Chapter 9- On the Hilltops

            Pick your battles and which hills you want to die defending. Sometimes when people tell me to lose a battle because it’s not worth it, I think we should fight for what’s right. Fighting for your opinions and beliefs should not be easily forfeited. There needs to be some honor in fighting for what’s right. These are the moments when I face a problem.  If you can’t fight for what represents you, you are nothing and not unique.

            When you are fighting for what’s right, one must be sure you are not cocky or full of confidence. One must remain humble and respectful of other people’s views and opinions. I have friends who always think he knows everything and that he is always right. Every single time when a topic becomes heated, he can be very stubborn, single-minded, and super cocky. He will state that you are wrong and perhaps ask a rhetorical question about your level of intelligence. Sometimes his attitude just makes me sick and tired of it. When you meet that kind of person, you play a different fight strategy. Although fighting for what’s right is my strategy, but removing yourself from the fight is another good strategy as well.

            Sometimes winning a battle is by losing it. As you can see from my example, if every time I am with my friend and he doesn’t respect an honorable and decent fight, simply walk away. Let him feed off his own confidence and watch him fall later. Also, the abuses from his words are not healthy for me. If I ignore and let him be, I still keep my self-esteem and dignity intact. In a way, I did not lose the battle at all.

            What I’ve learned from this is to be respectful towards everyone’s views and ideas. Some may use verbal abuse and others use brute force when they can’t win. I’d just simple walk away if neither parties are respected. Simple, effective, and honorable.

            I’ve never been in a physical fight with people. I strongly believe that verbal communication can solve problems if both sides are understanding. Although actions speak louder than words, safety is always the number one priority. If there’s going to be harm, remove yourself from the danger. You’d keep your dignity and beliefs intact. Since I believe talking it out to solve issues, I have not learned any martial arts. My belief? Learning ways to defend yourself from attackers can make one hardened. One learns violence during martial arts classes. The more shots you can take, the harder you become and less aware of the kind peaceful human nature. There are some people who think they are invincible and change the defensive style into an offensive one. What happened to the peace? These things are merely what the world these days allow us to do.

            Freedom of speech in protesting is alright, but when the rioters come and bring violence. Does anything get solved? Innocent people mistaken for rioters, people getting hurt, and the real message distorted. The right to peaceful assembly is a right that’s been often abused by the violent rioters. In a society that we live in, there will always be violence until we have true understanding and care for each other.