About Clarence - what I really think

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Bill Glasheen
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About Clarence - what I really think

Post by Bill Glasheen »

Some time back, a poster stated the following <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote
if he just would not...play a karate hero, he might have come out of the incident without those holes in his stomach but just for a price of a couple of bucks.
I had even gotten private e-mail that suggested that perhaps he made critical errors. My immediate response (until I could collect myself both emotionally and mentally) was <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote
I was not there. You were not there. Any comments now are both ill-informed and in poor taste. I am a human being first and karateka second.

Later, Van Canna debriefed Clarence, and spoke from a position of both authority on the subject and knowledge of the circumstances. Please view his forum for comments (can't figure out the url address here). And Mr. Canna would not hear any "Monday night quarterbacking" and second-guessing when it came to his friend. One day I hope to find out that I have such friends!

O.K., those who would may now speak your peace.

There's a time to honor in silence, and a time to speak your thoughts

Now that we know that Clarence is well on his way to recovery, I have a few comments to add. In his book The gift of fear - survival signals that protect us from violence, De Becker writes <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote
Though I am often asked for advice on how a person should respond to a robber or car-jacker, for example, I cannot offer a checklist of what to do for each type of hazard you could encounter, because cookie-cutter approaches are dangerous. Some people say about rape, for example, do not resist, while othes say always resist. Neither strategy is right for all situations, but one strategy is: Listen to your intuition. I don't know what might be best for you in some hazardous situation because I don't have all the information, but you will have all the information.
Thank you, Mr. De Becker, that is exactly what I meant in my very few words.

The reason any of us are here is because for millions of years we survived one traumatic situation after the next, generation after generation. The gene pool that survived has all the skills it needs to survive. The biggest problem people get into is that they ignore instinct, intuition, gut feeling, etc. We rationalize and make excuses and otherwise stymie what a baser person inside tells us to do...because we think our logical side knows better. Funny, for years I used to think little of my wife's constant reminder that she had better intuition and knew people better. She went on her gut feelings and acted on them. De Becker's book speaks highly of this thought process, and is an attempt to bring people back in touch with the skills already within us. It is no surprise to me now that my wife was part of a rapid-action rape counseling team for years. She understood. I rationalized. I now know better. And it's no mystery to me now that none of my fiesty, intutitve sisters nor my wife ever found themselves in situations that others seemed to constantly face.

So....when I see the following <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote
Clarence decided that he was not going to let the young man 'take him out' without a fight.
do you know what that tells me? It tells me that survival animal within told him death was imminent. And it told him that it was time to act. And Clarence listened.

We can argue from here to eternity about whether or not he should have attacked, whether he acted at the right time (before he got to the second crime scene), whether he did the right technique (I didn't hear anything about him wetting his pants) and whether the level of skill was worthy of the situation. But we do know one thing - Clarence survived.

I'm willing to bet that given the same scenario, most would be dead - regardless of choice of action/inaction.

O.K., soap box is open.

-- Bill


[This message has been edited by Bill Glasheen (edited 05-06-99).]
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RACastanet
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About Clarence - what I really think

Post by RACastanet »

Bill sensei: I concur completely with your statements.There is no doubt in my mind that Clarence sensei did the right thing. Period.
Rich
Rick Wilson

About Clarence - what I really think

Post by Rick Wilson »

"Clarence decided that he was not going to let the young man 'take him out' without a fight."

I can only wish we would all have the same instinct to know, and the same courage to DO!

Rick
david
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About Clarence - what I really think

Post by david »

I just assumed let it go, but a voice said, "don't."

Clarence is the "victim" here (though not with a victim mentality). Second guessing is like accusing or attacking a victim again.

We can think what we want but we WEREN'T there. Hopefully, many of us will never find ourselves there. In the same situation, I suspect some of us would be found in a pool of blood and excrement. The latter having been dumped prior to being shot.

david
Allen M.

About Clarence - what I really think

Post by Allen M. »

I know Clarence; my sons and I have taken classes under him. My only thoughts in this matter is that I am happy he is alive, able to walk out of the hospital, and will recover and heal in time.

------------------
Allen - [email]uechi@ici.net">uechi@ici.net</A> - <A HREF="http://www.uechi-ryu.org[/email]
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Jackie Olsen
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About Clarence - what I really think

Post by Jackie Olsen »

Bill Glasheen wrote:

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote
Listen to your intuition. I don't know what might be best for you in some hazardous situation because I don't have all the information, but you will have all the information.
AMEN -- I have never been in his situation (and pray that I never am), but I believe that Clarence did whatever he needed to do at the time to the best of his ability.

I don't know Clarence, but I send him my sincere wishes for a thorough recovery. He must be quite a guy to have such great friends by his side.

Jackie
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