Dear Leo,
I will try my best to teach you to talk your way out of most problems, but at some point you will probably have to fight. These are some basic thoughts to consider.

1: is there no other option? A physical fight should always be the last option.
2: when it goes down, who are the witnesses and what will they see first? Security cameras, family and close friends should be near by.
3: if you can take it, let them have the first punch. If you take it and just walk away, sometimes that is better than throwing back, but if you do throw back, don’t wait at all.
4: always expect what you get back to be twice as hard as what you dish out. Fist fights turn to knives, to guns. Man to man turns to getting jumped by five dudes you did not know were with the opponent.
5: the most important. Is it worth it both for you and whoever you are fighting for? If it will not change things, if it could potentially make things worse, if the results you are fighting for are not guaranteed, don’t.

Ancilleno Davis, PhD. Candidate
Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology- Miami University, Oxford Ohio