Power And Restraint

Mixed martial arts bout (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The most important aspect of possessing power is not being able to exercise it, but being able to exercise restraint. Learning martial arts is not about being able to beat people up. It is the opposite. It is about conquering the temptation to beat people up. Except when you make the judicious, conscious decision to beat somebody up. That is also true about law enforcement and military power. Restraint is where the glory is.