1000 Cranes for Peace

This has been a difficult, tumultuous week. For me, the last week of the calendar year tends to be an optimistic week where I look forward to the awesome potential the coming new year holds in store. I have had a very difficult time keeping my optimism afloat after the brutal murders in Pakistan that included the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. It is a wiggly world we live in and our future as a viable species continues to remain dismal. My hope is that our leaders will reflect upon the course that has brought us to this point and perhaps consider reconciliation as an option to retaliation.

Our children are going to inherit a world that is increasingly dominated by conflict. It is important that they learn Peace Education as part of their overall strategy of self defense. There is a project I was planning to initiate at the start of the Year of the Rat but in light of everything that is happening today, I feel it may be more appropriate to begin the project now.

A truly inspiring example of reconciliation over retaliation is the story of Sadako Susaki. Sadako was two years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on her hometown of Hiroshima. In 1955, at the age of eleven, Sadako was diagnosed with the atom bomb disease - Leukemia. Sadako’s best friend told her that there is an old Japanese legend which states that anyone who folds one thousand paper cranes would be granted a wish. Sadako began folding origami cranes with the wish to be healthy again. Her drive and determination so inspired her schoolmates that when Sadako died on October 25, 1955, her schoolmates began a project to build a monument to Sadako and all the children of Japan who were killed by the atomic bomb. School children throughout Japan and nine other countries got involved and helped raise funds for the project.

In 1958, the city of Hiroshima unveiled the Children’s Peace Monument in Hiroshima Peace Park. This “Tower of a Thousand Cranes” has the children’s wish inscribed in its stone pedestal: “This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace in this world”. Today, people all over the world support this call for peace by folding one thousand paper cranes and sending them to Sadako’s statue in Hiroshima Peace Park.

The project that I am initiating will be a yearly project. My goal is to inspire Silent River Kung Fu students to fold one thousand paper cranes by Canada Day in the name of peace. We will send the one thousand cranes to the Mayor of Hiroshima to be placed at Sadako’s statue on August 6 - the anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

Our world could be on the brink of another nuclear conflict. A conflict that has been fueled by intolerance and xenophobia. The potential of the human race is limitless. Perhaps this project will evoke reflection over reaction and reconciliation over retaliation and maybe, just maybe, someday there will be peace in this world.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."
- Jimi Hendrix (1942 - 1970)

Sophie

One of my first memories of Sophie was when she was still a baby. She had been left alone in the kitchen for only a few minutes. Last seen, she was happily playing with her toys. The suspicious silence raised an alarm that something was not right. Big understatement. Sophie had somehow got into a large bag of baking flour. Grandma’s kitchen was obscured by a thick fog that was being generated by Sophie’s merry tossing of the flour into the air. Everything was covered in flour - everything. It took hours of cleaning to restore the kitchen and another hour of bathing to clean Sophie and get the flour out of her hair. This is my first memory of Sophie. Sophie is now eight years old and has not changed a bit.

Sophie is a dog. Sophie is a dog’s dog. Sophie is THE dog. Sophie is a one hundred and five pound Bouvier Des Flandres. Sophie is mischievous. Sophie is always in trouble. I had an epiphany last night - Sophie has life totally figured out.

I have watched this dog with fascination. She is not a typical dog, of that there is no doubt. Sophie is constantly in trouble but somehow she is okay with that. Like any dog Sophie is eager to please, however not at the expense of her ideals. Sophie is a firm believer in certain things and she would never compromise her ideology in order to make an impression on someone. Therefore Sophie will chase the squirrels, she will tease the cats, she will sleep on the furniture, and she will steal my food. She seizes every moment of every day. I even find myself watching her when she sleeps. The dog is a world class sleeper. I have never seen anything sleep so sound. She is always in the moment.

Sophie excels at life. Sophie loves herself and absolutely loves being a dog. The first time Sophie visited Silent River Kung Fu, she spent the first half hour prancing back and forth in front of the mirrors admiring herself (heavily damaging the mats with her Bouvier weighted claws in the process - another story for another time). How can one not be inspired by that self confidence? Can each of us look at ourselves in the mirror and honestly say that we love that person? Most of us can’t really say that we even truly know that person. We spend an extraordinary amount of time every day trying to hide our flaws and portray an image that is more defined by what we think others expect rather than showing who we truly are. Do we even realize how much stress this facade creates for us? Imagine a life where you know and love yourself so completely that you have no inhibitions about showing exactly who you are to the world and where you are completely accepted as this person. Sophie lives this life.

Kung fu teaches us more about ourselves every day. As we learn more about ourselves we learn to face our flaws and either accept them as part of who we are or strive to eliminate them. Self confidence is gained through this self realization. When you truly understand yourself, you will respect, accept, and love yourself.

A life can be dictated by personal beliefs and ideals, uninfluenced by peer pressure and the fear of being labeled an outcast. This is Sophie’s life. She is the most honest, pure soul I have ever met and I love her.

"There is a great deal of unmapped country within us which would have to be taken into account in an explanation of our gusts and storms."
- George Eliot (1819 - 1880)

Dogmatic Revision

I have been devoting some thought toward the paradigm paralysis that is infecting western society and causing us to accept two dimensional and short sighted leadership despite the overwhelming evidence that our culture is in decline. Somehow we have arrived at this point in time where our culture’s materialistic ambitions have appreciated beyond our spiritual values. If the planet is going to have a minimal chance of survival, people are going to have to adjust their definition of quality of life to include the quality of the air they breath, the water they drink, the food they eat, and the company they share.

Values can be classified into two groups: Personal Values and Cultural Values. I believe that as individuals, on a whole, our personal value system tends to be compatible with a peaceful, healthy planet. Our cultural values however, contradict our personal values and are actually systematically destroying those personal values. The crux of the matter is that cultural values tend to be doctrinal and ideological in nature and rooted in political and religious dogma making them very difficult to change. Where does one begin?

If, as individuals, we begin demanding our leadership represent our personal values, cultural values would shift to reflect this ideology. The problem with dogma is that it is taught and passed down from teacher to student. Very little creative thought is applied to qualify learned dogma and it tends to be accepted without question. In order to deconstruct accepted dogma, one must be motivated to consider alternative tenets.

Part of the problem with trying to initiate change is obtaining access to the people who need to listen. Typically lectures and dissertations are only attended and read by others who already have an interest in the subject or issue being presented. These people are already convinced and therefore not our primary target. This is why post secondary institutions are a hot bed of activism. Many students have a veil lifted from their eyes when they are forced to read and research assignments on subjects chosen by their programs, not themselves. Anyone in a teaching position has the power and responsibility to lift that veil of indifference from each and every one of their students. Dogma must become rooted in empirical experience and a priori deduction as opposed to the acceptance of indiscriminate convictions.

The bottom line again is accountability. If we become accountable as teachers for eliminating mindless indifference and if we become accountable as individuals for demanding representation of our personal values by our leaders, our society will begin to adopt cultural values that are more in harmony with our planet’s needs.

“No country or people who are slaves to dogma and the dogmatic mentality can progress, and unhappily our country and people have become extraordinarily dogmatic and little-minded”
- Jawahairal Nehru (1889 - 1964)

Ultimate Sacrifice

While the governments of my province and my country continue to taut emission intensity reduction, our overall emissions of greenhouse gases have reached an all time high. Despite signing the Kyoto Accord in 1998 and ratifying it four years later, Canada continues to talk about the possibility of a solution but has done nothing about implementing any legislation to target overall emissions. As long as we continue to concentrate on intensity reduction but allow production to grow, our disrespect of the planet can only be classified as suicidal. If our provincial government does not begin to take a leadership role in controlling the oil industry’s overall emissions, that responsibility will be taken out of our hands. Does no one remember the National Energy Program? It is inevitable that change will have to be legislated, either that or we are ultimately finished. It is not a matter of if but rather a matter of when and how. I’m embarrassed to acknowledge that Arnold Schwarzenegger has shown more leadership in protecting Alberta’s resources and sovereignty than our own provincial government. See article.

No one seems willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to help our planet. You would think the ultimate sacrifice would be life itself but no, it is not. We now define the ultimate sacrifice as the size of our wallet. For our children’s financial well being, we seem willing to sacrifice the rights of our grandchildren to a healthy, fulfilling life on a non-toxic planet. We may want things to change but we’re not willing to make changes if they are gong to adversely affect our financial bottom line.

Aboriginal cultures have always sought to live their lives in such a way as to ensure long term sustainability of resources. It is time for the rest of us to adopt the same approach and stop waiting for someone else or technology to provide a solution. We must begin to recognize our ability and responsibility to personally make a difference in the health of our planet.

There is a very simple solution that requires a major paradigm shift in consumer values from economical goods to ecologically friendly goods. If each and every one of us began conscientiously spending our money on products that reflect our values and beliefs, industry would adapt and follow the money. If we demand ecological accountability and sustainability in the products we purchase, industry will produce ecologically accountable and sustainable products.

"What you risk reveals what you value."
- Jeanette Winterson ( b 1959)

Out of the Kwoon and Into the World

Today begins the second month of this online journal. Upon reflection, this project has not travelled in the direction I had anticipated. My reason for starting this was simple. Accountability. I envisioned this blog as a tool to hold myself accountable for achieving the goals and standards I have set for myself.

I have several plans and goals in the works at any given point of time but I have no deadlines. I never stop striving to achieve my goals but because I keep adding new goals, my attention and focus are constantly in flux. My progress on any specific path tends to be slow. I find myself trapped in the perpetual cycle of addressing one crisis or another and having to concentrate on whatever the immediate priorities these crises define. Most often these immediate priorities are only that - immediate. They have no long term benefit or consequence, they only require my immediate attention because they are time sensitive. Most time sensitive priorities only evolve into such due to procrastination. I found myself continually dealing with minor crises that had become my number one priority due to neglect rather than making any progress on truly important, less time sensitive initiatives. This journal was to help keep me focused on my important pillar shaking goals and values. By publicly disclosing them, I am now accountable for results or the lack of results. Public scrutiny can be a great focus motivator.

Now a month into this project I have come to realize that the benefits I am realizing go way beyond what I had expected. Yes I am more focused on the important issues because of their public declaration but I am also considerably more efficient. By documenting my thoughts I have been forced to organize them into a linear stream as opposed to the standard abstract chaotic pie in the sky mishmash that is usually bouncing around my skull like a pinball. I have been able to apply this newfound focus to my students and give them tangible tools to help them get maximum benefit from their training. Our new motto “Out of the Kwoon and into the world” is only words without substance unless we actually give people the means to put this philosophy into action.

That is the crux of it all - translating words into tangible actions that produce empirical results. There is a world of difference between doing what you want to do and doing what you need to do. Beyond accountability, this blog is initiating the development of the strategies and tools I require to help organize my words into action and ensure I continually challenge myself to notice the difference between the want to do’s and the need to do’s in my life.

"If you do what you need to do when you need to do it, then someday you can do what you want to do when you want to do it."
- Jimmy John's Sandwich Shop

Cornerstone for Change

Why do we continue to engage in activities that are destroying our way of life and ultimately our planet? Modern society has placed more value on economics than life itself. We continue to justify ecological genocide and war in the name of quality of life. Unfortunately the quality of life ideal we continue to strive for is incompatible with the long term survival of the very planet that gives us life.

Our world is filled with problems and yet at the same time, great potential. It becomes quite overwhelming when one considers the sheer magnitude of all the problems created by our species. I believe that this overwhelming impression is what prevents so many from acknowledging their ability to impact the situation. What is important is the ability to compartmentalize and use selective attention as your coping strategy. You have to take in enough information to fully understand a problem but not so much that you cave in under all the pressure. If we break the problems down and focus on what we can do as individuals, change begins. It has been said that things we do as individuals matter but things we do that others see, matter even more. Several individuals working on the same problem become a group. Several groups becomes a movement. A movement initiates global change.

With all the problems facing our world today, I feel the cornerstone issue is the environment. We have completely lost our way and disassociated ourselves from what is truly important. Our basic needs for survival have been taken care of for so long - food, water, air, clothing, and shelter - that we have forgotten how important they truly are. Now, in the name of materialism, we are destroying the earth’s ability to continue to provide us with these basic needs. Not only are we attacking our own ecosystem in this pursuit but we are also attacking our fellow man. We have lost our ability to empathize and relate with one another. We continue to choose to take care of our own personal immediate wants without seeing how everything, and I do mean everything, is interconnected.

I believe by acknowledging our place in the ecosystem of the planet, we will begin to once again understand our place in the world. We are not lord and master with the right to rule over it all. We are an integral part of our own ecosystem and as such we are dependent upon the balance and support of other species to ensure our long term survival.

Now if we can begin to empathize with a micro-organism and understand how we are dependent upon it for our own survival, can our ability to empathize with our fellow man be far behind? If we make the environment our priority, our overall empathy will develop to a point where the catastrophic global problems created by mankind will begin to be resolved.

"There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed."
- Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869 - 1948)

Random Acts of Kindness

Once again it snowed last night. And once again I am reminded of the symbolic cleansing a fresh batch of snow conveys upon one’s psyche. The ground is completely pure without blemish and full of potential. Once those first tracks are laid upon its surface, the die has been cast and there is no going back - it is changed forever.

Our personal interactions have the exact same effect upon the earth. Each day begins rife with potential - both good or bad. How we engage our fellow man, even at the most mundane levels, has a profound effect on the planet as a whole. If a butterfly flapping it’s wings off the coast of Africa can spark a hurricane in the Caribbean, imagine what awesome potential a single mindful action initiates.

There is a worldwide movement that touts the value of kindness. Imagine a world where every citizen makes it their habit to perform an act of kindness every day. Why only a single act of kindness, why not a dozen every day?

There is young man from southern California who is trying to make a difference by logging one million acts of kindness by his country’s youth (http://www.onemillionaok.com). Despite having extremely limited financial resources, Brian Williams is indeed making a huge difference in our world. What I really like about Brian, and where I believe many of my students can learn from him, is that he holds himself 100% accountable for achieving his goals. He only sees challenges in front of him, not obstacles. I am so impressed with his drive and determination that despite never having personally met him, this week we shipped out our school’s digital video camera to Brian so that he can document his project with a video diary. Our hope is that this chronicle may inspire others to eliminate their indifference and step up and become accountable for global change.

An ambitious benevolent project initiated by an individual in one country supported by the mindful action of a group in another country - suddenly the prospect of being able to make a difference doesn’t seem so intimidating.

"Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness."
- Seneca (4BC - 65AD)

The Power of One

So I’ve been thinking. How does one, a single person, make a difference?

The world my parents grew up in was vast. Everyone was separated and in essence, segregated by distance. This distance served as a buffer that shielded everyone from each other. The emphasis was on family and taking care of your own. With radio and newspapers being the only form of global communication, one’s empathy for the plight of other’s on the other side of the world was modulated by their own imagination. The ability of a single person in rural Alberta to empathize with and shake the tree of someone in urban Europe seemed to be improbable.

The world my children have grown up in is considerably smaller. With television and the internet comes instant and graphic communication. No longer are we shielded by the limits of our imagination and the censorship of governments. Everything is exposed for our viewing. From Suddam Hussein’s execution to ethnic cleansing in Darfur, empathy is forced upon us to such a degree that one can become overwhelmed with a sense of helplessness and impotency. In a world so small rife with such massive problems, how can a single act by a single person begin to help heal the planet?

So here we have two different generations at two extremes, but both with the prevailing feeling of powerlessness. No matter who you are or where you come from, three steps to empowerment must be completed in order for you to make a difference.

Step 1 - Personal Enlightenment and Self-Realization.
Before one can begin to address the issues of the world, one must first begin with understanding their own self. We spend such an inordinate amount of time showing the world what we think it wants to see that in the process we sometimes buy into our own hype. We all have limitations and faults but if we are not acknowledging them we are setting ourselves up for a life of constant disappointments and failures. In order to achieve our goals, we must first understand what our strengths and weaknesses are so that we can put in place everything we need to assure success. This is why earning a black belt is so difficult. Most of us underestimate our limitations and do not do the basics required to overcome them. We just keep banging ahead, getting frustrated at our lack of progress until we give up. If we were able to see all our flaws clearly, the path to success would be just as clear. Once this personal enlightenment is achieved, our place in the grand scheme of things becomes more clear. We can now use our strengths - our real strengths, to influence change.

Step 2 - Empathy.
The power of passion cannot be released without empathy. It is impossible to not want to take action if one is experiencing an unthinkable horror. It is just as impossible to not want to take action if one is experiencing an unthinkable horror through another’s eyes. We must stop disassociating ourselves from the atrocities we see everyday. Whether it is ecological apathy in our own country or wide-spread genocide in Africa, these are issues we cannot and should not ignore. Morally corrupt governments rely upon the public’s apathy to maintain power. If we all take a stand for what we believe in, no matter our location in relation to the issue, it is no longer just one person standing. It is now a global movement and change becomes imminent.

Step 3 - Accountability.
All the enlightenment and empathy in the world will not amount to anything if there is no accountability. It is not good enough to just understand ourselves and the plight of those around us. In order to make a real difference, there must be accountability for that change to happen. Each and every one of us must be held accountable to live our lives according to our ideals and make decisions in every moment of every day that correspond to these ideals. Rather than looking for some sort of initiative to be taken by our leaders, we can force our leaders to take initiative on our behalf by holding ourselves accountable and taking consistent action.

If each and every one of us were to apply the black belt success cycle to every aspect of our lives, including our passions, amazing things would happen for our planet.

Black Belt Success Cycle
1 - Set a goal.
2 - Have a plan and a success coach.
3 - Take consistent action.
4 - Review your progress.
5 - Review your goals.

"They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself."
- Andy Warhol (1928-1987)

Ground Zero

It seems somewhat appropriate that it snowed last night. The first snow of the season always feels like a new beginning, a clean slate. Today is day one, ground zero in what I hope will signal the beginning of the devolution of the martial arts. That’s right, the devolution. It’s time to get back to the basics and contemplate what value we bring to society. At the end of the day it isn’t the perfection of our skill that is making the difference, it is the self realization and understanding that emerges from the challenge of the journey.

Yes, we can change the world. In fact, the state of the world is Canada’s responsibility. Absolutely, it is we Canadian’s responsibility. In many countries, the consequence of asking a question can cost you your life. Canadians live in the freest country in the world where we can ask questions and demand accountability. If every Canadian began demanding answers and accountability, the world would listen. Part of our social consciousness paralysis, our inability to take action, stems from the prevailing assumption that with a problem of any magnitude, one alone cannot make a difference. This assumption is convenient and an excuse for mediocrity. It is not only our right but our duty to overcome our inertia and take action. No one seems to have an issue with holding someone accountable for their actions but is it not time we became accountable for our inactions?

I have always tried to keep my personal political and ideological viewpoints to myself and out of the kwoon. I think I was concerned that if I dared to express my opinions I would polarize my students and perhaps lose my ability to influence some of them in the future. I am careful to treat the power and influence that kung fu has given me with respect and a sense of great responsibility. I believe that ideological shifts are better generated through influence of example as opposed to the imposition of will.

I now find myself living in a world dominated by ideological conflicts of which there can be no resolution. I have seen the roots of deep seeded hate spread by short sighted foreign policies that are going to ensure this hate will be passed down from father to son, mother to daughter for many generations to come. I live in a world where the actions of my country today may spawn a conflict for my distant descendants long after me and my children have left this world. My ability to change the world is embedded within my willingness to take action and become personally responsible for influencing and inspiring those around me to include tolerance and understanding as their most treasured values.

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear."
- James Neil Hollingworth (1933 - 1996)