Self-Defense

I was talking to my aunt the other day. She was telling a story about her and her grandma when she was a kid. Someone said something that probably offended her so she went ahead and tell her grandma what the person said to her. Guess what grandma did? Her grandma gave my aunt a spank and told her: "Learn how to defend yourself!" It is true that I train in combative techniques to defend myself physically. However, being mentally prepared against insult is a must in the Martial Arts training although we should not seek to argue with anybody else. If one feels it is necessary to respond one can, if it is not then no response should be made. This story reminded me that at some point in my life, my parents, my brothers and other family members may not be there when I am facing trouble. It may be up to me to handle it. In a way, the grandma is a good master for spanking her and tell her that. A real master does not make the disciple be overly dependent. In fact, the master is here to guide the disciple towards being himself completely to the point where the disciple is not afraid of any confrontations. If the disciple has a good master, he or she will be the most fearless being on Earth.