What Do You Love, and Do You Love It Enough To Protect It?

I've always favored a form of values clarification exercise towards the beginning of each of my student's training, but a habit I've picked up from my teacher is to ask these questions before we ever hit the mat:

"What do you love?
What do you have to lose?
Exactly what are you willing to do to protect it?
What are you doing right now to ensure that protection?"

Problem is, we as humans tend to speak before thinking, and often the answers to these questions are simply casual; no true consideration is given to the effort, value or possibility of failure. And, given the fact that so many of us have learned to foolishly-dismiss our own responsibility regarding our own safety (and that of our loved ones), this comes as no surprise.

We have become de-sensitized to the reality and impact of violence, through television and social media - until the reality comes crashing into our own lives and brings us to our knees. And then, the first question is "why did this happen?"

My question, without shifting any notion of blame, is simply "Could you have prevented this?"

Not the police, not a bystander, YOU. Could you have prevented this, through fortification or awareness? Could you have judged your surroundings more accurately and made a better decision? Could you have formidably stood up to an attacker and prevailed?

As you can tell by now, this exercise requires a great deal of honesty, a 'gut check' of sorts. So again, I ask:

"What do you love?
What do you have to lose?
Exactly what are you willing to do to protect it?
What are you doing right now to ensure that protection?"

Violence exists in the world - regardless of laws, rules, police, gun-free zones and zero-tolerance policies. Being a predator is a choice; being an easy victim is also a choice; and as you consider this ideology, bear in mind one simple truth:

Predators prepare in earnest, to seek out those who do not.