Reality Check.

Now that I have spent some time away to reflect on my own direction, I think the direction has become clear or at least clearer than it was before.
This year celebrates my twentieth year in Martial Arts, namely Karate, and I find myself reflecting a lot more lately.

Training has changed over the years, going from what can be considered strict and regimented, extremely traditional, with a motive to train for the sport aspect, to training with a more spiritually fulfilling purpose in mind, then to a more practical mindset.
I find myself wavering back and forth, though anymore I do not really see a division between the practical and the spiritual - to discover oneself is to get passed all the bullshit and really take a long hard look at what is there.

Sometimes you like what you find, sometimes you don't, but either way, what is there is there and you cannot really bullshit your way passed it, at least not to yourself.
Maybe you can, but reality bites, and when it bites, it bites pretty damn hard. I cannot say I am no longer traditional, but for me those labels no longer carry much meaning and my view of what is acceptable has widened based on what I have found to be a practical approach for myself.
In the process I have gotten to know myself more, and gotten to know this thing we call life and nature much deeper.

That is really the ultimate goal of what we are doing, though we may come to it in a round about sort of way.
You cannot really know what you are made of or who you really are without getting down and dirty, actually doing the work.
Unlike Monks and Priests, meditation is not something that is done in a quiet calm place, no, that does nothing but build upon something that really isn't real. When you actually know yourself, you have done the work, and that is the actual meditation, that is the actual Kata, that is the real Kihon Waza.
You can tell those that have and those that have not. None of this is meant to get down on schools that do it another way, or even the Monks and Priests that prefer the quiet, or perhaps it is in a way.
A wake up call is necessary to knock these sorts out of their comfort zone and really put them to work.

It is not about comfort, it is not about feeling warm and fuzzy, nothing of any worth ever happens if you are always comfortable, warm, or fuzzy.
Facts of life, through and through, many may not agree with it, but they really don't have to... Most find out the hard way.

I am going to start posting some notes, perhaps on a nother blog, hopefully get some interactive stuff going shortly.
Will see how that goes.