Respect is honoring what you have agreed to, regardless of anything else. Honor is having the integrity to do what is best whilst being humble enough to admit faults and shortcomings, areas of improvement need not be viewed in a negative light as we are all works in progress.
This is a constant walk, it never ends, one step forward can be two steps back, sometimes even three, four, or five, which may be necessary to refocus and gain perspective in light of some new insight or some outdated mode of being/thinking.
Loosen the reigns a little, forget the unnecessary stuff, most of all, take in what your Teachers/Guides have to say, but most of all trust yourself; it is never about them and even less about you, in some cases, but more about you in others.
Does something feel right, or is it causing injury? Be wary of those who do not really practice what they preach as they are only spouting rhetoric with no real understanding and zero practical knowledge. Maybe they have a little, by way of Self Defense and Combat? Does it apply to you? Through you? Does it even still apply to them?
Real respect begins in understanding and culminates in applying... Most do not have a grasp of what it means to truly apply as they continue to repeat rote training, as nauseam, without breaking any sort of mold into natural free flow.
Yes, honor teachings and traditions, but also honor your health and maintain your own integrity by questioning, constantly, even to the point of annoyance. If no answers are given and you are made to shut up then, it is likely, the one purporting to have those answers really has no answers at all.
This is not only misleading, but egotistical, and also harmful in the long run. Especially where the Arts of Mars or Martial Arts are involved.
People can get hurt or even killed with incorrect information and improper training and expectations.
There is no disrespect intended by asking questions and, if answers are found wanting, there is no shame in calling someone out on this.
If what they talk about is contradictory to the teachings purported by someone higher up the food chain there is also no shame in pointing this out either... Again, we are all works in progress and areas that need improvement are facts of life and should never be viewed negatively. Those with more experience that purport to be your Teacher/Guide should also maintain strict humility. It is a mutual path.
This may not be the case in some Eastern Countries and we should certainly respect our Elders who clearly have walked the Earth longer than we have, but true respect is never blind and true wisdom is open to learning, no matter where the lesson may come from.
Organizations tend to stagnate, styles tend to solidify, creating automatons is often a sure way to creating helpless people who will not understand what has happened when reality breaks them down and they find they are alone on that field with weapons that do nothing for them.
We can continue to maintain our histories and lineages, our obedience to Tradition and Etiquette, maybe these things deserve such devotion, maybe not, but do we truly act out of respect or do we merely act in a programmed fashion?
What does this truly say about our integrity, let alone are own power and spirit?
To begin, Training is automatically flawed, no amount of training is reality and no system holds the master key to success, no Teacher holds any ounce of the Secret Sauce... Save for reality and experience, the greatest and harshest of Teachers.
It is, true, however, that we do respond from our training and if said training is not adequate we may just find ourselves in a VERY bad spot.
What is missing? What is the point? What are hundreds of choreographed drills meant to teach you? Do they even have a reason to justify their existence? Is that lesson to move and flow naturally at varying distances whilst applying the principles you are learning? If so, is it your own natural way of moving or someone else’s?
Are they meant to teach you recovery from a blindside? How about escapes and counters? Are these even taught right away or are they saved as more ‘advanced?’
(There is no such thing and most techniques do not even exist beyond their utility as teaching and learning aids).
What is the history of a style? Is it mystical or badass? Meant to draw you in based on your expectations and pre-conceived notions formed from popular culture? Does it encourage this mindset or seek to break it? Hint, breaking it would not be a great marketing strategy in this line of work.
Karate itself is a Modern system... All of what we have are modern systems, takes on older things, and many of them have failed to remain true to the spirit they purport to possess by way of lineage and Tradition.
None of them were battlefield tested and none of them are truly ‘Warrior’ Arts in that sense of the term.
Would you require your soldiers to train in something that takes years to grasp, let alone apply? No. You would want your Soldiers battle ready from the start... Let Mastery come later for those that survive.
It is not hard to train in that way and there are really very few things a person needs to know in order to become battle ready... The rest is just mental and physical conditioning to ensure that a person has the necessary stamina and fortitude to handle combat.
Looking at your Teacher. Can this be said about them? Do they maintain such a discipline in themselves? If not, how can they instill this in you? How can they provide you with the tools necessary to maintain said discipline?
If it is an enriched and fulfilling life path they are offering rather than a combative approach (The Way, or ‘Do’) then what does their own life look like? Are they successful of their own accord or do they count on the income provided by their student base to keep them afloat whilst living a life in shambles, maintaining unhealthy habits, and a character that speaks volumes to this whilst speaking words that seem wise, yet merely dressed in silk for consumption?
Everyone is flawed, but there should always be some sign that a person is trying to live the way they are claiming they can help you live or, at least, are able to handle themselves in the way they claim to be able to help you handle yourself.
This is not meant to be disrespectful, just real, because we have very little of that in this day and age of branding for a marketing niche... Nothing wrong with that, until there IS something wrong with it and people get hurt, lives get destroyed.
No comments:
Post a Comment