Ernest Cadorin

Taking the High Road

With Fries on the Side

One of my fellow karate instructors (Jack Shell), who teaches at Orillia Academy of Karate, recently told me about a remarkable incident he had witnessed at a McDonald’s restaurant in Barrie. The incident involved a vagrant who was antagonizing a customer – a bigger, stronger guy – who was waiting to place his order. Here is what happened, in Jack’s own words:

I have a contract for a business in Barrie – working about two days every three months. For lunch, I usually grab my laptop and walk to the McDonald’s about a block away. One day, while I was enjoying lunch and working on my computer, I heard someone yell, “What the f**k are you looking at?”

I quickly looked up and realized that a 40-something, out-of-shape man was yelling at a customer in the lineup waiting to place his order. This gentleman was in his 20’s or 30’s – over six feet tall and solid. He motioned to the yeller with his hands that he wanted to avoid any trouble.

I was about to tell the man who was screaming to watch his language (there were children present), when suddenly, he jumped out of his seat, ran straight to the man in the lineup, got within two inches of his face, and again yelled, “What the f**k are you looking at?”

The reaction from the customer was awesome! He replied in a very calm voice, “Are you hungry? Can I buy you lunch?”

The screaming man, still only two inches from the customer, replied (still yelling), “F**king right I’m hungry,” and then sat back down.

I approached the gentleman in the lineup, gave him a tap on the shoulder, and said, “That was amazing.”

He asked me what I was referring to. I explained how impressed I was with how he had handled the incident. He simply smiled.

Talk about taking the high road! Talk about using the proverbial Sword of Life. What a wonderful example of opting for a non-violent solution, something that has been somewhat of a theme in my last few posts. I think we could all take a lesson from this.

Another aspect of this encounter that I found extraordinary was the way the customer used his wits instead of his fists. The term bunbu-ryodo means “intellectual/martial synthesis,” and it refers to the ideal that a martial artist should have intellectual pursuits and be a well-rounded individual who can use their brain as well as their brawn when confronting a dilemma. I don’t know if this McDonald’s customer was a martial artist, but he definitely demonstrated this ideal. I can only hope to do as well if I ever have to confront a dilemma like this!