" Cultivate a Warrior Mindset "

[SamAdams]

I'd like to open a broad conversation on the topic of a 'warrior mindset'.

Some background - Recently, I emailed an article that detailed the murder of two college students (one girl and one boy) who were abducted from a parking lot. The article listed a number of lessons to be learned - including the importance of situational awareness and of being trained to defend yourself effectively.
I sent this to a number of adult men in our extended family. I was quite surprised by one of the replies
I received. He asked that I no longer send him such articles, that it took some effort 'to get the mental images out' of his head. I sent a reasonable reply back, explaining that the whole point was to note the lessons to be learned and how they might help improve ones own level of safety. His reply - " I understand, but please don't send me any more articles like that. " - This male family member is 6'3" and in good shape with an athletic build. He was a jock all his life and continues to play sports for fun as an adult.

Another man in our family had a concealed carry permit, but did not renew it when it was about to expire. Given that the permit costs about $10 per year and that they pay far more for Costco membership, - money isn't the issue. He enjoys when we go to a local range and is considering getting a 9mm 'for fun'. But, there is a definite change of atmosphere when I mention the terminal ballistics and ammo choice information presented on this website. Punching holes 'for fun' is fine, but considering how that weapon might actually need to be used to defend against violence isn't something they want to give much thought to. This man was also an athlete in his younger days.

I must admit to thinking (hoping?) that given enough information, people will respond appropriately. I have seen plenty of evidence that this isnt always true. This recent experience with the first man I mentioned, drove this home. He actively and aggressively avoids information regarding violence by criminals.

So, do some have a personality which better enables them to cultivate a warrior mentality ? Are people like those I mentioned above only likely to change after they have been victimized (or someone they know) ?
I've also noted that size and physical ability aren't necessarily any indicators of a warrior mindset. I've known big guys who were wimps & who would give up easily, and little guys who were freakin' pit bulls. Some of the big guys used their size as a shield to intimidate others, but there was little else behind it.

I look forward to reading your thoughts on this broad topic. Thank you

[JHC]

I dunno. I'm beginning to think it's as much genetics as social programming. Some just cannot seem to "get" it.

[Peally]

That male needs to grow a pair and grab his ass out of the garden of pansies

People in general are fruity rainbow farts when it comes to the real world, nothing you can really do (and it's sad considering the disrespect towards the world they grow from that mentality). That you actually bother sending out that sort of thing to folks you know in general is more than I'd bother to do beyond people I know will certainly get something out of it.

Call me cranky, but some people could have their first born shot in the head right in front of them and they'd continue with the rainbow fart mentality. Some people are wired for failure.

[voodoo_man]

Kyle Defoor summarizes the concept pretty well here - https://youtu.be/4vPCqMo9TCg

I have heard a very long, 3+ hour talk about about mindset on several occasions from Tom Kier, Defoor mentions him in the video.

Awareness, Preparedness and Willingness.

Those three form a triangle and you must have all three in order to properly affect an event or circumstance.

Your 6'3" male family member may be prepared (physically) and may have the awareness and able to see something before it happens, but is he willing to act? Is he prepared mentally? You can't have two out of three, you have to have all three or the triangle falls apart.

Your other family member who let his CCW expire may have relaxed to the point he no longer believes he needs a pistol in order to keep himself, and his family, safe. Just speculating, but there is always a reason. Maybe he's not willing to kill someone.

I touched on this topic and the concept of "dying well" in an article I wrote on my blog --> Get in the Fight.

[SecondsCount]

Most people don't take their own security serious until something bad happens that is close to home. Here in Utah we saw a huge spike in concealed carry permit applications when the Trolley Square shooting happened. This took place in what most would be considered a very safe area.

Today, I would bet that 50% of those new permit holders never renewed.

[Peally]

Hilariously sad how a decision like that is treated the same as dieting for a week and giving up. You simply can't fix most people with that mindset, unless by chance they survive something that shocks them for life AND they do something productive with that shock.

[Guinnessman]

Warrior Mindset in one picture.

[TCinVA]

At "Unthinkable" William Aprill mentioned a conversation he had with a very pleasant lady who, in New Orleans, refused to lock her door. After a lot of back and forth...and a number of attempts at high-level psychology...it boiled down to her refusing to live in a world where she had to lock doors.

You cannot fix that. When someone hits that point trying to argue it is pulling at one of the fundamental threads of how they see themselves and how they've chosen to make sense of the world around them. They won't allow anyone to tug at it because they know the whole thing will come unraveled...and that's intolerable for them.

This same phenomenon explains a whole lot that's wrong with our politics, too...but that's another topic.

Fantastic (in the original sense of that word) perspectives on the world are most possible where people have little or no experience with the gritty realities of it. Modern society allows a lot of distance between the average person and the gritty realities of how they get food, how they get power, how they get an iPhone, and how their lives are not dominated or ended by violent tribal warlords.

[Dropkick]

They're not going to change their behavior because that would mean changing their beliefs on what the world is like.

The beliefs of a lot of people out there are: "the world is a good place" and "that stuff doesn't happen here" and "that couldn't possibly happen to me."

Beliefs can be developed through direct and indirect experiences, but without being open new experiences beliefs rarely change.

This can be applied to self defense, politics, religion, the world is not flat...

[SamAdams]

Fantastic (in the original sense of that word) perspectives on the world are most possible where people have little or no experience with the gritty realities of it. Modern society allows a lot of distance between the average person and the gritty realities of how they get food, how they get power, how they get an iPhone, and how their lives are not dominated or ended by violent tribal warlords.

Excellent point. John Taylor Gatto was NY state and NYC Public School Teacher of the Year (several times if I recall). He had taught everywhere from uptown to Harlem. He expected much from the children, and thats what he got in terms of performance. (He had to hide his actual teaching methodology from the school administration). Gatto found that once you got passed the social conventions/niceties (and he taught the kids this) that the Harlem kids performed as well as the kids from more privileged backgrounds. And, in many ways, the Harlem kids outperformed the kids from richer families. The poor kids were much better at learning tasks which involved uncertainty & required improvisation. Gatto said the difference is that the kids from wealthier families grew up in a world where there were no predators. Parents stepped in to handle situations that went wrong for their kids.