Time Travel

This is another post directed specifically with my black belts in mind but I am sharing it publicly in hopes others may benefit.

In last week's black belt class I introduced the concept of time traveling to my students. The purpose of the lesson was to expand the way they were looking at the six harmonies and how they go about perfecting them within each technique. I made a statement that a good black belt is a time traveler who can manipulate time. Upon further discussion with one of my black belts, I realized that the term time traveler is not totally accurate as it implies certain aspects that are not possible. A better term would be 'time manipulator' but I think I will cater my Doctor Who fetish and use 'Time Lord'.

I assume that we all can agree that time is affected by perception. If you're having a good time, time flies by. If you're reading this post and find it boring, time just crawls by. If we agree that perception can affect time, then we have to agree that time is not linear, perception-wise. It is this lack of linearity that creates the concepts of real speed and apparent speed and colloquial terms like 'flat footed'. It is non-linearity that opens time up to be manipulated by a skilled practitioner. To put it another way, you don't need to actually be fast, you just need to be perceived fast by your opponent. Manipulating time is a skill every black belt must master. As you age and your reflexes slow, you have to find other means to maintain your speed.

As a Time Lord you will have a deeper understanding of the six harmonies, starting with pureness of intent. The method we covered last black belt class was specifically addressing Hung and achieving harmonization of your hips and shoulders when adding the explosive beginning to the form. Rather than starting at the beginning of the technique and trying to time your body based upon the beginning, we practiced starting at the end of the technique, in this case the double block, and working our way backwards to the beginning. If intent is pure, all the points upon the line of application will support the end result. So start with the end result and use it as a trigger to how to begin. Be a Time Lord.

"There is no truth. There is only perception." - Gustavo Flaubert (1821 - 1880)

Acts of Kindness

One of the proudest moments of my teaching career came from a comment one of my students overheard in a restaurant across the street from my school. A couple of senior ladies were at the till to pay for their meal when they were told by the waitress that someone had already paid their bill. One of the senior’s commented “I bet it was one of those kung fu guys across the street. They believe in acts of kindness.”

How great is that? Traditional martial arts are definitely as much about kindness as they are about kicking and punching. The fact that two senior ladies who have never trained in kung fu know this, shows that Silent River Kung Fu’s influence and efforts are being recognized by our community. My responsibility as an educator is to ensure these esoteric values are also recognized and embraced by my students.

The challenge we who train in the traditional martial arts face is not unlike the challenge facing society in general. Many of us make decisions based upon fear and while that is understandable, especially if you feel threatened, it is not always the most logical or productive approach to nullifying a threat. A person who only trains to fight, will only have one option in a conflict. Kung fu teaches empathy and compassion and It teaches us how to physically protect ourselves. It is the strength of our character and our empathy that gives us the option of resolving conflict without violence, and the wisdom to recognize that option exists.

Don’t weaponize yourself or your children out of fear. There are so many other things that are much more likely to harm us than kick or a punch. We all are getting our butts kicked everyday more by our acceptance of mediocrity, our limiting beliefs, our diets, our poor relationship skills, and our indifference. Don’t train to fight. Train to live.

“The purpose of training is to tighten up the slack, toughen the body, and polish the spirit.” - Morihei Ueshiba (1883 - 1969)

Community

Yesterday’s parade was, as always, a welcome reminder of the importance of community. Seeing all the seniors out of their lodges and watching the parade along with the rest of the community warmed my heart. I was concerned that we would miss a lot of them because of the new parade route but it seemed like they were all well represented.

I got to spend part of my day with my nephew too. The parade happened to correspond to his 4th birthday so we got to celebrate that milestone with him drumming with me on the Silent River Kung Fu float. I hope he has good memories that stay with him.

The best example of community was all my students who took part in the parade and helped decorate the float. Every moment each of them volunteered went a long way in brightening the day of everyone they encountered, especially mine. Never underestimate the power of a single act.

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” - Leo Buscaglia (1924 - 1998)

Infinite Gratitude

Thirty years. Wow. It is hard to believe that it has been that long. I must have only been 4 years old when I started this. Yesterday Silent River Kung Fu was recognized for thirty years of service in Stony Plain. Thirty years may be behind me on this journey but never once was I alone.

I am surrounded and supported by people who are passionate about what we do. I have black belts working side by side with me who inspire me everyday with their dedication to the art as well as their ability to keep their family first and foremost in their priorities while maintaining a high level of engagement in their kung fu. Recognizing how our decisions about our own training affect those who look up to us is one of the most powerful self defence gifts we can give our children.

We are living in a time where the term martial arts is being applied in ways it was never intended to be used. The definition has become so narrowed that the value of training in the martial arts has been reduced to how this or that would work on the street. I am grateful for those in my life who are able to connect the dots and recognize that weaponizing yourself or your children is not a responsible or logical approach to self defence nor has this approach ever been the main focus of traditional martial arts.

“The ultimate aim of Karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants.” - Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957)

Fight Club

I am sure everyone is aware of the CBC story of the fight club in Spruce Grove. Violence and bullying are unfortunate aspects of our society that we all have to deal with in one way or another. The particulars of this situation have created a lot of outrage, anger, and fear in our community. It is important that we apply logic to any response or we run the risk of promoting the very thing we are fighting against.

Traditional, I repeat, TRADITIONAL martial arts teach character, humility, and compassion. They do not just teach how to physically defend yourself. I know some of the modern "martial arts" advocate not teaching someone of questionable character. Their logic? "It will make them dangerous". They could not be more wrong. Martial arts builds character. If all they existed for was to eliminate weak character, what value would they hold? If your activity is making people dangerous, it is not a martial art. Violence does not end violence. It just perpetuates the problem. Building character and confidence gives people alternative outlets when their ego is challenged. Learning a traditional martial art does not make a person dangerous. Everyone, whether trained or not, is capable of violence in the right circumstance. Those circumstances are determined by the strength of your character which determines the choices you make. Traditional martial arts takes people of weak and questionable character and, over time, teaches them humility while giving them the confidence and self esteem they need to make intelligent and compassionate decisions.

Creating bullies to combat bullies is not the solution, eliminating bullies is.

"We learn martial arts as helping weakness. You never fight for people to get hurt. You're always helping people." - Jackie Chan (b. 1954)

Respect

There is a lot that a person should get out of training in the martial arts. Everyone who begins training is always looking for something specific but ultimately what they will get is a reflection of their instructor's values. If you want to learn how to fight, there are schools who will teach that, in fact it does not even have to be a martial arts school. If you are training to learn discipline, any activity that takes time to master will give you that.

This is where we get into the difference between training in the martial arts and studying a traditional martial art. Only traditional martial arts actually teach respect. Yes, many non-traditional martial arts require respect to be shown, but there is a vast difference between understanding respect and showing respect. From the moment a new student first enters a traditional martial arts school, their perspective is constantly being honed so that not only do they know how to show respect but they actually value respect and recognize the value it brings to their lives.

Discipline and respect are the pillars upon which kung fu is built and learning respect has more to do with true self defence than any kick, punch, or throw.

“Knowledge will give you power, but character - respect.” - Bruce Lee (1940 - 1973)

Engagement

Engagement is a word that I throw around an awful lot. As an instructor it is my job to inspire and motivate my students so that they are engaged in applying their lessons. When it comes to philanthropic work, charitable engagement is the difference between writing a cheque to give to someone to help someone else, and directly helping someone yourself.

I met a man named Rahul Bharti around ten years ago through one of my black belts. Rahul is a guy who lives in Nepal and spends a lot of his time helping the homeless of Kathmandu. Rahul's feedings are major events in Kathmandu, and are often the only meals some of these people will see in a week. What stood out about Rahul for me was how he approaches donations. When my black belt decided to not purchase the new laptop she was saving up for so that she could donate the money to fund one of Rahul's feedings, it was not good enough for Rahul. He wanted Lacie to actually participate in the feeding. That experience continues to inspire Lacie to this day. Her charitable work in our community and throughout the world is beyond compare. Rahul gave her first hand experience that removed the abstraction of poverty that shields most of us living in the west, and inspired Lacie by showing her the power of a single act.

"We must not see any person as an abstraction. Instead, we must see every person as a universe with its own secrets, with its own treasures, with its own sources of anguish, and with some measure of triumph." - Elie Wiesel (1928 - 2016)