Question 125: Ethics of competition

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Martial art sparring competitions are mutually agreed contests of fighting abilities. In a competition, you are not required to compete; if you do not want to fight, then you do not have to enter the competition or, even if you are entered, you do not have to enter the ring against an opponent you do not want to fight.

There are those who think dodge ball is a violent game and, as such, it should be banned from school playgrounds. Violence is in the eye of the beholder. Some things are commonly considered violent, while the violent nature of some things is highly debatable. Some think full-contact sparring is violent and that no or light-contact sparring is not violent.

You presume there is no good result from a competition. What about the honing of your fighting skills. You cannot effectively fight violence unless you have the skills needed, the ability to use those skills, and the willingness to use those skills regardless of the consequences. Competition fighting is as close to actual fighting as you may get without actually being in a fight.

No person or county has ever defeated violence without using violent means. Talking about peace and non-violence and loving your enemies may be make good philosophical conversation, but when facing a violent opponent, if you are not able to effectively block the violence and counter it with violence, you will die. When facing a person who wants to kill you, tell him you love him and give him a hug, and see if it works.