Alabama Perspective

It’s been a week now since Alabama and despite the backlog of work waiting for me, I am happy to say the clarity I developed from the experience is still intact. I am way behind on the goals I set for myself upon my return but the focus and resolve are strong enough to give me the best possible chance of following through after the dust settles.

I found the whole experience quite overwhelming. I am a very shy person socially so this trip was way out of my comfort zone. I find it very difficult to initiate conversation with new acquaintances so I am hoping to attend more events like this so that my new acquaintances from this trip evolve into old friends. One of my major goals to manifest from this experience is to work on my social skills. Mine have definitely atrophied over the past couple of decades of hanging around martial artists. We tend to be a unique bunch whom outsiders find it difficult to relate. I have always found it easier to listen than to talk unless I am leading a class. Time to expand my horizons.

My one regret of this trip is that my social awkwardness prevented me from maximizing my opportunity to connect with so many amazing people and tapping more into all that communal knowledge. I mentioned to Chris how envious I was of him and Debby for the amazing experiences they are garnering at such an early stage in their martial arts careers. To have personal access to such people as Masters Dave McNeill and Tom Callos is an opportunity that many of us never realize in a lifetime. I hope you guys keep reminding yourselves of that and always appreciate it.

Beyond the obvious personal soul quenching that an experience like this provides, there were so many other more tangible benefits. On my fourteen hour trip back to Canada, I completed a seven page list of ideas and goals that were generated by my experience in Alabama. Talk about being rejuvenated personally, professionally, and spiritually.

The biggest, unexpected revelation I received was the value of structure. Maybe not so much a revelation since I stress this point with my students all the time, but more of a reinforcement. Having had my day structured so minutely from 6 AM until 10 PM everyday provided untold benefits. My focus and clarity were beyond anything I have felt for years. Bad habits and cravings were all non existent in that environment. I definitely learned a lot about myself and what makes me tick. This self realization will go a long way in helping me achieve my goals.

I’m really looking forward to attending next year and hopefully having two healthy knees under me so that I can contribute at a much higher level.

“Take advantage of every opportunity to practice your communication skills so that when important occasions arise, you will have the gift, the style, the sharpness, the clarity, and the emotions to affect other people.”
- John Rohn (b. 1930)

Rural Studio

I’m thinking I have about three more weeks of healing before I can start to tax my knee. I experimented a little with forms this weekend and found I still can’t transfer my weight properly so flow and power are way off. What I hadn’t anticipated with this surgery is its impact on my ability to perform push ups. The pressure in the knee is preventing me from using the leg that way without consequences. As usual I didn’t listen to my body so the swelling is a little worse than it has been so I am going to have to bite the bullet and wait. It’s already been almost three months of waiting and patience isn’t one of my virtues when it comes to healing. I always teach my students the value of patience, trust, and progressing wisely but I can’t seem to master that myself.

Three more days before I leave to take part in the Alabama Project. I am pretty excited but at the same time I am somewhat anxious over the whole experience. When I read Rural Studio, I was struck by the comments from Samuel Mockbee’s architecture students. They all mentioned how the experience removed the abstraction of poverty and replaced it with an awareness that they had never experienced.

For me this project is a frightening step. One of my biggest strengths has been my ability to compartmentalize my life so that I can handle extraordinary amounts of stress. I believe this ability has been fueled by the fact that my mind tends to mainly operate at an abstract level with very little linear or comprehensive thoughts coming to the surface until they have been already worked out at the abstract level. Journalling has forced me to bring many of these abstractions to the forefront of my mind so that I can document them. The experience has been wonderful. I have accomplished more in the past few months at a personal level than I have for the past few years. Rather than just thinking about things, I am putting my thoughts into action. I feel a sense of resolve and certainty that has been absent for a long time. However, as with everything else, nothing is for free. By putting all my thoughts down and laying them out, I am now forced to address the murmurs of my soul. The murmurs that as of late seem to be evolving into maniacal screams. I am now painfully aware of the oh so many missed opportunities to make a difference. At times the guilt can be overwhelming. Now I am involved with a project that promises to properly define yet another abstraction. Oh joy.

I can’t say enough about the Alabama project. The people involved are truly extraordinary and to be part of this is a real privilege. I can only imagine what could happen and what potential could be realized if the 100. were to have the support and the funding to truly spread its wings. 100 martial arts masters across the globe with hundreds of students each, all vigilant, committed, and ready to mobilize for a single cause. Wow, goosebumps. This is one opportunity we can’t afford to miss.

“At the studio I learned that economic poverty is not a poverty of values but a fact of birth. You come to realize it’s the luck of the draw that you don’t end up poor. You learn poor people are like you and me. You get to know them and respect them.”
- Bruce Lanier (Rural Studio Architecture Student Graduate - 2000)

Hope

I haven't been able to teach a class or workout for over two months now because of the knee injury. The surgery is over but the healing is taking forever. Ironically, besides the swelling, the knee is not the problem. My leg aches constantly in the thigh from the tourniquet used in the procedure. I haven't slept through the night for a week now so I am hoping this week marks progress in the leg.

All this time off has given me ample opportunity to think about many things. With my country embroiled in a war that is influenced by American foreign policies, I have a keen interest in the US presidential campaign. I happened across Barack Obama’s speech on Race and Unity earlier this week. It was one of the most inspiring orations I have ever heard with his message evoking much optimism in me for the state of our world. What impressed me about this speech, beyond the strong message of reconciliation, was how he delivered it. A forty minute speech where the entire talk was delivered with his eyes on his audience, he only looked to his podium once to read a quote from a book. His thoughts were organized and his message was clear, off the cuff, and obviously from the heart. Forty minutes. A man like this has the power to rally people behind almost any cause. A man like this can change the world. If Barack Obama truly believes in what he is saying, and he is allowed to put this thoughts and influence into action, we are living in exciting, hopeful times.

If nothing else, the lesson of the former Yugoslavia should remind us of the evil caused by ancient hatreds and of the value of reflection over reaction and reconciliation over retaliation. Do we really want our future descendants fighting a war over ancient hatreds that were spawned by our actions of today? The hatreds of today can become the wars of tomorrow unless an eye to the future is stressed over revenge for the past.

"But I have asserted a firm conviction – a conviction rooted in my faith in God and my faith in the American people – that working together we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds, and that in fact we have no choice if we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union."
- Barack Obama (b 1961)