3. Combating Violence and Living a Life of Sacrifice with Killology Pioneer Lt. Col. Dave Grossman
Violence and crime, war and murder—there are many evils in the world. These can have physiological and psychological effects on those engaged in combat. This week’s guest sought to understand this in the early part of his career, resulting in a body of knowledge now known as killology. But in the face of all this, he encourages us to believe in forces of good. Motivated by love, we are surrounded by heroes who choose to live a life of sacrifice.
This episode dives into the life and learnings of Lt. Col. Dave Grossman. He is a man who looks deeper and now shares his wisdom with the world. We discuss the beginnings of killology, and how his work has evolved over time. Lt. Col. Dave also emphasizes the need to shield our kids from violent video games. Lastly, he shares his love of God and his choice to live the path of a sheepdog.
If you’re interested in the psychology of killing and spiritual combat, tune in to the full episode!
3 reasons why you should listen to the full episode:
Know the roots of killology and its importance in society today.
Learn more about how violent video games negatively impact children.
Be inspired to live a life of sacrifice.
Resources
● Join the tribe and subscribe to Simon’s newsletter!
● Connect with Lt. Col. Dave: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook
● Lt. Col. Dave’s books:
○ On Combat with Loren W. Christensen
○ On Spiritual Combat with Adam Davis
○ Assassination Generation with Kristine Paulsen and Katie Miserany
○ Bulletproof Marriage with Adam Davis
○ Sheepdogs: Meet Our Nations Warriors with Stephanie Rogish
Episode Highlights
[02:46] How Lt. Col. Dave Wants to be Remembered
● Lt. Col. Dave believes that the field of criminal justice is flawed.
● The murder rates do not reflect the situation; advancements in medical technology keep our numbers down.
● Just like how we account for inflation when comparing monetary value, Lt. Col. Dave suggests measuring for medically adjusted murders.
● Throughout his career, Lt. Col. Dave studied killology: levels of killing, resistance to killing, and overcoming this resistance.
● Spreading this knowledge has an immediate impact on current events and the next generations. Lt. Col. Dave wants to be remembered as the guy who looked deeper.
[05:59] The Beginning of Killology
● As a private in the army, Lt. Col. Dave was curious about combat. However, Vietnam veterans refused to answer his questions.
● Lt. Col. Dave realized that they might open up if he approached them as a scholar. True enough, war veterans told him things they never divulged before.
● His resulting book about killology, On Killing, sold half a million copies and was translated into eight languages.
● The book covered a person’s resistance to killing and how one can overcome this through training.
[09:44] On Combat
● Lt. Col. Dave continued his work on killology by giving presentations and training law enforcement.
● Prior to 9/11, he observed that the only people who go through life and death events daily were the police. He shifted his focus on combat and wrote a book on the matter.
● Most important to Lt. Col. Dave is his latest book, On Spiritual Combat, which talks about the battle against forces of evil.
Lt. Col. Dave: “If you believe in evil and you don’t believe in a force of good on your side, then you’re doomed.”
● For Lt. Col. Dave, belief is a choice. You have the choice to believe in God and to reap all the benefits that come with that.
[15:14] Cultivating a Bulletproof Marriage
● Lt. Col. Dave believes that loving means walking out the door and giving everything that he has. It is the most powerful motivator on the planet.
● Even though he is away from home the majority of the time, he has sustained his marriage.
● Lt. Col. Dave and his wife continuously cultivate a prayer life. They pray for each other every night.
Lt. Col. Dave: “When you hold hands and pray, when you talk over the phone and pray, all the little bitterness, all of the little things that well up, they're gone. God just takes them out of your life.”
● In his book, he talks about being God’s faithful sheepdogs. We give love and loyalty to Him and despite our failures, He still loves us.
[22:23] The Negative Impact of Violent Video Games
● God hates lovers of violence. If you love violent games or movies, then you can’t protect your kids from it.
● Video industries fought against regulations to restrict children’s access to violent games by using a rating system that can be deceiving.
● When violent visual imageries are inflicted upon children, their bodies treat them like they’re real.
● Lt. Col. Dave also considers these games as dysfunctional and pathological, because they reward violent actions.
● Furthermore, the physiological and addictive nature of games can cause sleep deprivation. Parents should then regulate their kids’ access to devices.
[32:56] Living a Life of Sacrifice
● People have a natural instinct of self-preservation. However, love for others motivates people to act despite the risks.
● Christopher Amoroso is a policeman who helped rescue people during 911. Despite his injuries and the risks, he continued to return to the burning building.
● Tune in to the full episode to learn more about Christopher Amoroso’s heroic acts and what his name means!
Lt. Col. Dave: “They're not heroes because they die. They're heroes because they walk out the door and lay their life down and put their life on the line every day. Sometimes the greatest love is not to sacrifice your life, but to live a life of sacrifice.”
[40:29] What Lt. Col. Dave Would Do Differently
● Lt. Col. Dave had a chance to brief the Vice President regarding the impact of violent video games on children. He would have approached that briefing differently.
● Although Lt. Col. Dave has powerful detractors—anti-gun folks, the videogame industry—they were unable to succeed.
● He is not after riches or fame, because he believes that we store our treasures in heaven.
● It’s good to take a long-term view of suffering. The suffering in this world is incomparable to the peaceful eternity in heaven.
● For people in law enforcement, Lt. Col. Dave suggests being your own cheerleader. The world will try to pull you down.
[46:23] The Pride of a Father
● Lt. Col. Dave has three sons. One is following the path of combat. The second is a gunsmith, and the third is a champion rock climber and works for a board game company.
● Each of his sons follows their difficult paths and has all done great things.
● Lt. Col. Dave says he has made many mistakes with his kids but has grown better with time. They have all grown to become good people.
● Psychologists say that what happens in the last 30 minutes of your day is what you’re most likely to dream about.
● One thing he and his wife did right was to read to their kids every night.
About Lt. Col. Dave
Lt. Col. Dave Grossman is a US Army Ranger and former West Point psychology professor. He is the director of the Killology Research Group and coined the term killology as the study of the destructive act of killing. He is a scholar and author of multiple books including On Killing, which has sold over half a million copies.
His research and expertise have led him around the country. For almost 300 days a year, he trains law enforcement and military personnel. He has brought his knowledge to the U.S. government to improve the nation’s public defense.
If you want to learn more about Lt. Col. Dave, you can find him on his LinkedIn or Facebook. You can also check out his website for more information on his research on killing and combat.
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