How To Defend Yourself According To Oriental Philosophies
Life requires learning how to defend yourself. No matter how peaceful you are, sooner or later you will be exposed to a conflict situation. The other may want to impose themselves, limit your actions, or offend you, which should prompt you to react.
When one is the victim of an assault or an insult, one generally resorts to the counterattack. If someone yells at you, so do you. If you are physically attacked, you respond physically as well. For us, this is the obvious reaction. In fact, in the West, there is no standard for learning to defend yourself differently.
Eastern philosophies have greatly developed their vision of war, combat and conflict. Martial arts are an example of this thinking. They approach defense centrally. If you want to learn how to defend yourself by following the principles of martial arts, take note of the following points.
The philosophy behind the defense
Martial arts avoid confrontation whenever possible. This is their main strategy, both attacking and defending. All tactics are geared towards the desire to neutralize the opponent or persuade him not to enter the fight.
Everything that is done to defend oneself must respect the following principles: one must not destroy, injure or humiliate the adversary. If we do otherwise, it means that we are fueling our thirst for violence. But we want the opposite: to preserve harmony.
Orientals know that the cost of conflict is very high. When harmony is broken, a way must be found to restore it. In no case should we try to intensify or inflame the contradictions.
This is the first principle to keep in mind when it comes to knowing how to defend yourself.
Attitude, a fundamental aspect
When faced with an attempt at physical aggression, Orientals recommend above all to maintain a relaxed attitude. This must be reflected in the body position, which must be relaxed.
Self-control is acquired with practice and by working on the breath. If you breathe calmly, the muscles relax.
The art of knowing how to defend yourself from physical assault includes the following steps:
- As much as possible, keep away from the abuser
- Do not perform any mechanical or automatic movement not reasoned
- Try to understand the attitude of the other
- Learn to fall and get up
- Make sure you have peripheral vision
- Maintain an upright body posture: feet should be placed firmly on the ground and muscles should be relaxed
This is only a basic synthesis of the attitudes recommended in martial arts. Each of these points has a philosophy that requires years of experience. However, we can use these points as an illustration to practice.
Basically, physical attacks are very similar to verbal attacks. They employ similar mechanisms even though they require different tools. The principles of defending yourself against physical attack can also be applied in defending yourself from verbal attack.
Verbal attacks
Orientals insist that no one should be verbally insulted or humiliated. However, under no circumstances should these attacks be repelled by responding to them in the same way. Other strategies must be employed.
Some of these strategies involve using body language. The body must communicate with firmness and confidence. The following actions are recommended:
- Stare at the attacker for a short time then walk away without looking down
- Do not contract: maintain an upright and confident posture
- Maintain eye contact, although the situation can be uncomfortable
- Do not speak if the other does not listen
If you have enough understanding and compassion for each other, you will know how to stand up for yourself. But in order to do this, you must first of all know yourself, understand yourself, and know how to deal with your own emotions.
If you have to deal with verbal aggression, Orientals recommend one of the following 3 strategies:
- Leave: This strategy is valid if the other person’s attitude or circumstances make you think the situation will end better this way. You can choose to remain silent, walk away, or change the subject
- Make a truce: this strategy is used when you can attribute a certain reason to the other or show remorse. In this case, it is necessary to find an agreement, or to recognize the reason of the other
- Do nothing: This strategy is applied when the attack is completely free or when you do not understand it. So you can stay still, silent, and even close your eyes
Our thoughts The other’s silence in a discussion allows us to reflect and listen to each other. In this article, we invite you to think about that.
