Everything In Its' Place.

There is a purpose to everything. Some may not believe this, but others feel it deep in their bones; I am among the latter.
What purpose is there? What is the reason for anything? This may seem off topic for a Martial Arts Blog, but it is my view (and I am joined in this by the likes of Marcus Aurelius, Socrates, Aristotle, Plato, and many others) that the Universe itself is reasoning and rational.
All of those mentioned above were also Martial Artists in their own right, and this was an extension of their practices in Philosophy.

My quest has never been for belts or titles; it has never been about gaining prestige or recognition within any given Community or Organization... It has never been my goal to go down in history books along side the greats, the Masters.
I maintain this run-of-the-mill blog on my corner of the Internet, most don't even know it is here unless I choose to share my views with a larger audience and I write irregularly, whenever something strikes me to write.
No. My quest has always been the truth, getting to the core, to the root, to the reality behind all the bullshit peddled about in one form or another and this has taken me to many interesting places where some very interesting things were shared... Some can be shared openly, some cannot, in the case of the latter it is because I gave my word in exchange for what was being imparted.

Holding true to my previous posts, no one claiming to hold the 'secret sauce' should be taken at face value, ever.
That being said, some of these claims have turned out to be quite enlightening, some have not. That is not why I am writing now.

The things I know are definitely outside the norm for most, definitely not mainstream, and definitely puts me at odds with most in any Mainstream Organization... This is nothing new to me, it has been this way for many years.
My Teacher used to say 'I give you three corners of the puzzle, I expect you to go out and find the fourth on your own,' which is something I have always taken to heart.

Certainly one can conform to the standards of an Organization, have them tell you how to do things the right way (read their way) which rarely translates to anything useful beyond the realm of the Organization itself.
This is not meant to be disparaging of Organizations themselves, there are fine people and very knowledgeable people within Organizations, and even here, there is a reason, a rationality behind these things, a starting point, a springboard. The first three pieces of the puzzle, maybe they lead to the fourth, maybe not, ultimately it is up to each individual to step outside their comfort zone and tread off the beaten path... This is NOT for the feint of heart, however, and certainly NOT for anyone wanting to make a name for themselves or any sort of position within an Organization because it requires one to question everything, most do not appreciate this.

In my life the rank of Godan, Yondan, or even Sandan may never be achieved. Off the beaten path these things don't matter in the slightest because rank is a piece of paper.
There is a reason for this as well and I feel it is along the lines of what T.T. Liang said in the book 'Steal My Art' when he gave a Teaching Certificate to an Individual that ended up leaving to form his own group off the reputation of the great Tai Chi Master, that individual only wanted prestige, not the actual Art itself, so T.T. Liang wrote him that certificate to make him go away so that he could focus his efforts on people who actually wanted to learn.
In most cases this may not be true, but the notion of Rank and all that seems to promote a spirit of conformity that is not conducive to actual learning beyond surface level stuff... The trivial stuff.

Do I feel that this is bad? No, not in the slightest, and as I previously stated, this is not meant to be disparaging as there are some fine individuals within Organizations and, indeed, VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE individuals with high rank. I have deep respect for these people and am always honored to train with them.
It is the people who seem to avoid the front of the class, who seem to stay off to the side simply working on what they are working on, that draw my attention the most and it is from these individuals, whom have been training for years and years on a single thing, from whom I have learned the most.

What is the purpose of all this? I am told I should teach, that I should open a school and share what I have learned, constantly told.
Truth be told I do have a school, but it is not the conventional school with wood floors, a Shomen, weapons, or even walls, per se, no, it consists of time, effort, and applying knowledge to whatever task one happens to be doing at the time.
There are no rank requirements, the only standards to follow are body mechanics and principles, sometimes there are parks involved, sometimes it consists of sweeping the kitchen or doing dishes, or doing a job to the best of one's ability.
If I had a school I doubt I would even include rank. My students would call me by my name or simply call me 'Mister so-and-so' and may not even include Traditional Uniforms.

My purpose for training is not to conform, it is to grow, it is to step outside of that box in which many willingly place themselves and look around, see what is there, maybe communicate that back to others, maybe not, depending on who is asking and whether or not there is interest.
The purpose of a school would not be in having people who simply conform to 'What Sensei says' but to help them explore themselves and learn from their own perspectives.
There would, naturally, be a bit of that as one cannot come to a Teacher and expect not to work for what they are asking, but ultimately what they are asking for comes from within, the outer stuff, the Kata, the drills, all of it, those are just tools... Tools serve a purpose... Once that purpose has been completed what is the point of keeping those tools? One is using the tools to fine tune oneself, once that has been accomplished the self outgrows the tools and begins to function as it should along the principles outlined by the use of said tools.

Ultimately one may never get to this point within their lifetime, but this idea that the tool is the main point of focus has permeated nearly every aspect of training and, I feel, the true purpose has been completely missed.
The meaning of the word 'Karate' is 'Empty Hand,' it is not meant to be a 'Style' in the usual sense of the term, it is a system of fine tuning oneself, a system that has not been utilized properly for a long, long time.
Some will say it is bullshit itself, and with this I tend to agree, given what I now know and what I had suspected previously... Then again, most things can be said to be bullshit, but this is not because they are bogus, it is because they are not being properly utilized... Like trying to unscrew something using a tack-hammer, it simply won't work.

Do I have all the answers? Hell no. Not even close. I have what I have and I know what I know, there is always more to learn and learning more will undoubtedly change my perspective as I go, but the root of this has remained the same, utilizing things properly for what they were meant to do.
The true meaning of the Empty Hand is the Hand that holds everything, this is not simply philosophical rhetoric, it is a teaching tool... It points to exactly the perspective one needs in order to start down the path properly... Do not become overly attached to things as they 'appear,' for one, appearances are deceiving and often outright wrong, especially if the appearance of something is the sole focus rather than that to which the PROPER appearance alludes... Function should determine form, not the other way around... Once this is understood then the actual method doesn't really matter because the function and principle are present.

Whether one knows One Kata or Twenty Seven, it does not matter in the slightest. The purpose is what matters, the Kata is not a relic to behold, it is something to be used and tools used often change over time.
There is no standard or 'right' way to do something beyond whether or not it is imparting solid principles, functionality, and applicability.

Ultimately Karate is about growing beyond Karate. Maybe this is not a very 'Karate' view on my part, but there it is... Take it or leave it, I really don't care.