than one search party. Knowing that they have done so will influence which directions remain available for escape.
Knowing your territory gives you a significant advantage whenever you need to escape from trouble.
Restrain Impassioned Friends
There are five dangerous faults which may affect a general: (1) recklessness, which leads to destruction; (2) cowardice, which leads to capture; (3) a hasty temper, which can be provoked by insults; (4) a delicacy of honor which is sensitive to shame; (5) over-solicitude for his men, which exposes him to worry and trouble.
When you opponent is hurrying recklessly, you must act contrarily, and keep calm. You must not be influenced by the opponent. Train diligently to attain this spirit.
You know him affectionately as “no-shirt guy.” You know, the one who’s always bouncing up and down, screaming, shouting, cheerleading, and generally making an ass of himself in the stands while you watch the game. A few beers and some harsh words later and, predictably, your buddy Mr. No-shirt is fighting with some other fan. Now, instead of enjoying yourself you’re trying to drag him off the other guy, calm things down, and make sure no one is seriously hurt when suddenly the police arrive. A few hours later, you are bailing him out of jail. Again.
Or perhaps you know him by some other name such as “chip on his shoulder guy.” Regardless, it’s always the mouthy friend who gets things going, isn’t it? These guys come in many different flavors—small and mouthy, big and arrogant, crazy, or just plain dumb. Whatever your friend’s demeanor or intelligence level, you needn’t let him and his big fat mouth write a check that you need to cash.
This is even more important if the situation is already ongoing. If the monkey dance is underway, it is very difficult to get things back under control before things get violent. This is where your impassioned friend will invariably want to throw the proverbial match into the gas-filled room. Stop him from doing so.
Here’s a good example. It was late in the third quarter of an exciting college football game. Fans from both teams had packed the stands in the east end zone. Throughout the game, there had been all the typical taunts and insults you might expect in that sort of environment, but nothing horribly serious had occurred despite the fact that one group of home team fans from the northeast side kept running in front of the predominantly visitor fans on the southeast side and bopping around in a little victory dance with each big play or touchdown that was scored.
As illicit alcohol flowed and tempers ran hot, Kane and his crew took increasingly stricter measures to keep the rowdy fans apart. They drew an imaginary line between the two sections, telling rowdies on both sides that so long as they stuck to their own section, they could rabble-rouse to their hearts’ content. Cross the line to taunt the other team’s fans, however, and they’d be thrown out of the stadium. Guess who the first person was to cross the line? Why, no-shirt guy, of course.
Actually, there were several guys without shirts, but it was one of that bare-chested crew who took it upon himself to test the limit. He got in an argument with the security guard who tried to prevent him from reaching the opposing fans. No-shirt’s friends, slightly smarter or more sober, were trying to hold him back without success. Kane, realizing what was about to happen from a few yards away, grabbed a few additional guards, radioed the police, and moved to intervene.
Unfortunately, by the time he got there, the security guy already had a bloody nose and Mr. No-shirt was beating his chest in glee, doing his best Tarzan imitation with the injured guard lying at his feet. He even elbowed one of his friends who was still trying unsuccessfully to hold him back, cracking him hard enough in the cheek to make his teeth snap together.
Restrain impassioned friends. It’s always your big-mouthed buddy who gets things going. These guys come in many different flavors—small and mouthy, big and arrogant, crazy, or just plain stupid. Whatever your friend’s demeanor or intelligence level, don’t let his big fat mouth write a check that you need to cash. If he insists on behaving immaturely, find someone else with whom to hang out.
Fortunately, the police showed up at the same time. Since they had seen everything that occurred before they arrived, they were able to take direct action. Seconds later, Mr. No-shirt was in handcuffs. While the police led him off to jail, Kane escorted No-shirt’s friends out of the stadium, took their tickets, and ordered the gate guards not to let them back in. Despite the fact that they had not directly participated in the altercation, they got thrown out too. They’d already been warned twice and the third time was the charm.
“No-shirt guy.” Don’t let his big fat mouth write a check that you need to cash right along with him. Restrain impassioned friends… or find new ones.
Collectively, they missed one of the most exciting games of the year, an affair that was decided by a clutch field goal in the waning seconds of the first overtime period. No-shirt guy wrote a check that his friends had to cash along with him. While they were not injured and, fortunately, did not have to cool their heels along with him in jail, they still paid a price. It could have been far worse and, if they keep hanging out with him, undoubtedly will be in the future. Restrain impassioned friends. If they insist on behaving immaturely, find new ones.
When it Comes to Violence, Girlfriends Can Be Helpful… but Generally Not
The skillful tactician may be likened to the shuai-jan. Now the shuai-jan is a snake that is found in the Chung mountains. Strike at its head, and you will be attacked by its tail; strike at its tail, and you will be attacked by its head; strike at its middle, and you will be attacked by head and tail both.
Fright often occurs, caused by the unexpected.
Some girlfriends think it’s pretty sexy for you to fight over them. They will go out of their way to set up situations where you can prove your manhood by doing so. The fact is that this is ancient, tribal thinking. There was a time in the world where that type of behavior was essential to choosing a mate. The biggest and strongest male ensured her survival in a hunter-gatherer society, and for that matter, in an early agrarian one as well.
This type of behavior has no place in modern society. If your girlfriend thinks that getting you to bash some guy upside the head in fighting for her honor is cool, you are with the wrong woman. You need to take a deep look at where that behavior is coming from, why you are attracted to it, and consider how it is going to get you in trouble. And then you need to leave.
If you are in public and your girlfriend is setting you up to fight in front of her or her friends, you need to disassociate yourself right away from her and the situation she is creating. She is walking trouble. She will not just get you into one fight, but many. This is because she thinks that violence is cool at some deep-rooted level. If you are hanging out with this type of person, you truly are playing with fire.
“Baby, that guy over there just called me a bitch,” she might say. “Go over there and demand an apology from him!” Are you going to walk over to that big, bald, tattooed guy with the pool cue in his hand, the one who is
