Gladiator

 This is the first time I've ever watched a Pacman fight intentionally and in its entirety. I'm sure many would not agree with what I have to say so again, reader discretion is advised.

To begin with, I am not a boxing fan. As a child, I never quite appreciated the gladiator-like nature of the sport. To me, boxing is probably the most violent sport (not even counting UFC and other martial arts). I am also irked by the fact that those who sing praises for boxing are the same kinds of people who say Practical Shooting—because it involves guns—has no place in the world of “civilized men”.

Having been involved in shooting myself may have taught me some of the most important lessons in life including; common sense, safety, respect for human beings and refusing to take unnecessary risks.

As a shooter, we all had to learn the 4-rules of Safe Gun Handling. This served us well not only in the range but in making major decisions in our lives as well. A good shooter will not carelessly handle his firearm because of the knowledge that a discharge—whether intentional or accidental—will cause some degree of damage if not, maim or kill someone.

Good shooters are almost always safe drivers and very calculating people. They are hardly prone to gambling as they rarely take a chance at anything without a predictable outcome. This is a direct result of Rule #4 in firearms safety: “Always be aware of your target and what lies around and beyond it.”

In the range as in real life, you never take a shot at a target when you know there is the presence of “collateral damage”. Of course, in law enforcement and military terms, this rule can be totally disregarded but then again, how many of us wear a badge and a uniform or carry a gun for a living?

It was difficult for me to play wargames after competing in practical shooting matches. Even while we shot at IDPA(International Defensive Pistol Association) Matches where the operative word is “Defense”, we found it difficult to shoot at fully-clothed, humanoid targets. For me, killing or inflicting pain upon another human being takes deliberate mental conditioning. Even when we engaged targets at distances of 7-10 meters, it was still difficult to commit to the act of pulling the trigger even when we knew we had a good sight picture and the rounds will hit (and KILL) the mark!

An ex-girlfriend once told me, “Don't pretend shooting is a civilized sport. GUNS WERE MEANT TO KILL. There's nothing competitive about that!”

While I never argued the point, history will show that most crimes involving a firearm have been committed by those who were not sufficiently trained or specifically indoctrinated in the black art of assassination. Personally, if I had to employ the use of any concealed weapon whether bladed or firearm, I too would go for the kill but again, that would be subject to abstract legal implications.

Taking a life or inflicting harm is wrong regardless of method employed!

I go through this contemplative state every time our “National Hero” takes to the ring. I totally have nothing against him and in fact, I do admire him as an athlete and his seeming dedication to the country he hails from.

What I am in disagreement with is what he stands for. I can't help but do the math, calculating how much he would take home, how much the sponsors would earn, how many bets were placed and how many bar owners would smile inside their jam-packed establishments.

Another indirect impact of this whole episode is feeding the “get-rich-quick” attitude of the common man. Like it or not, there are a lot of us out there who want to be “Pacmen” in some form or another. We all have this wrong notion that just because you're rich, you deserve whatever you have or own a license to do what you want regardless of moral implications. (NOTE: I am not in a position to moralize. I'm just telling it like it is.)

Looking at the boob tube, I can't help but be reminded of a Roman coliseum as the crowd rejoices with every damaging blow that gets thrown against a seemingly defenseless opponent. What kind of upbringing develops a conscious thirst for blood?

As a media professional, we take pains in blurring out disturbing images from a disaster or crime scene just to appease sensitive audiences but ironically, this would be the same audience that delights in seeing badly bruised and bleeding faces—live via satellite—without flinching! Aren't the images violent enough for you? Shooters blast at cardboard targets. Boxers beat the shit out of a real person. Get your morals straight, people!

Today's bout was very disappointing. It was a total mismatch but then again, I don't know much about boxing anyway. What I do know is that a lot of people made a killing out of it. In a warped sense of morality, I guess that's perfectly okay.