The four elements

“Fights are multi-layered. The four elements: you, the threat(s), the environment and luck; physical and mental forces; legal and social customs; what the fight is about and what both parties think it is about.” - Rory Miller, Facing Violence

Comment: Reminds me of the flaw in martial arts self-defense, the idea that defense is static and easily taught through technique teaching. I also perceive that layering within the fight to include those aspects that result from that same fight, the repercussions from fighting such as the psychological (i.e., how that level of psych damage comes also from our societies distancing humans from the reality of conflict and violence as an intricate part of human existence, etc.), the physical (the damage to our bodies that can be crippling, etc.) and the moral-legal ones (i.e., the social stigma’s assigned through ignorance to those who participate in or are forced to use violence, etc.). As one luminary to this world said, “It’s complicated.” Ain’t that the truth.