Everyone has the right to protect themselves. In case of threat, it is natural to react in an unorganized way just to be safe and escape the situation. But not everyone can handle a sudden attack. It is very difficult to respond in such situations rather than reacting. As actions performed under such situations can have extreme repercussions, different countries have come up with peculiar laws to handle them. The right of self-defense is the right to use a reasonable amount of defensive force to defend oneself or others when there is a perception of threat. Although different countries and states have different laws, they all lay out various conditions which must be proved while playing the defensive role. That’s the reason various jurisdictions around the world also allow the killing of the attacker or mugger as a response to defense.
As a martial artist myself, I have been trained to handle these impromptu circumstances. When to attack or defend; how much and where to attack; and escaping the situation are few things which can help one handle the tension. Regulating one’s thoughts and actions is the real key to survive. Also, it is important to be conscious of whether to enter the situation or escape it. Escaping does not mean running in fright but to tactfully turn it away from you by either knocking them out or hitting sensitive areas of the body like nose or groin and earning some time to leave that place. Another way is to end the conflict verbally as much as possible.
We get uselessly terrified when there is a surprise assault or a fierce onslaught. A person in haste panics and behaves foolishly. Uncontrolled or thoughtless actions can even lead to the unnecessary death of either person. There have been many pranks carried out in the past which, although intended for fun or a bit of a scare, have turned ugly resulting in the death of the victim through cardiac arrest or meeting an accident through running away.
Although it’s not wise to fight or to start one, everyone should appreciate the importance of self-defense. The attack in the name of defense need not be justified every time. What everyone must understand is that it can be cumbersome to comprehend or prove what kind of situation occurred and hence if the attack meets the laws. Factors like threat imminence, reasonable fear of harm, proportional response, and what constitutes as imperfect self-defense need to be considered. And therefore, along with the basic understanding of the law, one must practice self-defense to protect themselves and others as well.
