“The Line” is that line we don’t want to cross in self-defense that means you are not actually defending yourself but rather you are either fighting or committing acts of violence against another human being. When I say, “The Line,” I mean the one that keeps you within the guidelines of societies self-defense law. It means you avoid the need for it and if you cannot for any reason you use it judiciously enough so that you don’t suffer the consequences.
Now, we all know that in self-defense, much like in combat, you have to decide on whether you will do what is “necessary” to live. This means you have to give yourself permission to do what is necessary, needed and just plain required to achieve your ultimate goal - to win, to avoid, to be safe and secure and to remove or at least limit damage to yourself, your loved ones and to others who don’t have your abilities.
“The Line” is a moving entity and it moves according to each and every single individual moment. No one can provide you that one line you cannot cross and this is one of the complexities of the law. The law tries to define that line and the murky water it tries to mark means that a clever person or persons can perceive the line where ever they can as long as they can make their case to those who judge these things.
If you cross “The Line” then you had better understand all that is involved so you can articulate your position so others who are hell bent on making their case are convinced your case is true, correct and within the “spirit” of their intent regarding self-defense.
Martial Arts that teach self-defense need to teach you all of this and they must achieve success if you are to have and use self-defense. Marking “The Line” is not as important as teaching students to see the line. Teachings are not meant to induce fear and obstacles of the mind that would cause a freeze. It is more about teaching you that the line exists and you should want to remain behind it but when you do cross it you have the tools to control others perceptions so that they also feel you are behind the line.
“The Line” is a teaching tool itself. Much like the complexities of self-defense the line is that something you are aware of and that lives in your lizard mind so that when you approach it you can naturally and instinctively decide if you need to cross it or if you do just how far you can go before you reach that “point of no return.”
The point of no return is that point where nothing you do, say or believe will deter the others from making you suffer the consequences for crossing “The Line.”
The Line and the Point of No Return are both fluid. They change, shift and flux according to many factors that are controllable and uncontrollable. You have to learn how to shift, slide and change your actions so that you control both rather than either/or one or the other controls you. This is extremely difficult and many who teach self-defense/martial arts cannot achieve that level of teachings.
Know the line, know the point of no return, and train to achieve a state of expertise that allows you to stay behind the line and the point. Know that if you cannot that you have the knowledge, ability and expertise to persuade the perceptions of others so that you move the line and point to your advantage.
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