shot
...
I've never been robbed before. well, to my face.
I sometimes wonder why i started learning and practicing mixed martial arts.
after incidents like what happened today it's good to reflect upon them.
do you know how difficult it is to walk away from a fight when you're justified to use force to get away?
I was on the way to work and a guy sees me in the street and follows me to a convenience store where i buy a drink. he comes into the store and demands why i didn't say hi to him. he knows my name and for the life of me i haven't the slightest clue who he is. not unusual. even the cab drivers know me.
anyways, the guy's not right in the head and starts asking all kinds of questions and does the whole physical contact thing which is common here, but even moreso when the subject in question is intoxicated. I'm thinking that it's too early for him to be drunk, but whatever, his speech is slurred and his cursing like a sailor.
thankfully, i'm well versed in conversational drunken Korean language, so I was able to respond to his inquiry without offending anyone. i wasn't sure i was even in a situation until i tried to leave and he said i was going to go to his house, and he wouldn't let go of my arm. it's like 90 degrees outside and i'm going to be late for work. I'm politely telling him i gotta go and i'm not going to his house. i'm totally polite about it. even store clerk is like "dude, what's you're problem?" and the kids passing by say the same damn thing.
then he's like "gimme a kiss".
Okay, now i'm pissed, and... you know i'm in the position where i can definitely get a few shots in or flip him off of me so i can be on my way, but all the while, i'm thinking, it's better to diffuse the situation, since he's obviously out of his mind and a crazy person doesn't deserve to be the first to get his ass kicked by me. i'd rather my first victim be aware that he's getting pummeled. plus, even though he's grabbing me and pulling, i'm more annoyed than anything and i don't really feel threatened at all. i men it's broad daylight. then i get to thinking, "right hook!" and my hand starts tingling. If after all my words he still doesn't let me go i can hit him and it'll be okay.
but then i'd be fighting. the cops would come, as they're normally in that spot and regardless of the outcome, i'd probably get deported, because ... well, hello? foreigner! they'd ask 3 questions... "Why would you hit a retarded person?" "Why didn't you stop hitting him after he was down?" and "Did you at anytime feel threatened by him?"
for those reasons, i didn't hit the guy. i finally kinda outmaneuvered him and went on my way, but i wasn't expecting to feel the way i am now afterwards.
i mean i should be proud of staying calm and not escalating a delicate situation and walking away to the point where nobody got hurt...
that's the inherent principle of Hapkido, minimizing the exertion. it was the mature thing to do. not hit when i can and have opportunity.
but my hand tingled throughout my classes. my anger didn't subside.
i wanted to hit that man; if for nothing else to make me feel better. but i didn't. i shouldn't have. i did the right thing.
so why am i still so pissed off?
I've never been robbed before. well, to my face.
I sometimes wonder why i started learning and practicing mixed martial arts.
after incidents like what happened today it's good to reflect upon them.
do you know how difficult it is to walk away from a fight when you're justified to use force to get away?
I was on the way to work and a guy sees me in the street and follows me to a convenience store where i buy a drink. he comes into the store and demands why i didn't say hi to him. he knows my name and for the life of me i haven't the slightest clue who he is. not unusual. even the cab drivers know me.
anyways, the guy's not right in the head and starts asking all kinds of questions and does the whole physical contact thing which is common here, but even moreso when the subject in question is intoxicated. I'm thinking that it's too early for him to be drunk, but whatever, his speech is slurred and his cursing like a sailor.
thankfully, i'm well versed in conversational drunken Korean language, so I was able to respond to his inquiry without offending anyone. i wasn't sure i was even in a situation until i tried to leave and he said i was going to go to his house, and he wouldn't let go of my arm. it's like 90 degrees outside and i'm going to be late for work. I'm politely telling him i gotta go and i'm not going to his house. i'm totally polite about it. even store clerk is like "dude, what's you're problem?" and the kids passing by say the same damn thing.
then he's like "gimme a kiss".
Okay, now i'm pissed, and... you know i'm in the position where i can definitely get a few shots in or flip him off of me so i can be on my way, but all the while, i'm thinking, it's better to diffuse the situation, since he's obviously out of his mind and a crazy person doesn't deserve to be the first to get his ass kicked by me. i'd rather my first victim be aware that he's getting pummeled. plus, even though he's grabbing me and pulling, i'm more annoyed than anything and i don't really feel threatened at all. i men it's broad daylight. then i get to thinking, "right hook!" and my hand starts tingling. If after all my words he still doesn't let me go i can hit him and it'll be okay.
but then i'd be fighting. the cops would come, as they're normally in that spot and regardless of the outcome, i'd probably get deported, because ... well, hello? foreigner! they'd ask 3 questions... "Why would you hit a retarded person?" "Why didn't you stop hitting him after he was down?" and "Did you at anytime feel threatened by him?"
for those reasons, i didn't hit the guy. i finally kinda outmaneuvered him and went on my way, but i wasn't expecting to feel the way i am now afterwards.
i mean i should be proud of staying calm and not escalating a delicate situation and walking away to the point where nobody got hurt...
that's the inherent principle of Hapkido, minimizing the exertion. it was the mature thing to do. not hit when i can and have opportunity.
but my hand tingled throughout my classes. my anger didn't subside.
i wanted to hit that man; if for nothing else to make me feel better. but i didn't. i shouldn't have. i did the right thing.
so why am i still so pissed off?