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Old 04-14-2008, 11:43 PM   #35
KIT
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 140
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Re: What is "combat"?

Quote:
Kevin Leavitt wrote: View Post

However, it does not mean there are not conditions that exist in which I will not kill.
Ah, but it would still be wrong, no? A big thing I wrestle with, in flirting with Buddhism but embracing a life that has as part of its calling the possibility of having to kill others.

Interesting piece on Thich Nhat Hahn on NPR last night - on how one can be a "Bodhisattva with a Gun."

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.o...anscript.shtml

While I won't be hugging anyone while wearing a gunbelt (had a suicidal gal try that on me once, after asking me if I would shoot her if she tried to take my gun...), the question is an interesting one.

Have Gun, Be Mindful.

Even taking the Buddhism out of it, ethics and professionalism drive us toward NOT overreacting, but at the same time addressing the potential that any person we arrest could be the "one" that gives us the fight of our lives. That is a precarious balance that calls for a lot of self-possession. Studies are showing that cops who regularly train in force on force scenarios tend to make more appropriate use of force decisions.
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