Verbal Defense | Physical Defense
This week family and friends are coming together in Newtown, Connecticut for the first of many funerals of those who died in the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
The sorrow of Sandy Hook has cast a long, dark shadow in communities all across the nation. Emotions are high as we wonder how something so troubling, so evil, could occur.
Today, my good friend, Kathy Mangold (from the Vistilar Group,) shared the following information with me today.
As we move through this period of grief, our society will need guideposts that enable us to work through solutions with clarity.
First we must possess a solid understanding of violence … because before we can address it, we must know precisely what it is, and why it takes place.
This is our platform. It is based upon our methodology, our work within the realm of youth violence and the research findings from the Centers for Disease Control:
- Violence is not simply a physical act; it is a spectrum that manifests itself emotionally and physically. The consequences of both are devastating.
- Just as there is a spectrum of violence, there is a scale, too. It surfaces because of individual/family circumstances on an interpersonal level, and within society on a communal level, too. (That is why violence is not simply considered an interpersonal issue; it is a matter of public health as well.)
- Personal stress (such as relationship difficulties, financial problems, physical threats, job insecurity) result in emotional fragility and anger, heightening the potential for conflict.
- Indignity (treating others badly with insults, put-downs and humiliation) harbor resentment and the need to save face. Indignity, therefore, creates the thirst for revenge.
- Bystander inaction (by peers or persons of authority) leaves the victims of violence to fend for themselves.
- Having a victim mindset (being perceived as less-than by others) results in vulnerability to becoming the target of violence.
From this framework for understanding the cause of emotional and physical violence has emerged a structured methodology for preventing and managing it.
This includes:
- Communicating under pressure
- Bystander mobilization
- Personal power
- Personal defense options
Now that you have a frame of reference, we’ll specifically address each of these solution areas in the upcoming days.
Reason and positive action are what propel our country forward — a recent trip to the bustling construction site of Ground Zero in New York City proved that to me beyond a doubt.
Reason, positive action and a framework for understanding.
These are the guideposts to lead us through the grief.
—
Peter Liciaga
Education Activist & Self-defense Educator
www.PeterLiciaga.com
