A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship.

- Attributed to Alexander Fraser Tytler

(Žvelgiant į mūsų brangiosios Lietuvos situacija perspektyva neatrodo perdėtai viliojanti...)

Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under.

- H.L.Mencken

Šaunamieji ginklai & dujų balionėliai

Kadangi tingiu rašyti apie kulkas savigynai (ir kodėl ekspansinių kulkų draudimas yra blogis), tai nusprendžiau atsakyt į komentaruose iškeltą klausima: „kuo ginklas geriau už dujų balionėlį?“. Trumpą atsakymą jau daviau: „geriau“ nėra šiuo atveju tinkama kategorija, o ilgesnis atsakymas... skaitykit toliau jei įdomu.

Pirmiausia gal atkreipsiu dėmesį į patį posto pavadinimą, o tiksliau į vartojamą jungtuką. Jis yra ‚&‘, o ne ‚vs‘, būtent todėl, kad tai nėra vieno daikto priešpastatymas kitam – jie gali būt naudojami kiekvienas atskirai arba abu kartu, bet jie nėra vienas kitą pakeičiantys (pasinaudojant eiliniu kvailu palyginimu :) – taip pat kai sriuba ir desertas, - jie gali būti valgomi ir kartu (na, vienas po kito) ir kiekvienas atskirai, bet jie nėra vienas kito „pakaitalas“).


Taigi. Pereinant prie pačios temos.

Tarkim. Naktis. Grįžtam namo iš darbo (užsisėdėję iki vėlumos dėl to, kad reikia priduoti kokią nors ten ketvirčio ataskaitą). Galvoje vis dar sukasi mintys apie darbą ir ką ten dar reikia suspėt nuveikt per rytdieną. Ir staiga „iš niekur“ išdygsta koks nors įkaušęs bičas smegenų masės trūkumą (sėkmingai) kompensuojantis raumenų mase ir „paprašo cigarečių“. Mes mandagiai atsakom, kad nerūkom ir ruošiamės eiti toliau. Bet tas bičas turi kitų planų... jam gal gyvenime tiesiog trūksta pramogų ar šiaip draugė „nedavė“, bet jis nusiteikęs pramankštinti tuos savo raumenis pasinaudodamas mumis kaip bokso kriauše. Hmmm... nemaloni perspektyva. Ir kas toliau?

„Protingiausias“ pasakymas šiuo atveju žinoma yra tas, kad reikėjo būti budresniam ir tiesiog nepakliūti į tokią situaciją etc etc etc... ir tai žinoma yra tiesa. Bėda tik, kad kai jau papuoli į tokią situaciją – išvedžiojimams yra per vėlu. Kitas logiškas sprendimas būtų pabėgti. Bet įsivaizduokim, kad bėgti negalim nes vakar besportuodami raumenį pasitempėm :)
Taigi – kas toliau?


Čia kartosiu tai, ką esu rašęs (ir matyt ne kartą), bet mūsų interesas tokioj situacijoj yra NE nužudyti kažką, NE sužaloti, NE išgąsdinti... – mūsų interesas yra paprastas, - kad mus paliktų ramybėje. Mūsų interesas yra nutraukti užpuolimą. Tik tiek.
Aišku, kad kiekvienas normalus žmogus nori, kad ta kaina būtų kuo mažesnė (geriausia, kad užpuolikas tiesiog pabėgtų), bet tai jau priklauso ne tik ir ne tiek nuo mūsų, kiek nuo užpuoliko. Jei pakanka vien psichologinio poveikio – pvz. jei užpuolikas pabėga jau vien pajutęs mūsų intenciją gintis – tas puiku. Toks variantas yra pats geriausias.
Bet jei to nepakanka?

Koks yra vienintelis absoliučiai patikimas būdas nutraukti užpuolimą?
Užtikrinti, kad užpuolikas fiziškai būtų nepajėgus to padaryti.

O kokiu būdu tai užtikrinti?
Čia atsakymai gali būti įvairūs: jei kažkas turi keletą kovos menų juodų diržų (ir atitinkamos spalvos batus) – jis (galbūt) gali fiziškai užpuoliką nukenksmint („išjungt“). Žinoma čia tuo atveju, jei tas užpuolikas nėra pakankamai fiziškai stiprus ir/ar pats mokantis muštis, kad pasipriešintų (ir jei tas užpuolikas neturi kokio nors ginklo (nebūtinai šaunamojo), ir jei... ir jei...).
Bet koks kitas būdas irgi yra tinkamas jei tik jis (pasirodytų besąs) efektyvus.

Na, ir žinoma galima pasinaudoti (turimu) šaunamuoju ginklu tam, kad sukelti užpuolikui pakankamai fizinės žalos, kad jis nepajėgtų tęsti užpuolimo. (Nesigilinkim šiuo atveju į visokius ten mentalinius aspektus, kad norint naudotis ginklu reikia mokėti tą daryti, be to norint apsiginti reikia būti morališkai pasirengusiam jį panaudot... etc.). Ir nors žmogus net su peršauta širdimi dar gali pakankamai sėkmingai funkcionuoti net iki 15 sekundžių, tačiau didelio kiekio kraujo praradimas sukeltas keleto taiklių pataikymų yra patikimiausias mechanizmas nutraukti užpuolimui (pataikymas į smegenis ar stuburo smegenis žinoma dar efektyvesnis, bet tai per maži (+judantys) taikiniai... hmmm... užmesti ant užpuoliko (statybinį) bloką matyt būtų dar efektyviau, užtat visiškai nerealu). Taip, tai gali sukelti mirtį (bet neprivalo – pagal amerikiečių statistiką berods daugiau nei 80 proc. pašautų žmonių sėkmingai išgyvena). Ir taip, žinoma, kad analogiškus sužalojimus galima sukelti ir pvz. peiliu ar kokiu nors kitu aštresniu daiktu (nusmailintu pagaliu pagaliau), bet šaunamasis ginklas leidžia apginti save nesueinant į fizinį kontaktą su užpuoliku – kur lemiamą reikšmę turi fizinė jėga ir tokio „rungimosi“ patirtis.

Būtent dėl to šaunamasis ginklas yra efektyviausia įmanoma savigynos nuo gyvybei ir sveikatai pavojingo kėsinimosi priemonė. Ir taip – juo reikia mokėti saugiai naudotis – to niekas neatšaukė. Ir taip pat taip – ginklas nėra visko pradžia ir pabaiga – kai kuriais atvejais jo panaudojimas gali būti netinkamas (neįmanomas, nepateisinamas).


Taigi, čia pakartojau tai, kas jau ir taip žinoma apie ginklus (ir ką jau esu rašęs).
Bet kaip yra su dujų balionėliais (susitarkim , kad čia kalbam apie pipirinį (OC) purškalą, nes jis bendrai imant (su tam tikrom išlygom) efektyvesnis nei ašarinės dujos (CS/CN))?

Fiziologiškai purškalas yra (turėtų būti) labai efektyvus – sekundės papurškimas į užpuoliko veidą sukelia skausmą, deginimo pojūtį, nevaldomą akių užsimerkimą, tampa sunku kvėpuoti (ir dar visokių kitokių „malonių“ pojūčių) kurie turėtų užpuoliką „išvesti iš rikiuotės“ 30-60 minučių. Pipirinis purškalas nėra mirtinas (sveikam žmogui – nors yra pasitaikę (nykstamai mažas procentas) mirčių dėl jo panaudojimo, kai žmonės sirgo astma etc.) ir nepalieka liekamųjų pasekmių, dėl to gali būti naudojamas kiek „laisviau“ negu šaunamasis ginklas. Išties galima matyt netgi teigti, kad balionėlis yra „švelnesnė“ (mažiau pavojinga kitam asmeniui) poveikio priemonė negu smūgių sudavimas (ypač jei jie suduodami instrumentu – lazda etc.).


Kita vertus, jei mes kalbame apie savigyną, dujų balionėlis turi pakankamai ribotumų (trūkumais to nepavadinčiau – tai tiesiog ypatumai, kuriuos reik turėt omenyje).

Pirma, tai gana ribotos jo praktinio panaudojimo galimybės. Jis turi būti purškiamas užpuolikui į veidą (akis, burną, nosį). Papurškus kitur jis nebus itin efektyvus. Naudojamas gali būti tik ~1-5 metrų atstumu (t.y. arčiau kaip ~1 metras yra per arti, nes galima gauti dozę pačiam, o toliau kaip ~5 metrai, jau per toli – nepakaks balionėlio „toliašaudos“). Nelabai gali būti naudojamas uždaroje patalpoje - kambaryje, lifte (pažymėtina, kad šaudymas uždaroj patalpoj irgi gali (dėl didelio garso) būti traumuojantis - sukeliantis laikiną klausos netekimą, bet regos netekti (dėl pipirų poveikio) yra gerokai blogiau savigynos situacijoj). Atviroje erdvėje, vėlgi – reikia kreipti dėmesį į vėjo kryptį, kad pačiam negauti „porcijos“. Be to lyjant lietui purškalo efektyvumas krenta (tuo labiau, kur stipriau lyja).

Kitas dalykas, kad kaip rodo praktika (pvz. ši studija) purškalas yra efektyvus tik 80-90 procentų atvejų, taigi ne visada...
Gal galima paminėt, kad JAV jūrų pėstininkai (kartais ir policininkai) mokomi kautis netgi gavę purškalo... Ne, aš nemanau, kad nusikaltėliai treniruojasi taip kaip jūrų pėstininkai :), bet atsižvelgiant į jų „darbo aprašymą“ visai gali būti, kad jiems jau yra tekę ragauti tokio purškalo, dėl to jie žino, kas tai yra – o tai reiškia, kad jie gali tęsti užpuolimą net ir po „dozės“.
Kitas dalykas į kurį kažkodėl :) norėtųsi atkreipti dėmesį, tai kad minėtoj studijoj kalba eina apie policininkus ir nusikaltėlių sulaikymą, cituoju: „incapacitated enough to be effectively arrested“. T.y. mes kalbam ne apie visišką agresoriaus „nukenksminimą“, o tik tokį, kurio pakanka tam, kad jį efektyviai areštuoti. Lyg ir norėtųsi galvoti, kad jei žmogus pakankamai nukenksmintas, kad jį areštuoti, tai turėtų būti nukenksmintas pakankamai ir kad nuo jo pabėgti – bet akivaizdu, kad taip yra ne visada. Nes jei užpuolikas pvz. užspaudė (silpnesnę) auką į kampą, tai jis netgi nieko nematydamas gali neleisti jai pabėgti ir sukelti kūno sužalojimus. T.y. pipirinis purškalas iš esmės yra tik „minkštiklis“ skirtas „suminkštint“ užpuolikui ir suteikiantis galimybę panaudoti prieš jį kitas poveikio priemones. Na, arba tiesiog pabėgti.


Lygtai atrodytų, kad aš visai nuvertinu pipirinį purškalą ir iškeliu kaip „vienintelį teisingą“ daiktą skirtą savigynai šaunamąjį ginklą? Taip nėra. Kaip jau minėjau – kaip kirvis nėra „blogiau“ už benzopjūklą, taip ir dujų balionėlis nėra „blogiau“ už šaunamąjį ginklą. Abu turi tam tikrų pranašumų ir trūkumų.


Įsivaizduokim save (jei norim, gale save įsivaizduoti patrauklia jauna moterim :) ) pvz. daugiaaukštėje automobilių stovėjimo aikštelėje. Naktis. Apšvietimas nekoks. Stovime prie automobilio ir rakiname dureles, kai pamatome staigiu žingsniu tarp automobilių prie mūsų artėjantį tikrai labai įtartinos išvaizdos tipą kuris visiškai akivaizdžiai turi kažkokių negerų kėslų.
Ką tokiu atveju daryti?
Pirmas dalykas kurį reikia daryti, tai garsiai komanduojančiu balsu rėkti: „STOK!!! Nesiartink!!!“, ir rodyti atitinkamą ženklą ranką. Jei žmogus normalus ir mums tik pasivaideno – jis iškart sustos vietoj (net jei jis užsienietis ir net jei jis kurčias) ir pabandys paaiškint kas vyksta: „Jūs pamiršot piniginę – vijausi Jus, kad atiduočiau...“ ar „aš tiesiog einu prie savo automobilio – va to va“... Po to galima paprašyt jo apeit aplink ar parodyti tą piniginę.
Bet ką tokiu atveju, jei komanda neturi poveikio ir jis nesustoja, o tik paspartina žingsnį?
Išsitraukti ginklą ir imti pleškinti nelabai yra pagrindo (tokiu atveju gali ir nepavykti įrodyti būtinąją gintį (priklausomai žinoma nuo konkrečių aplinkybių)). Va tokiu atveju balionėlis ir yra itin tinkama priemonė – jei asmuo nereaguoja į komandą sustot ir grėsmingai artinasi toliau, reikia jam priartėjus per 2-3 metrus (t.y. neprisileidžiant prie pat) papurkšt į veidą pipirų. Be perspėjimo, nes perspėjimas leidžia užpuolikui pasiruošti fiziškai (pvz. stengtis išvengti) ir psichologiškai.
(Čia vėlgi, viskas priklauso nuo situacijos - jei tas besiartinantis rankoj turi „svinorezą“, tada balionėlis matyt jau nebūtų tinkamiausias atsakas...)



Na va.
Tikiuosi daugmaž paaiškinau, ką turėjau omenyje sakydamas, kad tai, nepaisant kai kurių panašumų (abu naudojami savigynai) yra du skirtingi dalykai su skirtingom funkcijom.
Ginklas nėra „geriau“ už dujų balionėlį, nes jo panaudojimui keliami daug didesni (griežtesni) reikalavimai nei balionėliui ir dėl šios priežasties jį gali būti ne visada įmanoma suspėti panaudoti laiku. Dujų balionėlį gi galima panaudoti (palyginus) labai anksti, nelaukiant, kol susidariusi situacija eskaluosis iki tokio lygio, kad bus pateisinamas šaunamojo ginklo panaudojimas.
Savo ruožtu dujų balionėlis nėra „geriau“ už ginklą, nes jis neturi to „gebėjimo“ nutraukti gyvybei ir sveikatai keliančią agresiją vienareikšmiškai ir visiškai, nepaisant užpuoliko valios, kas deja, bet kartais gali būti būtina.


Taigi.
Dujų balionėlis nėra pakaitalas šaunamajam ginklui. Ir atvirkščiai.

On Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs

by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman

"Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always, even death itself.The question remains: What is worth defending? What is worth dying for? What is worth living for?"
- William J. Bennett
In a lecture to the United States Naval Academy November 24, 1997

One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me: “Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident.” This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another.

Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than one in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably less than two million.

Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation: We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.

I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the pretty, blue robin’s egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful. For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.

“Then there are the wolves,” the old war veteran said, “and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy.” Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.

“Then there are sheepdogs,” he went on, “and I’m a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf.” Or, as a sign in one California law enforcement agency put it, “We intimidate those who intimidate others.”

If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen: a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath--a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? Then you are a sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero’s path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.


The gift of aggression

"What goes on around you... compares little with what goes on inside you."-
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Everyone has been given a gift in life. Some people have a gift for science and some have a flair for art. And warriors have been given the gift of aggression. They would no more misuse this gift than a doctor would misuse his healing arts, but they yearn for the opportunity to use their gift to help others. These people, the ones who have been blessed with the gift of aggression and a love for others, are our sheepdogs. These are our warriors.

One career police officer wrote to me about this after attending one of my Bulletproof Mind training sessions:

"I want to say thank you for finally shedding some light on why it is that I can do what I do. I always knew why I did it. I love my [citizens], even the bad ones, and had a talent that I could return to my community. I just couldn’t put my finger on why I could wade through the chaos, the gore, the sadness, if given a chance try to make it all better, and walk right out the other side."

Let me expand on this old soldier’s excellent model of the sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial; that is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids’ schools. But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid’s school. Our children are dozens of times more likely to be killed, and thousands of times more likely to be seriously injured, by school violence than by school fires, but the sheep’s only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their children is just too hard, so they choose the path of denial.

The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheepdog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours.

Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn’t tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports in camouflage fatigues holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, “Baa.”

Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog. As Kipling said in his poem about “Tommy” the British soldier:

While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind,"
But it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind,
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
O it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind.

The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door. Look at what happened after September 11, 2001, when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times you heard the word hero?

Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed right along with the young ones.Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently.

The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, “Thank God I wasn’t on one of those planes.” The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, “Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference.” When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want to be able to make a difference.

While there is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, he does have one real advantage. Only one. He is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the population.

There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory acts of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims by body language: slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least able to protect itself.

However, when there were cues given by potential victims that indicated they would not go easily, the cons said that they would walk away. If the cons sensed that the target was a "counter-predator," that is, a sheepdog, they would leave him alone unless there was no other choice but to engage.

One police officer told me that he rode a commuter train to work each day. One day, as was his usual, he was standing in the crowded car, dressed in blue jeans, T-shirt and jacket, holding onto a pole and reading a paperback. At one of the stops, two street toughs boarded, shouting and cursing and doing every obnoxious thing possible to intimidate the other riders. The officer continued to read his book, though he kept a watchful eye on the two punks as they strolled along the aisle making comments to female passengers, and banging shoulders with men as they passed.

As they approached the officer, he lowered his novel and made eye contact with them. “You got a problem, man?” one of the IQ-challenged punks asked. “You think you’re tough, or somethin’?” the other asked, obviously offended that this one was not shirking away from them.“

As a matter of fact, I am tough,” the officer said, calmly and with a steady gaze.

The two looked at him for a long moment, and then without saying a word, turned and moved back down the aisle to continue their taunting of the other passengers, the sheep.

Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and I’m proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs.

Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When he learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd dropped his phone and uttered the words, “Let’s roll,” which authorities believe was a signal to the other passengers to confront the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers--athletes, business people and parents--from sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.


“Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?”

"here is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men."
- Edmund Burke
Reflections on the Revolution in France

Here is the point I like to emphasize, especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn’t have a choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision.If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior’s path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.

For example, many officers carry their weapons in church. They are well concealed in ankle holsters, shoulder holsters or inside-the-belt holsters tucked into the small of their backs. Anytime you go to some form of religious service, there is a very good chance that a police officer in your congregation is carrying. You will never know if there is such an individual in your place of worship, until the wolf appears to slaughter you and your loved ones.

I was training a group of police officers in Texas, and during the break, one officer asked his friend if he carried his weapon in church. The other cop replied, “I will never be caught without my gun in church.” I asked why he felt so strongly about this, and he told me about a police officer he knew who was at a church massacre in Ft. Worth, Texas, in 1999. In that incident, a mentally deranged individual came into the church and opened fire, gunning down 14 people. He said that officer believed he could have saved every life that day if he had been carrying his gun. His own son was shot, and all he could do was throw himself on the boy’s body and wait to die. That cop looked me in the eye and said, “Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?”

Some individuals would be horrified if they knew this police officer was carrying a weapon in church. They might call him paranoid and would probably scorn him. Yet these same individuals would be enraged and would call for “heads to roll” if they found out that the airbags in their cars were defective, or that the fire extinguisher and fire sprinklers in their kids’ school did not work. They can accept the fact that fires and traffic accidents can happen and that there must be safeguards against them. Their only response to the wolf, though, is denial, and all too often their response to the sheepdog is scorn and disdain. But the sheepdog quietly asks himself, “Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself if your loved ones were attacked and killed, and you had to stand there helplessly because you were unprepared for that day?”

The warrior must cleanse denial from his thinking. Coach Bob Lindsey, a renowned law enforcement trainer, says that warriors must practice “when/then” thinking, not “if/when.” Instead of saying,“If it happens then I will take action,” the warrior says, “When it happens then I will be ready.”

It is denial that turns people into sheep. Sheep are psychologically destroyed by combat because their only defense is denial, which is counterproductive and destructive, resulting in fear, helplessness and horror when the wolf shows up.

Denial kills you twice. It kills you once, at your moment of truth when you are not physically prepared: You didn’t bring your gun; you didn’t train. Your only defense was wishful thinking. Hope is not a strategy. Denial kills you a second time because even if you do physically survive, you are psychologically shattered by fear, helplessness, horror and shame at your moment of truth.

Chuck Yeager, the famous test pilot and first man to fly faster than the speed of sound, says that he knew he could die. There was no denial for him. He did not allow himself the luxury of denial. This acceptance of reality can cause fear, but it is a healthy, controlled fear that will keep you alive:

"I was always afraid of dying. Always. It was my fear that made me learn everything I could about my airplane and my emergency equipment, and kept me flying respectful of my machine and always alert in the cockpit."
- Brigadier General Chuck Yeager
Yeager, An Autobiography

Gavin de Becker puts it like this in Fear Less, his superb post-9/11 book, which should be required reading for anyone trying to come to terms with our current world situation:

"..denial can be seductive, but it has an insidious side effect. For all the
peace of mind deniers think they get by saying it isn’t so, the fall they take
when faced with new violence is all the more unsettling. Denial is a
save-now-pay-later scheme, a contract written entirely in small print, for in
the long run, the denying person knows the truth on some level."

And so the warrior must strive to confront denial in all aspects of his life, and prepare himself for the day when evil comes.

If you are a warrior who is legally authorized to carry a weapon and you step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that the bad man will not come today. No one can be “on” 24/7 for a lifetime. Everyone needs down time. But if you are authorized to carry a weapon, and you walk outside without it, just take a deep breath, and say this to yourself... “Baa.”

This business of being a sheep or a sheepdog is not a yes-no dichotomy. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-grass sheep and on the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the other. Most of us live somewhere in between. Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors started taking their job more seriously. The degree to which you move up that continuum, away from sheephood and denial, is the degree to which you and your loved ones will survive, physically and psychologically at your moment of truth.



(From the book 'On Combat')
-Via killology.com