Bill your opinions are valid ones and stimulate our thinking in the grand/great scheme of things. And thank you for being so candid about what you went through, awful, but certainly of great teaching value.
We all come from different experiences and backgrounds and we see all this reflected in all we say and do, including the ways we all 'operate' in training, in organizations and interactions with 'our own' as well as the people outside our 'sphere'_
It is true that there are ways to 'galvanize' or prepare ourselves against mental and physical vulnerabilities…but I must agree with Stryke that
The first key in any such attempt to galvanize the student is to give a healthy dose of reality.
This is a very astute observation by Marcus and one I totally agree with because it is so insidious
I don't believe Vans saying it will happen to everyone , but I do believe its the human condition to be traumatized by trauma ........ And that we should be realistic in confronting our vulnerabilities and coping strategies and acknowledge we will probably need outside help.
debriefing strategies, a self defence contract , a force continuum , a plan that matches your ethos , your beliefs your legal obligations ....
Now someone who's done such work to be proactive in there own defence gets a serious maybe debilitating beating ...... Now lets be honest and consider that sort of person is probably even more likely to suffer from a broken ego and outlook , or fall prey to a paranoia , ptsd or depression.
acknowledging the possibility is part of the continuum so folks can feel normal , be responsive rather than reactive , and feel free to seek help and be accepted both with themselves , with professional help ,to discuss with friends and peers comfortably , and free of judgement in there martial arts community of having failed their training .
Imagine any one of us 'master ranked and master titled' having to return to teach a class after spending a month in a hospital from a debilitating street beating and possibly loss of function. How this person would feel and could he be the same person on the floor as before?
But as Stryke points out, I said it 'could' happen to any of us…did not say it 'will'_
I have a different view of effects of physical and mental trauma to people because of my professional experience in the casualties of life and the consequences to 'survivors' in all types of traumatic events one could imagine…
…Including the various kinds of 'emotional injuries' caused by life's vicissitudes, as underlying 'conditions' and exacerbated by some easily identifiable or 'obscure' event, as Marcus astutely observed.
And Marcus, thank you for this,
Vans all about education , but the biggest flaw is not having any knowledge a plan or understanding , having said that it all may not help.
but that's martial arts and life in general .