There is a proverb about horseshoeing, which goes; “For want of a nail, a shoe was lost; For want of a shoe, a horse was lost: For want of a horse, a rider was lost: For want of a rider, a battle was lost; For the failure of battle the kingdom was lost; — And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.”
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What we have here is a lesson in causation; how a relatively trivial event – the unavailability of a nail – caused a sequence of events which led to the loss of a kingdom. Each step along the way has a greater consequence.
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The thing about real life is, when you do something stupid, it normally costs you. In books, games and movies, the heroes can make as many mistakes as they like. It doesn’t matter what they do, because everything works out in the end. They’ll beat the bad guys and put things right and everything ends up cool.
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In real life, vacuum cleaners kill spiders. If you cross a busy road without looking, you get whacked by a car. If you fall from a tree, you break some bones.
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Real life’s nasty. It’s cruel. It doesn’t care about heroes and happy endings and the way things should be. In real life, bad things happen. People die. Fights are lost. Evil often wins.
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Using your martial arts skills outside the confines of your dojo can have serious repercussions, including potential criminal and civil liability.
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In self-defense, the purpose of martial arts is to protect oneself or another person from an imminent threat of bodily injury or death.
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The martial artist must be fully aware of the consequences of intentionally or unintentionally misusing their skills. A misuse of skills can result in criminal prosecution, a civil judgment, or both.
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Specifically, you must understand the legal difference between a controlled, necessary and proportionate force to repel an attack and an excessive and disproportionate force.
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In other words, you must only use the amount of force necessary to protect yourself. Using excessive force can land you in jail or civil court on assault and battery charges.
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Each case of self-defense is reviewed individually and subjectively, though in some cases the threat is so real and imminent as not to be questioned.
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The best way to avoid liability is to avoid confrontation. If you can safely get away, then do it.
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Are you being taught self defense, or just how to fight?…… Remember that actions always have consequences!