Dogma Has No Place in Training.

The illusion of purity is something that permeates the realm of many Traditional Martial Arts the world over.
Yes, proper technique and proper training are important, but not for the reasons we are constantly given.

'We do this like this' is a mantra I have heard for years and years, but the question remains, why? What is the purpose of punching six inches one way or six inches the other?
What is the purpose of making a fist a certain way as opposed to another? What are the strategic points for each thing? What are the mechanics of each seeking to promote in order to achieve what specific end?

Does any of that really matter in the long run? Yes, understanding does go a long way in order to utilize things to a certain degree of effectiveness.
The underlying mentality is important as well, but this is an attempt to intellectualize something that takes place on a baser level of brain function, a very savage level of operation that has more to do with taking out a threat to one's survival... The rest is more of an afterthought.

True purity is in forging a spirit through tremendous fire and discovering who we really are beneath all the crap that has been thrust upon us from the day we were born.
Coming into our own, standing on our own two feet, braving the storm no matter the outcome, success or failure, it will be seen through to completion.

In the Lincoln Dojo they have, in place of a Shomen, what they term a Shinzen, something more along the lines of a Religious Shrine.
This was an interesting observation, at least for me, because for me Shinzen, or Shinjin, is something within, it is the Faith/Mind of the Heart/Spirit of the individual. Not something you bow to outside of yourself.

Then there was the argument of the proper line of focus in the Ibuki Breathing of Sanchin Kata. The majority accepted one way of doing things because that had become the dogma of the Organization based on the lineage, while another had accepted an explanation given by their own Teachers based on their own lineage, again, Dogma.
No one really seemed to question it to any significant degree, they just gave explanations based on how they had been told to do it, nevermind whether or not that actually worked for them, that was just how it has been done for a long time... Although this is questionable by the very fact that multiple explanations even exist to begin with.
Which is the correct method? Which is the incorrect method? Why? What is the basis for any conclusion?
Maybe they are both correct? Maybe they are both wrong?

There are older ways that still exist today, but even despite this fact, these more modern Organizations still hold to their Dogmas and Methods, seemingly performing tremendous mental gymnastics to get around this fact and hold fast to their ways... Relying solely on faith rather than reason and logic... But real faith is found in reason and logic.

Much of what we know of the history of Karate is also questionable, again, there are older sources of knowledge, but despite this the majority cling to the Traditional Narrative as they completely ignore what is right in front of them.
It is said that, in the old days, Karateka would learn ONE Kata, yet EVERY school teaches twelve or more Kata that a Student MUST learn in an EXACT way specific to each School or Organization, no questions asked.
There is also a claim that Karate has a direct connection to Okinawan Ti and that Karate was once practiced in secret due to having been outlawed, but this does not seem to have been the case at all, at least only partially, yet the mainstream cling to this as Gospel.

It has always been my view that Karate was originally NOT a Kata-centric Art and, in fact, had no Kata of which to speak, these seemingly came later per the evidence and many other sources to which I have come into contact.
This has earned me outright scorn from some within the community, again, despite the evidence in support of my view (and the view of many others).
The whole of Karate, as it exists today, is modern, and is not Okinawan, but Japanese in its' spirit, it has really nothing to do with any historical connection to Okinawan Ti, but has a strong connection to Tode, or Chinese Arts, as they were brought to Okinawa from China... Many other forms exist that have a stronger connection to Japanese roots through the Satsuma Clan that invaded the Island.

What does all of this have to do with anything? Everything. In fact, it is the very heart of the matter. What we accept as true is not necessarily true, yet we are told to accept it without question as absolute and unquestionable fact.
Many view the Founders of their respective schools in a light that gives them absolute authority as though they could do no wrong and knew everything, nevermind the fact that at least some of them were barely in their early thirties when they founded said schools.
They were not the wise sages many have made them out to be and, some of them in fact, were propped up by an outside Government Entity due to their pro-Government views at a time when Imperialistic Ideals were popular.

One size does not fit all in any form of training and all things must be open to question, critical thinking must be the norm.