[Arc Angel]

In my old age I’ve come to acquire somewhat of a different slant on things. Perhaps on an unconscious level I have learned to live by several underlying principals. Over the years the tenets that have kept me safe would include:

(1) DON’T REVEAL! What do I mean by this? Basically, I don’t reveal anything. My very clever mother once said to me; ‘Always keep ‘um off guard, son!’ When I asked her what she meant, she replied; ‘When you’re talking, talk about little things; keep the really important items to yourself and be chary of ever discussing anything significant.’ ‘If it’s physical, go right when they think you’re going to move left, etc.’ ‘If you’re going into town, say something like; ‘I’m going to the park.’ If somebody asks you; ‘Are you good with a gun, say something like; ‘I could be better.’ If you’re going to Branchbrook Park, say; ‘I’ll be at Pinebrook Park.’ - instead. If you plan on suing somebody and the papers are waiting to be filed, say; ‘I think we should be able to work this out between us – don’t you?’

Before anybody comes down too hard on, ‘dear old mom’ let me say that there have been a number of occasions in my own life when I neglected her advice. None of them went well for me; consequently, I have learned to rarely reveal. (Yes, sometimes, I annoy my close associates; but, be that as it may.)

(2) EXPECT TO BE ATTACKED! Develop personal habits that tend to keep other people at arms’ length. Don’t let others stand on your vertical body centerline. Keep the good habit of standing off most people’s left shoulder. (If one of them moves his right side to get closer to you – Watch out!)

(3) ATTACK FIRST! Yeah, I know, many of you can’t behave this way. I would, even, go so far as to say that most people are conditioned by society and, ‘bred like sheep’ NOT to behave this way; but I’m not one of them: Given the right provocation, I can; I have; and I will.

(4) PRACTICE TO DELIVER THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF DAMAGE IN THE SHORTEST POSSIBLE TIME. The strongest, best trained, and most skillful opponent on Earth is no match for you in a, ‘duel at dawn’ if you poison him at dinner the night before. Twice in my life I’ve been badly injured in a fight. Both times I was struck, viciously, when my back was turned – What can I say? My fault! Wait, make that three times: The third time was by a woman; I treated her with deference and courtesy; and she broke my left collar bone.

(5) REMEMBER TO ALWAYS APPLY A HIGH MORAL STANDARD TO YOUR AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR! I’ll bet some of you didn’t expect me to say this. O’ contraire! My time on this Earth has convinced me that it is impossible to hurt someone else without, also, hurting yourself. I honestly believe that each and every one of us, sooner or later, answers to, ‘God’ for the things that we do. Sure I’d rather walk away from a fight; but, unfortunately for decent benevolently disposed people everywhere, this IS an evil world!

There are many people around us who, for whatever their own personal reasons may be, WILL endanger others, force confrontation, and be quick to demonstrate an inveterate – even pathological – disregard for all of those normal social virtues the rest of us are taught to obey and expect others to hold equally sacred.

(6) THE REAL TRICK – THE KNACK - TO PREVAILING IN ANY FIGHT IS TO ACQUIRE THE EXPERIENCE, AND DEVELOP THE SKILL TO ACCURATELY EVALUATE AND ANTICIPATE MALEVOLENT BEHAVIOR IN OTHERS! I’ve said it before; and I’ll say it again: You’ve got to keep a smile on your face, your shoulders relaxed, and be of a consistent very, ‘serious bend of mind.’

(7) IF ANY ONE PERSONAL CHARACTERISTIC HAS KEEP ME SAFE THROUGHOUT MY LIFE IT WOULD HAVE TO BE THE ACQUIRED ABILITY TO BECOME VERY ANGRY, VERY FAST, AND TO BE ABLE TO FORCE MYSELF TO, ‘FOCUS’ WITH SUFFICIENT MENTAL INTENSITY, ‘TO MELT STEEL’! I truly don’t give a damn about, ‘professionals’ – never did! I spent 30 years teaching myself how to fight. So what! What good does a, ‘black belt’ in anything do if there’s a, ‘baboon’ standing across the room with a Benelli, ‘M-1 Tactical’ pointed at your heart? Whatever your experience, personal skill level, and knowledge may be, never forget that; ‘We, all, walk with God’ - AND – we answer to Him, as well!

I’d like to have a nice new $100.00 bill for every time my, ‘gut’ has warned me that something wasn’t right. Sometimes I’ve listened; and, sometimes, I haven’t. Like they say; ‘Life is for learning!’ and I, ‘listen’ better today than at any other time in my life. Consequently I’m forced to say that, ‘instinct, intuition, and anger’ are more important than any, ‘professional training’. As the Apostle Paul wrote; ‘Physical training is good for a little; but spiritual training is good for a lot!’ 1.


1. I Timothy 4:8, (KJV Verbatim) ‘For Bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.’