Fight or flight, I hate to run.

So many people fear confrontation, and I will say that I understand this fear. Life though is just a series of confrontations stacked on top of each. You see confrontation are interactions and you can not go through life without them. They will come for you. That is life. Every body else wants what everybody else has, and some people are not wired to fear confrontation, so they will come after yours. So in this you can not avoid it. You will endure suffering in life, and through that suffering (if you are not an emo twat) you will understand joy.

Now there are those that move through the back field and enjoy their own kind of confrontation. These are a different variety of predator. They are not bad people per-say, but they are predators that people typically do not see. These are the smaller predators that know they are not the strongest. They know that the shadows hold their strength. They will not take someone down in an open fight, so they use soft words and the shadows to do their work. These are the ones most people fear to confront more than most. Maybe it is not fear but pity. It seems okay to watch nature videos of predators as long as they cute little fuzz balls that makes precious human like gestures. Its almost like you would rather get your ass kicked by Barney or some other talking muppet, and you would feel bad if someone saw you choke slamming this childhood icon. Being purple does not change the fact that he is a prehistoric predator dancing for the entertainment of our children.

So these people are masters of looking like a harmless creature, and many times they exemplify a trait that we have an inborn instinct to offer pity. Most times they are socially retarded or just plain stupid. Most times that is just a perception that is held by the masses. They use this like a shield as they drop soft spoken words to manipulate those around them for their entertainment, or personal gain. They have a different value system, and what you consider negative attention will most likely just be attention to them. They play to the perceived weakness, knowing full well that if you attack them or stand up for yourself that you will perceived as that guy that kicked the snot out of Barney.

More times then not they will use your ability to engage in conflict as a tool against you. They will bait you into public confrontation so that they can say that you are the violent evil bad guy and a bully. I have been accused of being a bully many times in my life. Those that know me know those words hold no truth. The real deal is that I am not afraid of confrontation. I also have no patience for predators and parasites. I also do not care if people try to use my actions to generate their own personal drama, because fear of social ostracism is not enough to deter me from doing the right thing. Sure I have fears, and I hate being alone in this world as much as the next guy, but whats the point in being sociable if you have nothing left of yourself that is redeemable.

So you can fear confrontation, but never avoid it if it is necessary. I fear losing myself and my principles more than having others view me negatively because I do not fit well into their perception of this peaceful fantasy. Life is conflict. You hide from conflict you hide from life. Peace is knowing you can stand up to conflict and hold onto your values. That peace comes from people not fucking with you, because they know they will not get more from you than they are deserving of. It is also not taking things from people, and not just shit, but those things that are not yours to take.

Note that by standing up and scaring off those predators that lurk in the shadows of society, that you are contributing to your "tribe" in a most positive fashion. This is something that many people can not understand but often reap the rewards of. In your own way you are protecting your family by letting those social vampires that your tribe is not and should not be their hunting ground. Your family may not be happy about it, but it is akin to smacking down a kid that is trying to sell drugs to your kid. They may not like that you ran the "cool" kid, but later in life they will appreciate it if they gain that wisdom that comes with understanding.