Jorath McKalynn

In many ways, violence has a bad reputation. If you met a man, and he told you that he loved violence, you would think that at best, he was insane. However, every society that has ever existed has done so on the premise that in order to secure resources and to protect its populace, that society must be able to produce a sufficient propensity for violence. Some societies have accomplished good, and others have accomplished great evil. Within any part of that spectrum, it was only those societies prepared to inflict sufficient quantities of violence in defense of their resources and their way of life who survived.

Human beings are no different than any other animal in that sense. They are a violent, social animal with an innate need to practice and execute violence. History is full of examples of this behavior. Cave paintings depicting wrestling and battles between tribes from more than 17,000 years ago. The evolution of the weapon from a rock to a slingshot. From a spear to a bow and arrow. From the bow itself to a rifle. Warfare is a natural and necessary form of societal evolution. And in order to improve upon our violent skills, we have so many options. boxing matches, Martial arts competitions, jousting, chess, and countless games and sport give us opportunities to test and sharpen our skills in combat and tactics.

And every time in my life I have stepped onto a mat, entered into the ring, or arranged pieces on a board, win or lose, I think to myself, “Dear Lord, do I love being in a fight”.