Back in college I remember many of my friends would fight for no particular reason other than to be stupid morons exerting their “manliness” against other guys who were trying to be “manly” as well.  I guess when you’re young there’s a part of fighting that is almost respected amongst your peers.

But when youth fades that respect turns to complete disrespect.   I mean how stupid does it look for a guy that’s over 30 to be fighting another guy that’s over 30?  I mean unless of course they are professional fighters.

So when do you actually need to get physical with someone?  Are there circumstances when fighting is necessary?  There are almost none but here are five that I think qualify….

If it Involves a Family Member or Close Friend

If one of your close friends is being beaten up I would say that physically getting involved is completely OK.  If anything you want to get in there to at least break it up.   And if possible prevent such a situation from occurring again.   Put it this way, if someone was messing with my wife in a way that I deemed threatening I’d have no problem laying out a punch.

If the Person is Being Physically Threatened

If someone doesn’t stop pushing you or even goes so far as to hit you, depending on the severity of it, clearly you need to protect yourself.   If it’s the kind of person that you know will keep persisting with this shit, then fighting might not be an option.   In that case, calling the police is probably best.   Still though, I’d rather not let someone hit me without them knowing what it feels like in the other direction.

To Prevent Someone Else From Being Hurt

These situations don’t come up very often but what if you’re on the street and see someone repeatedly hitting a child?  Do you just sit there and watch it happen?  By no means am I saying that you should do something but I would say you certainly have the right to.  Ideally you want to stop this stuff from happening.

To Make Sure Something Doesn’t Happen Again

Usually this works in the case of bullies.   Most bullies will back down if you show a little confidence and a willingness to fight back.

When there is clearly “no choice”

And then there’s obviously situations where you really don’t have much of a choice.  If someone’s got a gun to your head you don’t yield just because you don’t fight.   No.