Killer Instinct

If the judge determines that a person was exercising a killer instinct in regard to a defensive situation, it is a good bet he will also consider the defender as having used excessive force and rule against him/her. This could then lead to a record for assault, manslaughter, or murder. Currently the main self defense concept in force in most states, is that a person can use no more force to defend him/herself, than the attacker intends to use on them. A killer instinct will almost assuredly result in the use of excessive force, as will almost any competitive urge. Who says! Mr. Durbin seems to be projecting his own limitations onto others. Training killers, such as soldiers and police officers, refrain from killing every day. From other statements he has made, it appears the author does not compete. Must be because he is afraid of what he may do if he does compete; he may slip up and kill the opponent. Soldiers do not dive for cover when a can drops beside them in a store. A karate black belt does not kick or punch the opponent in a Judo match. A Taekwondo competitor does not have the competitive urge to race other customers to the checkout line. Rational, trained people have control of their killer instincts and competitive nature.

In regard to the type of training which develops Honshin, first and foremost the training must be taught with an ethical basis. There must be instruction in non-violence and the desire for peaceful resolution to conflict. True. Second, the training really needs to be realistically based in effective fighting skills. Too many young people, who train in competitive arts, think of a fight in the same manner as a sparring match. They think that they will honorably 'fight' a bad guy and once they defeat him, he will just give up. But that is an illusion brought on by the tournament scene and too many movies. True. One actual experience which might shed some light and understanding on the reality of fighting is as follows, a young man was dating a girl who happened to also be dating another fellow. Eventually the two young men found out about each other and decided to have a fight to see who would 'win her hand'. She was quite impressed, they were young, and she decided to go with the winner. Finally the two men battled it out and one won. He left with the girl in his arms. A week later, the loser drove up behind the winner and shot him. Luckily it only hit him in the leg and he lived. But what must be realized is that the fight was not over, just because one had physically dominated the other. It would have been better for everyone if the fight had never happened and the young girl had picked the one she really wanted to be with.