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Power For Peace: The Passive Trap
Copyright 2007 Richard Andrew King


In learning to defend ourselves, it is important for all of us, but especially women, to understand the differences between peace and passivity. Women are nurturers by nature. The thought of having to hurt another person physically to protect themselves is foreign, even repulsive, to most females. Such concepts have given rise to the erroneous belief that peace equates to passivity.

Peace is not passivity. Peace is an active state of balance between the opposing polarities of passivity on the one hand and activity on the other. Peace is the fulcrum of the teeter-totter; the midpoint of the pendulum. In a self-defense situation, passivity may be the solution sometimes but not necessarily all the time. Thinking that being passive will automatically create peace is a fallacious and dangerous concept . . . and a potentially deadly trap.

Consider cancer. It is an invasive, insidious, passively growing, potentially lethal disease. Remaining passive as a defensive strategy in fighting cancer is a sure-fire recipe for death. Once diagnosed,  modern day defensive strategies to cure cancer become very active and aggressive using chemotherapy, radiation treatment and even the physically violent alternative of surgery in order to kill the disease and return the body to its natural state of balance, peace and harmony.

So it is with protecting ourselves from the invasive, insidious and potentially lethal assaults of abusers and predators. Remaining passive in their attempt to violate us can literally be a dead end road. In the case of assault, being passive is not a solution for peace but, like being passive in fighting cancer, a warrant for pain, suffering and death.

The effects of assault, rape and personal violation are tragic, horrific and sometimes, unfortunately, irreversible. Entire families, not just the victim, can be affected for a lifetime. Is the amalgamation of all this heartache worth clinging to the false idea that being passive is being peaceful? Passive can be a good thing sometimes, but not all the time. To preserve your life you must sometimes fight for it.

The moral of this article: don't get caught in the passive trap. When being assaulted or attacked, it's okay to be aggressive; it's okay to fight back; it's okay to stand up for yourself and preserve your health, safety, dignity and life and, in fact, you should. Honoring your life means preserving it; not letting some predacious animal take it away from you. You have a God-given right to defend yourself and to live. Assert it! Take a class in female self-defense and honor your life.


Kind regards,

Richard Andrew King: Grandmaster, Kiado-Ryu Karate