“DON’T FOLLOW THE CROWD”

By Frank W. Dux

(Editor’s note: Frank Dux is the legendary martial artist, teacher, author, fight choreographer, stunt coordinator, film writer, consultant, security advisor, coauthor of the US Navy SEAL Special Warfare Combat Fighting Course used by military elite units throughout the world, and holder of 16 martial arts world records, including the never-before-or-after duplicated, fully authenticated, bare-handed shattering of bullet proof glass before a live audience of 40,000 in Paris, France, whose exploits were immortalized in the 1988 movie, Bloodsport, starring Jean Claude Van Damme [as Frank Dux]. He was the first westerner ever to win the no-holds-barred 1975 Kumite competition in the heavyweight division, in Nassau, Bahamas, and in consequence has been called the father of Mixed Martial Arts. Dux recently divides his time between Los Angeles, Houston and Western New York.

To navigate without incident in this world requires coming to terms with that disappointing realization that it is more than possible that your trusted news sources propping up a story as true can be equally deceptive and biased in their reporting; slanderously culpable in manipulating a negative perception of a particular person or group in the possible furtherance of their own self-serving interests. Entire lives and industries have after all ended up ruined as the result of illusory correlations made between events, actions and behavior that never existed.

Many informed individuals allege MSNBC vs. Fox News vs. CNN vs. BBC to be seemingly contradicting each other daily. Each agency seeming to divert their own guilt onto the other with regards to the spin and sensationalism that discernably incites “crowd violence.” To an extent, mass killings by glory hounds and terror organizations seeking notoriety have seemingly become a new form of media entertainment around the globe.

The harshest critics of the mainstream media warn us that they rouse mob mentality and violence in order to create an event by which to misdirect public attention away from an unfolding story the public and elected officials should really be paying attention to. Not discounting how this kind of violence translates into a measurable increase in viewership, advertising revenue and financial gain.

So what kind of a world do our children stand to inherit?

The kind where a great destiny is to be avaricious, covetous and greed-driven versus heroic, reduced to craven creatures spending nights dreaming up new ways to swindle each other — the path that leads to an ignoble end?

The early 20^th Century humorist Will Rogers befittingly boasted to the former King of England: “We don’t have a Monarch but we have something to stand up and take notice of…my country has the best politicians money can buy.”

The only readily observable truth that exists in professional politics is that the truth is always its first casualty. Therefore, it is absurd to allow oneself to become frustrated by the onslaught of outrageous political maneuvering surrounding any presidential candidate or their party in their bid for the Oval Office. To be expected, apathy remains the consistent constant of the ignorant. It is sadly the preferred drug of choice of the masses.

The simple truth that people do not acknowledge is that to grow rich, be happy and remain safe, is a matter of possessing insight, not ignorance.  This requires discovery of and confronting uncomfortable truths that do not fit our understanding of the world. Nonetheless, the process causes our fighting spirit to grow boundlessly, exponentially, because that requires from us to find, harness and implement the courage to change what can be changed and accept that which cannot, but more importantly, self-educate oneself to know the difference.

In essence, honoring the truth as opposed to succumbing to urban myths and madness allows us to acquire the resolve and internal fortitude to act without plural approval.  Acting without plural approval reinforces our intuitive nature and causes us to be proactive and successful — to be the kind of peaceful warriors that “improvise, adapt and overcome.” Remain unwaveringly determined and focused in times of great adversity and personal hardship.

History is filled with valuable examples proving what sets those alone or operating in bands apart from the ordinary or extraordinary, making them legend. They seemingly share a common trait of being willing to sacrifice all to honor the truth.  They understood that by honoring the truth this enables each of us to discover our higher purpose and more importantly, how to serve it in our lifetime; that which is the source of inner harmony and immeasurable wealth.

I speak from experience when I say being your own person requires you to formulate a proactive/offensive mindset that will assuredly not be susceptible to the negative influence of others, as there is no better path to seek and take in life journey than your very own because, my friends,“Those who follow the crowd become lost in it.”