would be fewer circumstance where you would have to harm (or kill) someone who was trying to harm (or kill) you.

Needless to say, I don't have any faith in the "violence never solved anything" crowd. (WWII - I don't think we could have talked to Nazis out of Europe - and the passengers on Flight 93 certainly kept their plane from hitting it target and saved a lot of lives)

Is all violence evil? Well, evil is a matter of intent. Is your intent to do no more harm than necessary to reach a noble purpose? That is something you have to ask yourself constantly and adjust your actions to those that you can truthfully admit to as just.

06-11-2002, 10:12 AM	#2
Brian H Dojo: Aikido of Northern Virginia Join Date: Oct 2000 Posts: 102 Offline	Is all violence evil? I'm a policeman. My department has lost two officers since I joined. I knew both of them. I practice Aikido so I can better use force to protect myself, the public and those I have to use force against. I studied karate for awhile but got away from it because solving problems by kicking and punching them will eventually result in you getting to meet some nice citizen types in a grand jury room. (picture the prosecutor asking "tell us about the roundhouse kick to the back to the subject's head"). Aikido techniques generally don't require beating the suspect into submission and are over very quickly, big pluses in a street fight. So what is harmony in a street fight? All I can say is that by training in an art like Aikido that you learn how to control yourself and your opponent. If you have a measure of control then it could be said there would be fewer circumstance where you would have to harm (or kill) someone who was trying to harm (or kill) you. Needless to say, I don't have any faith in the "violence never solved anything" crowd. (WWII - I don't think we could have talked to Nazis out of Europe - and the passengers on Flight 93 certainly kept their plane from hitting it target and saved a lot of lives) Is all violence evil? Well, evil is a matter of intent. Is your intent to do no more harm than necessary to reach a noble purpose? That is something you have to ask yourself constantly and adjust your actions to those that you can truthfully admit to as just.