Zen Moments are times when we open our hearts and minds fully to the present moment, to that which is right in front of us…

That’s what you did – in your story – there’s no fixed plan of action, no rigid ‘in this situation, you should do this…’ – just watching what happens with awareness and responding with wisdom. Great!

I believe your calm response may have shamed the man in a way. I think maybe he knew you could see right through his behavior for what it was and this may have brought him back to earth for a moment.

Another example of the many mini-relationships we have with total strangers every day.

Good post.

It also makes me wonder if he saw Steven, realized that he wasn’t reacting the same way as the others, and consciously decided to keep quiet as a means of protecting himself, or if it was a subconscious, automatic reaction to the way Steven was acting.

I think that the story shows that while the other people were afraid, because they confused someone who is unhappy with someone who wants to harm innocent people for no reason, Steven realized that the man was totally harmless and so had no reason to be concerned or daunted.

If you can see them coming and they can be seen to be upset chances are they are not a real aggressor. Think about it: random attacks in public by strangers who mumble are unheard of.

Real threats act like predators, predators don’t wander around calling attention to themselves. The stalk and hunt their prey in silence and covertness. They never give you an option for being daunted or not, this is not how it works.

Bob – I don’t think he was bluffing and I think it was actually lucky for the aggressor. I don’t mean this in a big, bad, tough guy kind of way – but just to say the self defence abilities one can learn through Real Taiji (and I’m sure many others) is very effective in these situations.

While in a somewhat rough area of town today, I re-told it to my wife. It gave me chills even in the re-telling of it.

Predators (and nuts) can pick up on your body language and react accordingly. I’m sure that nut had dozens of people look away, scurry off in fear, etc. You on the other hand did something that threw him.

My only caution is that based on four years of working in two prisons I found that there is always a predator who will call your bluff. Lucky for you it ended where it did.