When I was first introduced into this idea, part of me balked at the thought of 'playing the hero', but on introspection I found that the hesitancy came from a lack of clear perspective. I used to think that generally someone who put themselves at risk for others was either professional, brave or possibly insane. Over time I have come to realize that although all of that may be true, there is something deeper going on. In the long run, walking away from a chance to defend someone can be dangerous. It can leave you with feelings of guilt and regret. Dealing with these feelings can sometimes destroy a person, possibly more than a would be assailant. That is not to say 'leap to the defence of all' but be careful you don't 'over protect' yourself to the point you actually get hurt through neglect of others.
Defending others in training and real life is no easy task, anyone who has tried this kind of training knows that the number of variables increase from just one extra person being involved. However there is a payoff, when defending yourself you must always control the balance or your self-confidence, not letting the attacker break your spirit, and not allowing yourself to become complacent. When protecting others the psychological dynamics change, you have the option of letting go of your doubts, focusing on protecting another person, a person who does not care how long you trained and what your rank is provided you keep protecting them.
It is an interesting phenomena, as Jack and other Buyu say:
"You are walking through the forest and you see a bear. Are you afraid?
You are walking through the forest and you see a mother bear with her cub. Are you more or less afraid?"
In nature the power of the protector is well known.
