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Accidentally, when we were kids playing in the garden, I was swinging a stick without looking, and, accidentally someone got hurt; it didn't make me feel very good back then to have gone and hurt them; and, I had a feeling it would not make me feel good, now, neither!

My next thoughts were, well, what if I were to merely grab the hand...and, hold it, and, twist it...that should give this guy a big enough fright so that he would never try doing this type of thing ever again.

And, just as I was thinking those very same thoughts...thinking of grabbing the hand...the guy peered through the letterbox and saw me. He, very quickly, pulled his hand from out of the letterbox...; and, went away(I can't remember if he either walked/or, ran). Boy, was I well and truly relieved that he'd given up. As I really didn't wish to get into any physical confrontation with him at all.

CONCLUSION

When I used to practice with the long sharp kitchen knife; fighting imaginary opponents in the air; I would stab them in the eyes/slit their throat/stab to the stomach/heart/slice skin/cut off limbs with wild slashes/even decapitate them/-etc.; and, all VERY bravely. But, when it came to doing violence in real life. I suddenly realised this is a very different ball game, indeed...; it's not fantasy/not a game, at all...; instead, violence in real life is 100% 'serious'/and, carries with it quite terrible, and, also, very long term consequences for both defender/attacker.

Practicing martial arts, sometimes, is like looking inside of the mirror at yourself; there you find out all about exactly who you are deep down inside; and, also, you see exactly who you are not. For example, I asked a short tempered cousin of mine what would he have done; and, sure enough, straight away he said, 'I would have chopped the hand off!' So, that's him. But, I am not him. I am me. And, I do what I believe is truly acceptable or not. If I don't find violent behavior acceptable then I won't do it, simple as that. Each person chooses to live by their own code of ethics; according to how they were brought up; whether morally or not.

Then, again, I once tried discussing the same problem with another martial artist. And, they explained to me that my life wasn't being seriously threatened; and, that's why I -unconciously- knew that it was quite safe to back down; however, if I had been trapped, and, had seen no other way of getting myself out of the situation; then, it's quite likely I might have chosen to fight.

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