The Ten Commandments of Street Survival - Tony Blauer

[** Serge **]

The Ten Commandments of Street Survival.
By Tony Blauer

 

When you begin to approach training as a professional, you need to have some guidelines. As a professional coach, I have spent a great deal of energy trying to help people learn how to learn and develop skills for developing. Over the next three months, I’ll be presenting my Ten Commandments of Street Survival. Following these commandments will allow you to move through your journey as a student with a very high level of productivity and a focus on the things that are most important.


Commandments 1 - 3 of Street Survival

   1. Thou Shalt Not Not Train
   2. Thou Shalt Not Defeat Thyself
   3. Thou Shalt Not Give Up

 

1. Thou Shalt Not Not Train



Imagine for a moment losing a real street fight. Imagine the impact on your confidence, dignity and pride. Imagine if you were hurt and couldn’t train or possibly go to work for several weeks. Imagine if when you physically recovered, you were gun shy in sparring. Imagine all this.

 

At the time of the attack, you took too long to recognize the danger, hesitated and, as you started to react, you were knocked to the ground and, though you put up a valiant effort, you were beaten.

 

Upon reflection, you realized that you lost this fight for several reasons: Your actual understanding of the theories of “intuitive radar,” “attacker profiles,” “sucker punch psychology” and “fear management” were limited. Actually, you never did “sucker punch” drills. You had never done “threshold and pain tolerance training” or worked on “ballistic ground fighting,” and you never analyzed natural stances.

 

This scenario is a fantasy or perhaps a nightmare. But it need not be. “Totality” in your training is simply about being thorough. I always tell my students, “If I am to lose, let me lose to the superior fighter. Let me lose because he was better than I was. Not because I was worse than he was.” How hard do you train in relation to “why” you train? Think on that.

 

Coach Bear Bryant said, “The will to win compares little with the will to prepare to win.” That is one of my favorite quotes and pretty much sums it up.

    

 

You can’t not train and expect to be your best at a moment’s notice. Boxers agree to fights three months in advance so that they may train for the contest. You don’t have that luxury. As my friend Marco Lala said, “You can’t fake endurance."


2. Thou Shalt Not Defeat Thyself

The mental side of combat is so vast and powerful that it quite literally determines your next move. Dan Millman wrote, “When faced with just one opponent and you oppose yourself … you’re outnumbered.”

 

Powerful words. Your mind can be your ally or your most formidable opponent. Your thoughts can motivate you or they can create the Inertia State of psycho-physical paralysis.

 

Psychological fear leads to doubt and hesitation. Unchecked it can devolve into anxiety and panic. Unsolicited, a “victim’s vocabulary” starts running through your mind: What if I lose? What if it hurts? What if I fail? Thoughts like these must be eliminated for you to perform at your peak. Your self-talk or internal dialogue must be positive, assertive and motivating. Your inner coach must empower you to greater heights, to surpass preconceived limitations, to boldly go where … you get the picture. That is what it means to not defeat yourself.

3. Thou Shalt Not Give Up

The will to survive is probably the most neglected area of our training. It is also the most important. Knowing what to do and which tools to use are important but compare little with the will to survive. If you have great technique but do not know how to dig deep, I will bet on the opponent with heart. Will beats skill. “Not giving up” means not giving up. You must research this.

 

Irrespective of our training, there are situations that can catch us off guard. Sudden violence or specific threats outside our comfort zones can overwhelm us emotionally and induce the ubiquitous “victim” mindset. To offset this, I have my students tap into their desire to survive by writing out a list of things they will lose if they do not survive the fight.

 

This list is memorized (ideally, long before any serious altercation) and serves as an unconscious motivating force that triggers the survival mechanisms when our theoretical warrior-self is experiencing technical difficulties.

 

The list should include the most important people, places, and things in your life. And you must remind yourself that if you give up in the street, you may be giving up that list as well.

 

In 1987, this concept became the Be Your Own BodyGuardTM principle. This is a powerful metaphor for street survival. Sometimes we feel that we would rush to someone else’s aid more quickly than we would defend ourselves. This is a common feeling; however, it is not very practical if you are the intended victim.

 

So ask yourself, “Who (or what) would I fight to the death for?” And if you are that person’s bodyguard, who is yours?

 

My friend ... be your own bodyguard.

 

Take these three commandments for a start. Learn them, act on them, and ingrain them … in your mind, your body, your spirit.

Commandments 4 - 7 of Street Survival

4. Thou Shalt Not Fear Fear

5. Thou Shalt Not Telegraph Thy Intentions

6. Thou Shalt Not Lose The Street Fight  

7. Thou Shalt Not Invite Disaster

 

 


4. Thou Shalt Not Fear Fear

More dangerous than your opponent is your mind. If your mind doesn’t support you, you’re three-quarters beaten before you’ve started. There are really only two types of fear: biological and psychological.

    More dangerous than your opponent is your mind.

 

Biological fear has been generally described as the “fight or flight” syndrome for most of our modern history. This definition does not serve us once the physical confrontation is under way and is really not pertinent to your success. Though the adrenaline surge created by your survival signals is a component of success, it is the mind that ultimately determines the action you will take.

 

Psychological fear, on the other hand, is an emotional state. Therefore it can be controlled and used to create action. However, due to the lack of good information on fear management, fear, as we feel it, usually creates emotional inertia: your body’s inability to move as a result of psychological brain lock. Inertia or panic is created by psychological fear when the mind visualizes failure and pain. Understanding this process is necessary to conquer fear. We use three acronyms to help us remember that psychological fear is only in our mind.

 

Psychological F.E.A.R.


    * False Evidence Appearing Real. External stimuli that distract us: physical evidence such as weapons and multiple opponents.


    * False Expectations Appearing Real. Internal stimuli that distract us: how we visualize images of pain and failure.


    * Failure Expected Action Required. A trigger to do something!

Famous boxing coach Cus D’Amato said, “The difference between the hero and the coward is what they do with their fear.” The next time you feel it—fight it. Challenge your fear. Attack your fear. Do not fear fear. We all feel it. Fight your fear first, then fight your physical foe. This is one of the true ways of growth.

 
5. Thou Shalt Not Telegraph Thy Intentions

 

Touching your threat with a firearm when you are about to shoot while in contact is a physical example of "telegraphing." Here, instructor helps student figure out how the right position for contact shooting feels.

When it’s time to fight, most fighters telegraph their intentions. This faux pas is committed at times by everyone and every type of fighter, including you and me. From street fighters to professional boxers, from military generals to serial killers—we all telegraph.

 

    Remember that fighting is like tennis: the player who makes the most unforced errors generally loses.

Telegraphing for most is considered to be a physical gesture, but really, the physical telegraph is usually the third stage of the telegraph “domino effect.” In my seminars I always remind participants that you can only beat the opponent when the opponent makes a mistake. Think about that. The real opportunity occurs at the moment of the telegraph, when the intention is revealed, when there is hesitation or a momentary lapse in attention.

 

 

Start contemplating the various ways we reveal ourselves, the signals that create the telegraph: anger, erratic breathing, adopting a certain stance, going for the knockout, verbal threats. These are among the most common telegraphs that would afford an experienced opponent some mental preparedness. Remember that your opponent should be the last person to see your attack.

 

This subject is so vast that I can’t do justice to it here. Just remember that fighting is like tennis: the player who makes the most unforced errors generally loses. But don’t look only at the obvious.

 

 
6. Thou Shalt Not Lose The Street Fight


When/if you are involved in a real street fight, don't think win or lose. Think survival. Think about your life and why you’ll survive.

You must know in advance that you will survive the authentic street fight. By “authentic,” I mean a true situation where you have moral and ethical reasons to take action. Only then can you be resolute in your conviction and only then will you have the support of good and the force of the universe behind you. This may sound corny to some, but when you use your skills for life (preservation), rather than death (abuse of your skill), the emotional power that is available to you is exponential.

 

You must also appreciate the relationship to the pejorative ego in combat. You don’t “win” a real fight. You survive one. Win and lose are labels our ego uses. Think survival. Think about your life and why you’ll survive. This is true power.

 

Remember: Never fight when your opponent wants to fight. Never fight where your opponent wants to fight. And never fight how your opponent wants to fight. Take care of those three factors and I’ll bet on you. Sun Tzu wrote, “The height of strategy is to attack your opponent’s strategy.” Study this.

 

On a purely strategic level, you can study the samurai treatises about the mind and the ego and death. They reveal much about the appropriate mindset for lethal combat. If you catch a glimpse of the power of this mindset, you will recognize true power and you will be sure not to abuse this power.



7. Thou Shalt Not Invite Disaster

You’ve heard the expression “An accident waiting to happen.” Many victims of violence failed to use simple skills like awareness and avoidance. No one deserves to be a victim, but many street tragedies result from “planning to fail by failing to plan." Though the world is an incredible and wonderful place, it does have its dangers. If you respect this simple truth and spend a little time developing your Survival Toolbox, you can get back to the real task at hand: enjoying your life.

 

For simplicity’s sake, consider there are two types of victims: those who deny and ignore (apathy will usually help seal your fate) and those who manufacture danger at every turn. If you haven’t had the opportunity to read Gavin de Becker’s excellent book The Gift of Fear, get yourself a copy. It is the first time, in my opinion, that anyone has effectively explained the fear signal in a positive, useful light as it relates to danger and violence. His examples and theories are welcome additions to the pre-contact arsenal necessary to try to avoid violence.

 

It would be nice if simply trusting survival signals were all we needed to detect and avoid danger. Unfortunately, there may be situations where we do everything right but still find ourselves in the thick of things and must take physical action. Preparation is paramount.

 

Learn to evaluate a stimulus in advance. This mindset will spare you a lot of trouble if you do a little research. In the end, most situations are easily avoided with the right attitude, awareness and advance analysis.

 

Critical areas you must evaluate:

 

    * Your routine. Are there any obvious places you could be attacked? Is there something about your schedule, behavior, residence, etc. that sends a “come and get me” message to an opportunist criminal? When would you attack you and why?

 

    * Your mind. What type of person are you? Do you find yourself in many confrontations (of any nature)? How do you deal with them? Do you lose your temper easily? Do you accept abuse (verbal, mental, etc.) too readily? Both reactions could create serious problems in a violent confrontation.

 

    * Your arsenal. You may have a safe routine and have yourself in total control and still be faced with a threat. What specialized skills do you bring to the confrontation? Many of us become fairly proficient with our empty hands in a ready stance in the dojo where we know the rules, we know our opponent, the level of contact is agreed to, we’re wearing equipment, and … I think you get my point. Do you really understand the nut on the street? Are you confident on the ground? Against a weapon? In a survival scenario? Total confidence results when you ask pertinent questions and research, to your satisfaction, the answers. That’s being proactive. After all, it’s your life.

 

Apathy and denial will seal your fate in a confrontation. Other personality aberrations, like an inflated ego, misguided inferiority complex, or overconfidence all contribute to the issue of safety. These attributes will create problems during confrontations of any nature. Be proactive about the things that can cause you grief.

    Be proactive about the things that can cause you grief.

 

I have a simple belief that keeps me honest and introspective. I believe we experience confrontations every day of our lives. (Here I’m defining “confrontation” as any situation that affects our enjoyment of the moment. I know people who take traffic personally!) Therefore, the degree of calmness and clarity with which we deal with our confrontations will directly determine the quality of our day and therefore, the quality of our life.

 

Take time to study these commandments until you understand them and can integrate them into your daily life.

Commandments 8-10 of Street Survival

8. Thou Shalt Not Kill, Unless It Is Absolutely Necessary

9. Thou Shalt Not Settle For Mediocrity

10.Thou Shalt Not Rebuke Other Systems


8. Thou Shalt Not Kill, Unless It Is Absolutely Necessary


Shooting a dummy for target practice.

Bruce Lee wrote in his Tao of Jeet Kune Do, “Forget about winning and losing; forget about pride and pain. Let your opponent graze your skin and you smash into his flesh; let him smash into your flesh and you fracture his bones; let him fracture your bones and you take his life. Do not be concerned with your escaping safely—lay your life before him!”

What do you think of this? Pretty powerful, isn’t it? Note how it triggered a visual and how it affected your mindset: power or fear? Though Bruce Lee’s quote has much value, it sends a dangerous message if not analyzed correctly.

Many people who come to the martial arts for self-defense buy into the mythological images of cool nerves, impenetrable defense and total control. Unfortunately, the sociopath’s intensity on the street bears little relation to the energy in the dojo, and so those martial artists who have not done diligent homework for the street situation are predisposed to fail. This doesn’t mean they will. But it means they survive in spite of the way they trained.

What would you do if ...?  Have you really visualized different scenarios and analyzed what would be necessary to escape the confrontation safely?  It takes courage to walk away. Is avoidance a component of your self-defense system?  How far would you go to avoid bodily harm? Would you kill? What moral and ethical issues do your responses raise? Do you possess a directive, one that will support you in a court of law or when you look in the mirror?

When you train with integrity, and respect all humanity, you will grasp the deepest message in Bruce’s words. I endorse his message as a last resort.

 
9. Thou Shalt Not Settle For Mediocrity

Human beings are designed for improvement. Our brains and bodies are built for success. We use only a small percentage of our brain’s capacity. Our bodies are capable of massive muscular and cardiovascular development, and we have only just begun to explore the power of spiritual development.

Remember earlier I wrote that the mind navigates the body? I believe that there are three fundamental rules we all break from time to time that prevent us from maximizing our performance and development in many areas.

Avoid Comparison

Compete with yourself. Use other people for inspiration only. If someone is better than you are, use his or her “skill level” as a reference point. Find out how they train and what their beliefs are. Many people miss this point and experience frustration in their training. The pejorative ego is duplicitous and works overtime on comparison. It’s your job to defuse this emotional time bomb and get focused on your path.

Don’t Judge

Don’t judge others. Don’t even judge yourself. Learn to evaluate, diagnose, weigh, and consider. When you change the “judgment filter” to one of “analysis,” you will gain so much more. Like comparison, judgment is a detour away from our goals. Many times we enter some arena (relationship, job, fight) worrying about what the other person is bringing to the table. How can you be yourself and work on you when you are fixating on them? True education takes place when we start to notice our tendency to compare and judge.

Limiting Beliefs

Many of us have been fed negative programs during our lives. These ideas eventually become our very own erroneous beliefs, and they severely handicap our growth. How often do we say or hear statements like, “You can’t,” “That’ll take too long,” “I’ll never be able to do that,”  “What’s the point?” The list goes on... you get my point. Beliefs that do not serve your goals, success, happiness, or dreams must be purged from your mind. This is an easy process ... unless you believe it is too hard.

Just remember that starting off positive is every bit as important as actually starting.

Here’s another key concept in the performance enhancement formula my company has developed. You’ll often hear motivators state, “Your potential is unlimited.” Nothing could be further from the truth. “Potential” is actually quite finite, whereas “capacity” is unlimited. Think about it (and yes, I know this is the complete opposite of conventional thinking). Your ability is limited by your capacity. But you can work on your capacity daily. And therefore capacity is continually evolving.

Potential, however, is fixed. Your potential is limited by the fact that you are human, or of a specific gender, age, size and so forth. Potential is also something we “can’t do” yet, but may be able to do at some point in the future. The trick in maximizing performance, therefore, is our ability to reframe, to create a personal paradigm shift and really direct our energy into our current abilities and forget about where we could be if….

Confused? Read the next two paragraphs and then reflect a little.

I have done a number of motivational seminars on this very important paradigm shift, an empowerment process I call The Myth of Peak Performance. To consider, evaluate, plan and proceed, you must understand the difference between capacity and potential. What you can do is your capacity. What you would like to be able to do is your potential. But, at the end of the day, you can only do as much as you can do.

Think about this: “You’ll never know how much you can do until you try to do more than you can.” In training, assess your capacity, recognize your potential as greater than that, create realistic goals so that you experience success regularly, and you will be on your way to self-mastery. But do not fixate on your potential.

In the self-defense and martial-arts worlds, many practitioners severely handicap their capacity by not sharing information, not investigating other options and ideas, not asking questions, etc. To go beyond the limitations of style, you must challenge all ideas so that your training results in unshakable faith in your skill.

 
10. Thou Shalt Not Rebuke Other Systems

Once again, let’s hear from martial philosopher Bruce Lee: “Man, the living creature, the creating individual, is always more important than any established style or system.”

Keep an open mind. Maintain a “Beginner’s Mind.” A beginner loves to learn.  He is intent and intense. Learn to communicate, listen to the words, and listen to the voice of body language. When someone shows you a different way or explains a different approach, listen keenly. Savor, digest and absorb.

Secondly, as a martial artist and self-defense specialist, you cannot afford to limit your training. The more you understand any and all strategies, approaches, attitudes and methods, the greater your confidence.

In conclusion, remember that training must be holistic : Mind, Body, Spirit.

Tony Blauer - © - http://www.personaldefensenetwork.com


http://www.personaldefensenetwork.com/articles/tactics-defensive-issues/10-commandments-of-street-survival-part-1/

http://www.personaldefensenetwork.com/articles/tactics-defensive-issues/the-ten-commandments-of-street-survival-part-2/

http://www.personaldefensenetwork.com/articles/tactics-defensive-issues/the-ten-commandments-of-street-survival-part-3/

[Eric Lem]

Le dernier, venant de lui, c'est quand même priceless... 

[Eric Lem]

On m'a parlé de sa tendance au bashing.

Personnellement, je n'ai jamais rencontré Blauer. Et, sur tous ses écrits confondus ( que j'ai pu lire ) et documents filmés ( et vus ), il me semble que je n'en ai jamais été témoin.

Ce qui est tout à fait normal...
Tony Blauer est un vieux renard du circuit, et il manie avec brio la communication ET la manipulation.
Il ne laissera jamais trainer, en open space, de tels exemples.
Par contre, au sein de sa sphère d'influence, c'est autre chose... je ne parlerais pas de « bashing », je trouve que ça tient plus du lavage de cerveau…

Que son travail soit d'une haute teneur, je suis le premier à le reconnaitre.
C'est effectivement un mec qui à été TRES en avance sur son temps et qui a inspiré toute une génération de pratiquants et d'instructeurs.
Mais bon le fait est que je ne l’aime pas, que pour moi il représente LA caricature de l’instructeur « Tactical », doublé d’une personnalité extrêmement toxique.
Donc, même si il se produisait sur le trottoir devant chez moi, je n’ouvrirais pas la fenêtre pour l’écouter.

On en a déjà parlé, et sur ce point, je ne suis pas d’accord avec toi.
Perso, les qualités techniques ou pédagogiques d’un instructeur ne me suffisent pas (plus), j’ai aussi besoin d’avoir de l’estime pour lui, sinon son enseignement ne m’intéresse tout simplement pas.
Peut-être que, ce faisant, je me coupe de sources d’informations valables, mais vu que j’ai déjà suffisamment de matériel à disposition pour bosser dessus pendant 3 vies, c’est pas comme si j’en avais quelque chose à battre 

[Patrick]

On en a déjà parlé, et sur ce point, je ne suis pas d’accord avec toi.
Perso, les qualités techniques ou pédagogiques d’un instructeur ne me suffisent pas (plus), j’ai aussi besoin d’avoir de l’estime pour lui, sinon son enseignement ne m’intéresse tout simplement pas.
Peut-être que, ce faisant, je me coupe de sources d’informations valables, mais vu que j’ai déjà suffisamment de matériel à disposition pour bosser dessus pendant 3 vies, c’est pas comme si j’en avais quelque chose à battre 

j'ai exactement la même approche que toi Rico. Je respecte le pragmatique de Sergio, grand débusqueur de sources intéressantes, mais quand j'ai affaire avec quelqu'un que je ne respecte pas humainement je dégage. comme tu dis pas assez de plusieurs vies pour déjà faire le tour de l'enseignement de mecs bien alors autant ne pas perdre de temps avec la légion des autres.

Comme dirait Béru, je suis sans doutes un idéaliste invertébré, mais selon moi un enseignant doit proposer un équilibre entre l'humain et la discipline. On enseigne qu'un pouvoir doit s'assortir de responsabilités or si ce n'est pas ce qui transparaît de l'homme à quoi bon ?

[Eric Lem]

Pas trop, en fait.
Car, sur ce point, je ne m'exprime guère.

Si, si on en a déjà discuté Sergio, mais pas ici.

Désolé si mes propos sont mal interprétés: je comprends très bien ta démarche et je la respecte immensément (d'autant plus que j'ai, moi aussi, abondamment profité de tes trouvailles sur le net), même si ce n'est pas (plus) la mienne.

C'est juste le côté "faites ce que je dis mais pas ce que je fais" de Blauer qui ne cesse de me laisser rêveur... 

[Thanos]

C'est juste le côté "faites ce que je dis mais pas ce que je fais" de Blauer qui ne cesse de me laisser rêveur... 

Ce que je vais dire est peut être un peut HS, mais il y a parfois des "penseurs" incapables d'appliquer leurs préceptes à leur personne mais dont les préceptes sont pourtant excellents...

On peut aussi décider de se ficher de la personnalités et de la bonne moralité d'un enseignant et se focaliser uniquement, dans un but de recherche, sur ce qu'il peut nous apporter.  

[VERDUG0]

D'accord avec Thanos.

Je prends ce qui me fait progresser, la morale du gars est un tout autre probleme.

[Eric Lem]

... la morale du gars est un tout autre probleme.

Pour moi pas, justement, ça fait partie d'un tout...

Mais bon, la vie serait d'un chiant si tout le monde était d'accord... 

[Leif]

Pour moi pas, justement, ça fait partie d'un tout...

idem

c'est tres dur de faire confiance a quelqu'un si tu ne l’apprécie pas et quand je dis confiance c'est que nous sommes quand meme entrain de parler de quelqu'un qui va nous donner des idees, conseils, principes pour vivre.

apres je parle souvent de lecture, c'est juste eter capable d'apprendre des choses en permanence et dans ce domaine on apprend enormement des pires pourris

[Thanos]

apres je parle souvent de lecture, c'est juste eter capable d'apprendre des choses en permanence et dans ce domaine on apprend enormement des pires pourris

Oui, voila pourquoi je parle de la recherche pas forcement de la pratique !

[Bomby]

Merci Serge de cette longue citation...

Même si Tony Blauer semble présenter selon Eric Lem et Patrick d'importantes lacunes en matière d'exemplarité, c'est à mon avis toujours intéressant d'avoir un "matériau" comme celui-ci comme base de réflexion, même s'il y a probablement mieux, et même, voire justement, s'il y sans doute matière à critiquer...

Pour ma part, je suis resté plutôt perplexe face au passage suivant de l'article de Blauer :

"You must know in advance that you will survive the authentic street fight. By “authentic,” I mean a true situation where you have moral and ethical reasons to take action. Only then can you be resolute in your conviction and only then will you have the support of good and the force of the universe behind you. This may sound corny to some, but when you use your skills for life (preservation), rather than death (abuse of your skill), the emotional power that is available to you is exponential."

L'idée serait en gros la suivante : s'il s'agit de survivre, de mettre en œuvre des techniques dans le cadre d'une action tournée vers la préservation de la vie, on aurait plus de ressort (plus de puissance émotionnelle) que s'il s'agit de les mettre en œuvre en abusant de sa force ou pour une action moralement condamnable...

Et Blauer d'enfoncer le clou : ça peut vous paraître être une idée "à l'eau de rose" ("corny") mais c'est comme ça...

Je ne sais pas si cette assertion peut être, d'une façon ou d'une autre, documentée ou vérifiée... Si certains ont d'autres sources à ce sujet, je suis preneur...

En tous les cas, cette idée, pour séduisante qu'elle soit, me laisse assez sceptique... Si ceci est vrai, il me semble que ça ne peut l'être que pour des personnes à peu près structurées moralement et dans un état de conscience normal... 

A l'inverse, je serais extrêmement surpris que ce puisse être un tant soit peu validé pour des personnes sous état de conscience modifié (délirium, drogue, alcool) ou pour des prédateurs désinhibés, qui ne perdront rien de leur dangerosité parce qu'ils seront engagés dans une "mauvaise action"...

Et du coup, cette assertion me semble relativement inutile, voire dangereuse car pouvant entraîner une confusion des genres.

D'une part, si j'ai à faire face à un prédateur désinhibé, il faudra que j'aille chercher en moi (pour le switch on) une très forte agressivité... Et, même si mon action est dans son contexte moralement parfaitement orientée, il faudra pour pouvoir accéder à cette agressivité potentiellement salvatrice et la mettre en œuvre que je passe sur tout un tas de freins moraux (disons, de l'ordre de la morale) acquis par l'éducation... Le ressort moral me semble donc à nuancer...

Par ailleurs, cette assertion peut à mon avis facilement donner l'illusion que dans un combat schématiquement "bien" contre "mal", le bien devrait facilement l'emporter (ben oui, puisqu'on a avec nous "le soutien du bien et la force de l'univers")...

Or il me semble que la réalité de la protection personnelle dans la rue est légèrement différente et un poil plus compliquée...

Oui, le fait d'avoir une motivation positive peut sans doute nous donner un ressort mental déterminant... Mais pour espérer renverser la vapeur face à un véritable agresseur, il va quand même falloir aller puiser en soi, au moins pour un bref instant, une agressivité destructrice me semble-t-il difficilement accessible à la plupart des personnes bien intentionnées...

Cordialement,

Bomby

[Dje]

Est-ce que à contrario ça ne doit pas être lu à l'envers ? C'est-à-dire comme un avertissement aux gens qui pourraient avoir envie de plonger du "côté obscur de la force", c'est-à-dire utiliser leur savoir en SD pour devenir des vengeurs voire des bad guys.
On rejoindrait alors Richard Dimitri, qui explique que la violence ne résoud jamais une situation, même si on croit faire le bien. Et que finalement, il en résultera du mauvais : pour sa propre conscience, son propre équilibre mental, ou plus largement par la vengeance que l'action suscitera, amenant une nouvelle violence, qui appelera une nouvelle violence, etc...

Mais c'est vrai que lu de manière direct, le paragraphe est pour le moins ... mystique 

Djé

[kovaks]

Oui, le fait d'avoir une motivation positive peut sans doute nous donner un ressort mental déterminant... Mais pour espérer renverser la vapeur face à un véritable agresseur, il va quand même falloir aller puiser en soi, au moins pour un bref instant, une agressivité destructrice me semble-t-il difficilement accessible à la plupart des personnes bien intentionnées...

Je ne pense pas que le fait d'avoir raison ou d'être le juste puisse être utile dans le cas d'une agression "surprise", avec un BG qui s'est déjà mentalement échauffé (voire physiquement...).
Je te suis dans le sens où je pense que ce "ressort moral" viendra parfois trop tard (dégoût, colère post-agression avec hyperactivité). Le moment presque le plus dangereux quand on veut calmer un des belligérants.
Je pense que ça dépend pas mal des gens et de pleins de facteurs.

De ma toute petite expérience perso, si je me fais agresser "moi", je flippe. Même si j'ai raison, et même si ça m'énerve et ne m'empêche pas forcément d'agir, mais la peur est là.
Si par contre l'agression est dirigée vers un proche (très proche, quelqu'un que j'aime), la peur n'est pas présente, seule la colère; ceci représente peut-être ce que Blauer dit "only then will you have the support of good and the force of the universe behind you". Si je me fais agresser, je me sens seul dans mon slip. Si on agresse mes enfants (par exemple), là, c'est l'autre que je trouve seul dans son slip, quel que soit le rapport de force.

Je pense qu'en ce sens le fait d'avoir "raison" importe. Si un jour, involontairement, je manque de faire mal à quelqu'un (en voiture, par exemple), et qu'il chercher à me faire manger mes dents, je vais très certainement manquer de ressort (culpabilité). Si un jour je fais, sous l'effet de l'énervement con, un doigt d'honneur à un type, et qu'il vient me demander des comptes, je me sentirai morveux, et donc ne serait pas du tout disposé à un affrontement. Si c'est lui qui fait le doigt, ça me chauffera un peu plus (sans aller jusqu'à l'affrontement physique). S'il me frappe, encore plus. Et s'il menace quelqu'un que j'aime, il faudra me tazer pour m'empêcher de lui faire étudier sa généalogie de près.

Dans le cas d'une agression surprise... La donne est autre.

Je pense que chez certains, la réaction sera conditionnée par le positionnement d'un curseur moral, et chez d'autres, par le positionnement d'un curseur "domination" alakon. Enfin chez d'autres, par un reflexe animal de s'en sortir, sans doute la meilleure voie, ni mauvaise, ni sujette à trop de gamberge, gamberge Oh combien chronophage en situation.