A Harmless Man is not a Good Man

Bohdi Sanders
3 min readMar 31, 2023

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A harmless man is not a good man. A good man is a very dangerous man, who has that under voluntary control. Jordan Peterson

Many consider harmless, nice guys as good men. They do their job, don’t hurt anyone, and pretty much just go about their business. But is that really a good man? Could they step up and stop an elderly person from being mugged or step in and stop a vicious rapist who is attacking an innocent woman? Or is this the man we see on those television shows, who just turn the other way when they see these things happening, and keeps on walking, or worse, records it with their phone as they watch a tragedy unfold?

As martial artists and warriors, we know that a good man is a very dangerous man. He still goes about his business, does his job, and doesn’t hurt anyone, at least anyone who doesn’t deserve it. He loves his wife and his family, does a good job at his work, and may seem just like the harmless man, that is, until he is required to unleash the dragon. THAT is when we see the difference between the two.

A harmless man has no choice about being a pacifist; he is harmless and not capable of defending himself or others. The dangerous man, on the other hand, chooses to live in peace as much as he can, but has the ability to be even more vicious than the most hardened criminal. He is a very dangerous man, but keeps that side of himself under control.

Warriors understand the meaning behind Mr. Peterson’s statement. A good man has to be willing to step up and put a stop to injustice when he can. He should not only be willing, but able, to stop some thug from harassing an elderly person, a lady, or some kid. He should be more than able to put a stop to the bully who enjoys preying on the weak. He should be able to turn into a very dangerous man in order to protect his family.

There is more to a good man than just not breaking the law, not hurting anyone, going to work, and bringing home money for his family. A man’s primary responsibility is to protect and provide for his family. If he is single, a good man still has the responsibility to protect those who are weaker and unable to protect themselves. At the risk of melting some snowflakes, I will just say it — a wimp who does not have the courage to step up when life requires him to, is not a good man!

Here, you may be wondering what sets them apart from the thugs or criminals, if they are so dangerous. I can answer that in one word — HONOR. Good men have character, honor and integrity, so they only use their dangerous skills when they have to in order to protect themselves, their loved-ones, or those around them. Harmless men have no choice; they could not protect anyone no matter what.

Be a good man, or woman! Be kind, loving, giving, helpful, and smile and be pleasant, but make sure you have the ability to hit that switch if you need to. There is more to being a good man than being harmless to those around you. Be good, but be dangerous; you never know when that quality may come in very handy. Bohdi Sanders ~ author of BUSHIDO: The Way of the Warrior, available from Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1937884201 or from The Wisdom Warrior website at: https://thewisdomwarrior.com..

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Bohdi Sanders
Bohdi Sanders

Written by Bohdi Sanders

Dr. Bohdi Sanders is a multi-award winning and bestselling author of 16 books, a 5th degree black belt, modern philosopher, and life coach.