Punch in the Gut

Ever since I was young, I have studied martial arts. The style has changed from time to time, but many of the central principles have remained the same. Many who learn of my background instinctively ask “What would you do if I tried to punch you?”. It’s kind of an odd question as a complete answer requires an understanding of the circumstances and environment. They expect an answer such as “block, punch back, kick your ass, etc”. And these are legitimate options. However, martial artists in general will usually choose options such as “evade, run away, problem solve, etc”; if you can safely get away, why fight?

People usually view this as a cop out. They refine the question to “What would you do if I tried to punch you and you couldn’t run away?” or an even more silly version “What would you do if I punched you and it was 1in away from your face and you didn’t have time to get out of the way?”. The answer is quite obvious, I’m going to get punched. However, I would ask a counter question “Why would you put yourself in a situation when a fist is 1inch away from your face? In fact, why would you put yourself in a situation where someone would be willing and able to attack you?” Perhaps the choices you made prior to put yourself into a situation where a fist is 1 inch away from your fact constitutes a kind of failure in and of themselves. This is a question of circumstances and environment. Are you trapesing around a dark alley in a bad part of town while chatting on your cell phone? Has that guy been following you for 4 blocks? It is often said that karate begins and ends with courtesy. It is not that you will ever knock out an opponent with a polite word, but that consideration and kindness for others can prevent many fights before they happen.

When approaching self-defense, perhaps enemies come from a larger range than merely thugs off the street. In fact, the leading causes of preventable death in the United States are so-called “diseases of affluence” such as heart attack and cancer. You are infinitely more likely to die from an obesity related disorder than to be murdered in the street, and we should address this concern with proportional consideration.

Questions over healthcare continue and I have discussed this in the previous entry. American health care, things like hospital visits, drugs and treatment should be seen as reactive treatment. Drugs are incredible inventions that have saved countless lives. However, anyone knows anything about the pharmaceutical industry knows that drugs are complex, expensive and difficult to make. Decades of research and testing go into creating just one pill that may or may not treat some ailment. To me, this is also the philosophical equivalent to waiting until the fist is 1inch from your face. We should know how to handle such a situation, but we should focus more on knowing how to avoid such a predicament.

Questions over diet and personal health rarely enter into a discussion of healthcare. However, one’s effect on the rest of the healthcare system is considered an external cost. And Congressmen are tepid make political unpopular recommendations on people’s personal lifestyles. I know of no person who enjoys being told what to eat and how to live. As a result, politicians mutter about personal health, but do little to act upon it.

It is odd since it is infinitely cheaper and easier to eat well and exercise than to get a pill to treat obesity. What constitutes a good diet and good lifestyle is worthy of discussion, but beyond the range of this entry (perhaps another day). We know that in American society, health is a problem. While we have spent lots of resources on working on reactive treatments, I believe it is important to consider proactive work in health is more important. I will not wait for the fist to strike; I will start moving now.