Three Lessons Learned
from Personal Attacks
1) Sometimes the best response to a provocation is not to fight.
2) Not all opportunities are to be taken. Some are traps.
3) A person can become so determined to destroy another
person that they become blind and end up destroying themselves.
Unless you have no other honorable choice, it is best to walk away from a provocation. Determine that, as far as you are concerned, you will not fight unless you absolutely have to fight. Fighting is not like sparring in a dojo; it is serious business. If I am forced to fight, someone is going to get seriously injured, if not worse. Many people kill someone in a fight, even when they had no intentions of doing so. In the words of Mr. Miyagi, “I don’t like fighting. Someone always gets hurt.”
It is not cowardice to walk away from a provocation. In fact, it takes more courage to walk away from a provocation than it does to take the other guy down. This is especially true when you have the skills to take him out, everyone is yelling and calling you a coward, but you hold your temper and walk away.
Always remember that not all opportunities should be taken. Many people manipulate situations in order to set traps for you to walk into. If you refuse to play their game, you don’t get caught in their traps. Don’t take the bait! Think rationally and see things for what they are. Some traps are impossible to walk away from once you have stepped into them.
Small people will try to push your buttons. They will lie about you, slander you, and dare you to respond. These people want nothing more than to bring you down to their level. I have had several people attack me like that. When this happens, you can easily become so determined to destroy the scumbags that you become blind to what is happening and end up hurting yourself.
I saw myself falling into this trap, but luckily, I had several good friends who pointed this out to me. I saw what was happening and decided to simply let go of the lies, the slander, and all of the personal attacks. Although I could easily destroy the misguided buffoons who seem totally obsessed with me, I choose not to.
When I came to my senses and made this decision, my anger cleared up and I could see these people for what they are – nothing more than meaningless little trolls. They are inconsequential, not even worth my time or my thoughts. They wanted me to take the bait in order to destroy my reputation, but I refuse to. And in doing so, I rendered them, and their lies, powerless.
There will always be people around who are people of low character, malicious liars, and devious little imps. Refuse to allow them to stress you out or destroy your inner peace. See them for what they are – meaningless, hateful trolls who are desperate for attention.
Most of the time, the best response to a provocation is not to fight. Even though you have the opportunity and the skill to destroy someone, that does not mean that you have to destroy them. Don’t get so focused on vengeance that you end up destroying yourself.
Let the miserable, little trolls wallow in their own pathetic small world and move on with your life. When your enemies are desperate for attention, the best revenge is to ignore them completely. When their actions don’t affect you, you have rendered their efforts nothing more than a waste of time. It is as if they don’t even exist.
It took me a while to learn this, but I finally did. And what happened was that these people fell into their own trap. They became so determined to destroy me that they became blind and destroyed themselves, their reputations, and their credibility as so-called martial artists. People have realized that they are nothing more than jealous, pathetic liars. They lost their honor, and whatever respect that they had to start with.
I am thriving and doing better than ever, but they have become inconsequential, both in my life and in the martial arts world as a whole. Be smart enough to refuse to play their game. The tiger doesn’t lose sleep over the opinions of sheep.
