(#6392) I made myself learn how to fight because I got tired of getting my ass kicked!

      Trial and error made up a lot of my life. When I was younger and couldn't get necessary advice from others I had to try to figure things out on my own. Trial and error was my course because back then we didn't have the world wide web for research. So as I began to try to deal with bullying for example I would try to avoid the confrontations. That only worked until I was caught out and then I cowered and allowed myself to be humiliated. The shame and utter feeling of cowardice permeated everything afterwards. So I had to change my response. Instead of weakening at the knees I attacked. Soon I found that the bullies ignored me because I wouldn't let them have their way with me.
     At first my attacking was miserable in that I was emotional and flailing about with disregard to any technique. But initially that worked. But I knew I would need to learn how to put my dukes up with some strategy. So I learned. Not just how to attack but how to defend. Fighting is the complete package when learning. How to ward off shots while also making shots of my own. I am no pugilist at heart but when the fighting time comes I know I am prepared as it were. I was thinking about my early days of being bullied and there were plenty of them because back then I hadn't made up my mind to fight back. I was scared and hated the idea of not only being hurt but of hurting anyone else.
     But I grew to know that not fighting back was a much worse outcome. So when the bullies come into my life either foolishly or through psychotic tendencies, I stand up to them! It is still scary as it should be but I am no mark to be hit without a fight. The same pattern is within our current politics. The bullies come into our safe spheres and threaten us with behaviors and actions that either cower us or rile us up. I am well into the riled up paradigm and it doesn't matter to me the danger when I sense a greater importance. Much like Nathan Hale and his "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.", I am here to fight against the loathsome who would take from us our opportunity to pursue our happiness.