The crowd was gathering and forming lines. This politically charged environment had met, as if agreed in prior negotiations, to meet on the field of battle prior to this date and each had brought their posters, signs, banners and flags.
As if on cue the event started with the gathering of each side simultaneously marching toward one another. As they met a line formed with arms linked together as if to stop one side form reaching the other side where a stage and PA system blared out loud music drowning out all conversational talk.
No one would dare breach this human wall as ranks closed and even a wheel chair bound protestor was challenged with angry faces, and blocked from further progress as she pushed, or rather was pushed through the line. As I CIRCLED around the confrontation I found a small break in the line.
Without confrontation, my only objective was to take pictures, video and interview people on both sides. CIRCLING to the side of a couple of “line holders” I asked calmly, while standing next to them if he could get through, and walked without confrontation to the stage, interviewing band members, and generally unchallenged.
Having studied Hapkido self-defense, I had learned that a direct confrontation didn’t end well. Instead I chose to CIRCLE, take a defensive position instead of direct confrontation.
In life, and Life Defense, CIRCLING to another’s perspective creates a new view point, a non-confrontational position, and is defensible. By CIRCLING around the human blockade, by not standing in opposition, rather in harmony with the people, and generally being interested in them provided new opportunities of interaction with little resistance.
Consider the CIRCLE, one of the shapes of motion in arts like Jiujitsu, Judo, Wushu, Aikido, and Hapkido, to be powerful and able to redirect opposition and accomplish mush more that clashing, in toe to toe confrontation. When confronted CIRCLE.
#lifedefense #circle #allenhughes
