Flinching.

You all know what flinching is. Or if you don't, I'll explain it so even the most inept of English speakers can at least make a passable attempt at understanding the nature of this article type doohikie.... dohickcy? do....hi...ck...y.... thingamajig!

Flinching is the reaction a human being, other living creature, (and possibly even an advanced enough robot) has to something startling them, or an initial fear of an object smacking into them. Such as when someone raises their hand to strike. When the creature, person, or robot, recoils in an attempt to shield themselves from the potential attack. This is a 'flinch'. Or more accurately, the beginnings of this motion are a flinch.

Now flinching is often seen as something 'womanly' 'weak' 'pathetic' and 'scaredy catish'. Somehow it is thought to be un manly, un macho, and un cool, to flinch. It shows you are scared of physical harm. It shows you have no killer instinct. I'm sure we've all seen the movie ware the main hero dude (he has sunglasses) is standing in the bar (he still has his sunglasses on inside) staring at all the almost as badass but not quite (even the one with sunglasses) evil dudes in the bar. WAZAM! SHINK! someone throws a knife at him, it buries itself into the wood directly next to his head. Our hero doesn't react, a second goes by as the knife quivers in the door frame. He tilts his glasses down so we can see his cold steel blue eyes piercing at the knife thrower, and in his husky deep sexy macho voice says... "Thanks. But I already shaved today."

Well admittedly, it was freaken COOL. But my question is, did he not react to the knife because he's a badass? Or because he's dumped down his survival reflex to a disturbingly low level?

People! We flinch for a reason. When a rock is flying at your head, maybe it'll miss, or maybe it'll crack your eye socket open and let the fluid that helps cushion your brain leak out all over the pavement! You can't really expect to be able to tell which it's going to do in the split second as it flies at you. that flinch, the throwing up of your arms in defense over your face, could very well save your brain fluid! People! You need your brain fluid! stop punishing people for flinching! It's a evolutionary survival tactic that has developed over thousands of years of developing! You're teaching them to fight their instincts.

And what does every badass steel eyed sunglasses wearing hero tell you to do? Trust. your. Instincts.

So instead of teaching people not to flinch. with games ware you punch people in the shoulders and if they flinch you punch them twice more, instead, teach them TO flinch. Teach them why flinching is important.

Here's a tip! Next time you're hanging out with your friends, jokingly pretend to hit them a few times, each time you do say 'don't flinch!' most people are going to flinch at first, especially if you almost do hit them. Do this over and over throughout the night. Over and over. They'll flinch less and less each time. Eventually they'll stop flinching. When they've stopped flinching entirely. Hit them.

This will teach them the importance of flinching.