December 18, 2021

How to Know When Violence is the Answer

Is violence always wrong? A self-defense expert says sometimes violence is useful for self defense, and shares how to prepare yourself and survive violent encounters with criminals. Then, research shows that even young children can have racial bias. We'll hear from the author of that study.

Episode Segments:

How to Do What It Takes When Your Life Is at Stake Tim Larkin is a self defense expert, and author of When Violence Is the Answer: Learning How to Do What It Takes When Your Life Is at Stake. Mr. Larkin discussed the use of violence in self-defensive situations. He discussed ways to prevent, prepare for, and survive violent encounters with criminals. He said that violence is a tool equally effective in the hands of the "bad guy" or the "good guy" and that that the person who acts first, fastest and with the full force of their body is the one who typically survives a violent incident.
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Racial Bias in Children Gail Heyman, PhD, Professor of Psychology, University of California, San Diego led a study that sought to find ways to reduce racial bias in children. She noted that racial bias can be measured in children as young as age 3. She said the key to her research was in repetitively teaching kids to identify people of another race as individuals. She hopes to develop a consumer-friendly version of her findings for eventual use in schools and at home.
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A Discussion of Joy Doug Abrams, author of The Book of Joy Journal discussed a conversation he moderated between Archbishop Desmond Tutu and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, on the topic of joy. He explained how these two men have intentionally found joy in their lives, despite the hardships they have faced and the many atrocities they have witnessed.
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Guest(s) Appearing on this Episode

Tim Larkin Tim Larkin is one of the world's foremost experts on the subject of violence. As a former military intelligence officer, he was part of a beta group that redesigned how Special Operations personnel trained for close combat. Over the course of his 25-year career, through his company Target Focus Training (TFT), he has trained more than 10,000 people in more than 50 countries how to deal with imminent violence, including elite combat units, celebrities and high-status executives, law enforcement agencies, and high-net worth families. Larkin is also the author of the New York Times bestselling book Survive The Unthinkable. He lives in Las Vegas, NV. When Violence is the Answer

Douglas Abrams Douglas Abrams is an author, editor, and literary agent. He is the founder and president of Idea Architects, a creative book and media agency helping visionaries to create a wiser, healthier, and more just world. He is also the co-founder with Pam Omidyar and Desmond Tutu of HumanJourney.com, a public benefit company working to share life-changing and world-changing ideas. Doug has worked with Desmond Tutu as his cowriter and editor for over a decade, and before founding his own literary agency, he was a senior editor at HarperCollins and also served for nine years as the religion editor at the University of California Press. He believes strongly in the power of books and media to catalyze the next stage of global evolutionary culture. He lives in Santa Cruz, California. For more information, please visit ideaarchitects.com and humanjourney.com. The Book of Joy