Martial arts such as: Aikido, Karate, and Judo are renowned for their spiritual aspect and the emphasis on self-defence rather than aggressive attacking moves. A recent taxi ride made me aware of the rule in karate when going for the blue belt. The aspiring combatant must withstand 3 minutes of attack by his opponent without responding with blows, either using his/her hands or feet.
Evasive action is the preferred strategy no matter how difficult that may be. If only this tactic could be more universally applied in today’s might is right world.
Of course, bloodlust is nothing new. Roman arenas were the scenes of slaughter and mutilation for 300 years. The killing fields of Cambodia were the sites of massacres by the Khmer Rouge, Stalin’s gulags survive to this day to incarcerate political prisoners, and Nazi death camps killed millions.
Trying to enforce human rights is a bit like herding cats, but we have a duty to try.
odespinner 