The Warrior Scholar Ideal Blog: The Monsters Among Us - 002a

By

Edward Carver

“Monsters are real, and they walk among us. Plan accordingly.”

As a part of overcoming fear one thing people must come to terms with is the fact that there is evil in the world. This is not to scare people nor are we trying to promote fear as some in this space do where they build up the bad guys as if they are gods of some sort, giving them way too much credit. This blog post is merely an acknowledgment that there are human monsters among us, and we need to plan accordingly to how we are going to deal with them.

With that said…

This is my motto for self-defense that I live by. As far as I can tell I came up with it too. So, what exactly does it mean?

“Monsters are real and they walk among us.” 

You need to accept the fact that people exist in this world that have no qualms about causing injury and/or death to you, your loved ones, and/or other innocent bystanders for no other reason than pure evil. Those people walk among you in society. 

“Plan accordingly.” 

You should not live in fear of those people. Rather, maintain a calm vigilance which comes through proper training and mindset. Always seek to be peaceful. When the threat cannot be avoided you must have the moral clarity to end the threat in the most ruthless and efficient manner possible. This means using anything at your disposal up to and including deadly force if necessary. 

We often try to find ways to rationalize evil. Even during the very moment, we come face to face with it. While common, questions such as: 

“Why are they doing this?”

“Why did they choose me / that victim?”

“What have I done to deserve this?”

These are roadblocks to moral clarity. They should be banished from your mind. They waste precious time and mental processing. The answers to such questions are of no consequence. The only thing that matters is stopping the threat that has been forced upon you. Everything else is just noise. So how do we filter through this noise?

A calm vigilance which comes through proper training and mindset.

This vigilance is the process of removing the blinders we once wore about the world around us. It is accepting reality as it exists not what we wish it to be. It is the opposite of leading a fearful existence and being on edge all the time. 

Through training in Warrior Flow, you develop within yourself a preverbal line in the sand that no law-abiding citizen would ever cross. The trigger point at which a serious threat is clearly present, and you unleash total war. This is where the calm resides. I have no interest in petty squabbles. I will always seek to be peaceful until that is no longer an option.

It is also the answer to:

The possibility exists you may one day have to face evil, and the probability will never be zero, so what are you going to do about it? 

Unfortunately, the standard advice given far too often to women isn’t very helpful. Women are told to just carry a gun because a woman could never do much in defending themselves against a male attacker. That’s a lie from the pit of hell. The other advice is usually something like learn certain sportive martial arts where size and strength absolutely matter. Talk about confusing.

The notion that someone must be an MMA level athlete to defend themselves is yet another lie from the pit of hell. When we incorrectly link self-defense with “Combat Sports” (a major contradiction in terms) we are severely limiting our thinking. There is war/combat and there is sport. The two are wholly separate. I defer to the writings of Al Ridenhour and Jack Kerwick, on Martial Arts as Sport and Martial Arts as War, for further explanation. 

“Combat Sports” are conducted under rules (only certain techniques are authorized) and weight classes that help to ensure the two opponents don’t flat out murder each other. 

Defending yourself, whether man or woman, from a predator is not subject to these rules. It is nothing short of war in a microcosm. 

When presented with a threat to my life, my loved ones, or any other innocent parties, my sole focus should be ending the threat in the most efficient manner possible. I am not interested in “fighting” that individual. They are not an opponent to be bested in some sportive duel or made to submit. They are the enemy intent on killing me and/or others. I endeavor to kill them, and any additional attackers, first by any and all means available to me. I fully realize the possibility exists that I may not be successful in that endeavor, but it is neither here nor there. I value my life and that of my loved ones above any who would threaten them. Your life and that of your loved ones is worth defending.

Facing that moment of truth with a lesser mindset is extremely dangerous. Unfortunately, a lesser mindset is exactly what students, of many self-defense programs, are left with because one dare not talk about the ugly topic of killing nor teach their students how to do so effectively. This is where training Martial Arts as War, in systems such as Warrior Flow, separates from and surpasses Martial Arts as Sport. Life isn’t fair and neither should your response be to those who prey upon the innocent. 

Until we change our mindset to separate true self defense from sport (they each have their place but are not the same) we are failing ourselves and living a lie. 

It is my hope that you found this information useful, remember there are no guarantees in life but as John Farnham eloquently states, "Luck falls on the side of the prepared man..."

Be prepared...

Thanks. 

-EDC

Ed is a former Army Officer, AH-64D Apache pilot, and combat veteran. He is currently working as a Criminal Intelligence Analyst and certified Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Remote Pilot, and a Subject Matter Expert to various government agencies and contributor to the Warrior Scholar Ideal Blog. 

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