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My 10-Minute Road Rash: Why I Didn’t Throw the Punch in Self-Defence

Yesterday evening, around 9:00 PM, I was cycling home from Kombat Hall. I cycle to save time in traffic and reduce my carbon footprint. But as I rode past Cloud 9 Hospital, the peace of the ride was shattered.


A car swung wide from the right side of the road in a reckless, rash arc to make a left turn. He almost crushed my cycle. I tapped the car—a simple gesture to say, "Please look around, you could have hit me"—and that’s when the situation turned volatile.


The Anatomy of an Altercation in Self-Defence

The driver was instantly furious. "I will run over you!" he screamed, followed by a barrage of Delhi special insults: "Mind your business, you cycle rider!" I stopped and stayed calm, told him it was his mistake and pointed out his verbal abuse.


This only agitated him further. He threatened to beat me up, yelling from the safety of his seat. I stood my ground and told him, "I am standing right here. Please come out and beat me up. Why just scare from inside the car?"


When he threatened to run me over again, I picked up a stone in self-defence and stood firm. I wasn't shouting; I was calculating.


A road rash situation
AI Recreated: Getting almost run over by a rushing car

The Split-Second Calculus: The OODA Loop

In martial arts and tactical training, we use the OODA Loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act). As he finally stepped out of the car, my "Kombat" mind took over. I stood next to him, hands concealed and crossed—a position of Passive Readiness for self-defence.

Passive hands position
Passive hands position, concealed for peace yet ready to strike if needed

I scanned him instantly: poor physical condition, zero defensive posture, and clearly no real fighting experience. This is where the Dunning-Kruger Effect was visible; his lack of skill gave him a false sense of overconfidence, making him feel brave enough to challenge a trained fighter.

Overestimating Abilities
The Dunning-Krukger Effect

In my mind, I ran three simulations:

  1. The Light Strike: A quick scuffle. He fights back, a crowd gathers, and I waste 30 minutes in a pointless street brawl.

  2. The Moderate Strike: He goes down. We call the police. I have witnesses of acting in self-defence, but I still spend hours in a police station documenting a "win."

  3. The Knockout: He was at a perfect striking distance with no defence. I could have ended it within 5 seconds. But then? Potential head injury, legal mess, and a life-long injury to him over "just a" bad left turn.


Understanding the "Amygdala Hijack"

I realised I was witnessing an Amygdala Hijack. When we feel "wronged" on the road, our primitive brain takes over, bypassing the rational frontal lobe. He wasn't a rational human in that moment; he was a cornered animal reacting out of pure ego.

The Amygdala Hijack
The Amygdala Hijack

I also realised I wasn't fighting for a noble cause. If he were hurting someone defenceless, I would have intervened irrespective of the consequences. But this? This was just rash driving— something far too common in this part of the world we live.


The "Aha!" Moment: The 10% Chance

I stared him down until he stepped back into his car and drove off recklessly to show he is right. I passed the "anger test" by staying in control, but upon contemplation, I feel I failed the initial situation assessment.


Look at the math of human behaviour:

  • The Altercation: By standing my ground and inviting the fight, there was a 0% chance he would walk away thinking, "I should drive more carefully." 

  • The Friendly Approach: Had I smiled when he first cut me off and said in a friendly tone, "Boss, you almost got me there!" there was perhaps a 10% chance he might have acknowledged it and said sorry.

A 10% chance of a positive outcome is definitely better than a 0% chance. By choosing the confrontation, I traded 10 minutes of my life for a guaranteed failure. He wasn't my student, and he hadn't asked for my feedback. Trying to "correct" his mistake through a street standoff was a poor use of my time.

Final Thought

True combat mastery isn’t just about the ability to strike; it’s the wisdom to know when a strike is a waste of a life. That's self-defence at its best.

Next time, As I usually do, I’ll choose the smile. Not because he deserves the kindness, but because my 10 minutes—and my peace—are worth more than his upbringing. Moreover, Kindness is my nature.

Key Takeaway for me:

"The greatest victory is that which requires no battle." — Sun Tzu

Oss


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