as Pogo said...

[cos]

From Tom Segev's foreword to The Other Israel:

Gabriel Stern, one of the more decent - though lesser known - journalists in the history of Israel journalism, once told me of a traumatic but formative experience that occurred during his military service. He was thirty-five at the time, having come to Israel from Germany a decade previously. He had studied Middle Eastern Studies at Hebew University and participated in Judah Leib Magnes' and Martin Buber's peace activism. Stern was not a pacifist, but he was extremely fearful of any form of violence. In 1948, during Israel's War of Independence, he was drafted and posted on guard duty at the Italian Hospital, located in close proximity to what would later become the line dividing Israeli West Jerusalem and the eastern, Arab part of the city. As he wandered aimlessly around the deserted hospital one day, he suddenly came face to face with a uniformed man armed with a rifle. The man was standing at the end of a long, dim corridor. Stern did not know how the man had got there, but he sensed his life was in danger: One of the two was bound to open fire. Stern looked the man in the eyes; the man looked back at him. Stern raised his rifle; the man raised his, finger on the trigger. It was clear to Stern that he who shot first would live. The other would die.
He pulled the trigger. The bullet penetrated the figure standing in front of him and shattered it into a thousand fragments glass. It was a large mirror. Stern had shot at himself. He never fired a gun again.

What was cause, what was effect? What signaled danger to him?

(This book is a collection of chapters by different contributors, that I saw at a store this evening. I looked at the list of contributors on the back, and some names jumped out at me, particularly: Shulamit Aloni, Meron Benvenisti, Amira Hass, David Grossman. Then I read the foreword. Then I bought the book. I haven't read it yet, but you can consider this a recommendation.)

Comments

[benndragon.livejournal.com]

I myself want to learn to use a pistol. Because you never know when such a skill becomes necessary. When confronted, I'd rather have the ability to disable with a couple of shots. Otherwise I might just pump bullets into a person until my gun ran out of ammo without even thinking, out of fear. Fear of violence can create violence, which is a lesson we gain from the tale of Stern. I believe the danger he felt was his own fear.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

A gun doesn't disable. It kills. Maybe it kills inefficiently and the target survives, but you can't consider a gun a tool to injure -- thinking that way will lead you to make wrong choices in how to use violence.

There are times that killing is necessary -- or, at least, less bad than all other available alternatives -- and it is for that reason that I learned to shoot. But I hope and pray that other options will always be available.

[lil-brown-bat.livejournal.com]

A gun doesn't disable. It kills. Maybe it kills inefficiently and the target survives, but you can't consider a gun a tool to injure -- thinking that way will lead you to make wrong choices in how to use violence.

Word up. Don't ever set out to learn a weapons skill or fighting technique and start kidding yourself that you're just gonna disable your attacker. Stick with a more accurate statement that you will never, ever be able to achieve the level of skill that would allow you to control the outcome of a violent encounter to such an extent. It's an old cop saying, "Don't point it unless you mean to shoot it; don't shoot it unless you mean to kill."

[kahoki.livejournal.com]

There is a similar story in the Audie Murphey autobiogrghy, To Hell and Back (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/6300181154/103-6155975-3803834?v=glance) where he shots a closet mirror with his Thompson sub-machine gun when assaulting a farm house. One of his camrades remarked, "That's the first time I've ever seen a Texan beat himself to the draw"

[oscuridad.livejournal.com]

Hmm. You seem to write about a lot of clever stuff that I want to learn about, so I added you. I think I met you once, at Johnny D's maybe? Or some other pub in Davis, it was a few years ago, on International Drink Guinness day or something? Heh. Anyways, don't feel like you have to add me back, I write a lot of mundanities that not all people would find interesting. That being said, looking forward to reading :)

[cos]

Thanks! How did you come across my posts?

I also vaguely think we've met. Vaguely in that I'm not sure who you are, but I your LJ name sounds familiar, and I think I should know who you are, and that if I did, I'd also remember when we met. If that makes any sense.

[oscuridad.livejournal.com]

I think I've seen you comment in my friends journals, but we're both in howard_dean, and I remember you writing a lot about trying to get people to vote for him (yay!). I used to be neighbors with antimony and dphilli1 when they lived in Somerville, and, I was part of rigel's friends mob by association ;) Even if I am remembering how we met wrong, we still have a number of mutual friends.

[cos]

Oh! I think I remember who you are, and if so, I think I was at your apt once. And I borrowed a comic.

[oscuridad.livejournal.com]

cool :) yeah we had a few comics kicking around =P Was it Chez Farragut you visited? (there was a giant ficus in the living room)

[cos]

Yup. antimony cleared it up for me - you're Alys. Hi :)