Oh, lovely. Another post about kindness. I can practically hear you rolling your eyes from here. “But Alice,” you say, clutching your crystals and organic fair-trade coffee, “violence is never the answer!”
Tell that to the jackass who thinks your personal space is a suggestion.
Let’s clarify that kindness does not equate to stupidity. Yes, our first tenet is “Be Kind.” Notably absent from that tenet is “…while letting aggressive idiots use you as a punching bag.”
You want to know what’s really kind? Teaching someone that actions have consequences. Consider it a public service. You’re helping them learn valuable life lessons, like “personal space exists” and “harassment might result in a dislocated thumb.”
The Gentle Art of Making People Go Away
Self-defense isn’t about being a badass. It’s about making sure you get home alive and intact because some people skipped the day they taught “basic human decency” at school. These are the same people who think “no” means “try harder” and “leave me alone” means “please, continue breathing down my neck.”
Here’s a shocking revelation: you can be kind AND know how to break someone’s nose if they try to assault you. These are not mutually exclusive concepts. In fact, I’d argue that being able to defend yourself makes kindness more meaningful because it’s a choice rather than a survival strategy.
A Hierarchy of Responses
Since some of you seem confused about appropriate escalation, let me break this down:
- Did someone make an inappropriate comment? Use your words.
- Someone won’t stop following you? Louder words.
- Does someone grab you? Congratulations, they’ve just volunteered for a practical demonstration of physics and pain.
See how that works? Nobody’s suggesting you roundhouse kick someone for taking the last donut. But if someone decides your “no” needs physical enforcement? Well, that’s their choice, isn’t it?
The Fine Art of Not Being a Victim
Look, I get it. Violence isn’t nice. You know what else isn’t nice? Getting assaulted because you were too worried about being “kind” to protect yourself. The universe doesn’t give out gold stars for martyrdom.
Being kind means treating others with respect. It doesn’t mean letting them treat you like their personal doormat. Some people only understand boundaries when enforced with a swift knee to the groin.
In Conclusion
Remember: you can be both kind and dangerous. I highly recommend it. The world needs more people who can quote Gandhi while executing a perfect wrist lock.Stay kind out there. But maybe take a self-defense class, too, just in case someone needs help understanding the concept of personal space in a more direct manner.
This post is brought to you by someone tired of explaining that “be kind” doesn’t mean “be a victim.”