Identity

The more I discover the more I realize how little I truly know and, more than that, I don’t know what I don’t know.

The romanticization of the wise sage-like Karate Sensei, Kung Fu Sifu, or what have you, is a fantasy.

No one has all the answers and while the answers might be on the floor, what is the floor?

Can one learn Carpentry or the skills of an Electrician on the floor?

They can certainly learn the focus necessary to obtain such knowledge as well as strategic methods of approaching such studies, but no, the floor cannot teach you to be a Carpenter or Electrician.

Identifying solely as a Martial Artist is fine, but many cannot obtain a balance necessary to live a good life if that is their sole focus.

They can learn to be good parents, good citizens, good Leaders, good Students, good Mentors, but they have to actually go out into the world and do the work.

When being a Carpenter, be a Carpenter during the timeframe you have to be a Carpenter and then, when you get home, be at home, be a good Parent and Mentor to your children, be a good Husband or Wife.

I am still working on this.

I am NOT just a Martial Artist. I am a writer, sometimes (and not necessarily a good one), and Artist, a Father, a Mentor, a Leader in my field, a Husband, an Uncle, an advocate sometimes.

We all wear many hats, Martial Arts is a small part of that, but it should be foundational for how we approach things, how we execute tactics and strategy when tackling things.

It is not life, it is just a way to approach life that gives us tools.

Good for thought.