What If?

What if everyone on the planet today were told that they would be reborn again in 100 years?

Would today’s economy continue to take priority over the ecological future we are currently destroying to stimulate it?

Would our excitement over our financial gains be replaced by regret for what we sacrificed to attain them?

Would the wars we wage today still seem so righteously important enough to risk future wars by choosing retaliation over reconciliation?

It seems to me that what we are lacking is empathy. The world’s crisis can be reversed if all of us look at the world through our great grandchildren’s children’s eyes.

“If the person you are speaking to doesn’t appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.” - Winnie the Pooh.

Power of Example

I’ve made some major changes in my life over the past couple of months. My focus has shifted from my training and personal goals to address long standing issues in other areas of my life. I have been reminded of something one of my first kung fu instructors had tried to teach me long ago. He had asked me what was the most important thing in my life. I had answered that it was my daughters. “No”, he said, “It is your health.” At the time I disagreed with him but now I finally understand what he was getting at.

As a parent it is easy to forget to take care of ourselves when it comes to our kids. We sacrifice so much to provide for our children and to be there for them as much as possible. One of the greatest legacies we can leave our children can be found in the power of our example. As my daughters’ independence grows, I see the influence the example I set for them in how they approach challenges in their lives. There is passion in their actions and confidence in their deeds.

The lifestyle I continue to enjoy can be directly attributed to my health and my health is directly related to my lifestyle. My kung fu has given me so much but the greatest gift it has given me is the enrichment of my children’s future.

Thank you Sifu Shergold.

“Setting an example is not the main means of influencing another, it is the only means.” - Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)

Adaptation and Evolution

I don’t think anything else could have been thrown at me this past month to make training any less challenging. Tendonitis in my forearms from 100,000 pushups over the last two years, rolling my toes causing swelling on the pad of my foot, preventing me from pivoting and practicing forms properly, called away on business for four days taking me out of the kwoon, all this while renovating the school.

These challenges have created a major opportunity for me to take advantage of some forced downtime to focus on cleaning up my curriculum, connect with my mentors, and better organize and simplify my life.

There are never setbacks if you are adapting and adjusting to your situation and always moving.

“The wise adapt themselves to circumstances, as water moulds itself to the pitcher.” - Chinese Proverb

Black Belt

As I progress in my kung fu and learn more from the experience of others, I find myself questioning the whole concept behind the rank of black belt.

On one hand the rank is a fantastic motivational paragon. Having a goal such as the black belt adds an element of completion to the journey. Yeah, everyone who has earned the black belt understands the journey never ends but I doubt anyone would deny its value as a tangible objective.

My concern with the black belt is how easily it can be reduced to a commodity whose acquisition can be negotiated for a price. How many students lose sight of what is important and assume that class attendance and service above and beyond excuse the need to master the art? Worse yet, how many instructors fail to uphold the standard of the rank by promoting students who really haven’t earned it? Time training is important but it is not a substitute for skill acquired and while the two are directly related, one does not guarantee the other.

In a perfect world, there would be no ranks, just like the old days. We’d all be training for the love of the art and the benefits of the lifestyle would be reward enough. The fact that the benefits are not enough says a lot about those of us who are ambassadors of the martial arts.

Methinks we need more organizations like the UBBT and The One Hundred that encourage us to make the martial arts so relevant that in the public’s eye they're indispensable. Better yet, we need to raise the bar and prove to our industry that enrollment in these organizations is right for the soul. We all need to realize that what is right for your soul and what is right for your business are not mutually exclusive.

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” - Bruce Lee (1940 -1973)

I Ate What?

Throughout my life I have always been reminded of my mortality by the accumulation of years. Double my age and compare that number to people who are at that age and I have a benchmark of what I can expect. I can remember when I considered the age of 30 as old. My view of 30 was defined by people whose best years were behind them. They had peaked in school and now were living the routine: get up, go to work, come home, eat supper, watch some TV, go to bed - repeat.

Kung fu has allowed me to literally preserve my youth. I feel like I am in the same shape and condition now with the same mental outlook as when I was in high school. I am always looking ahead and I am excited about the prospects the future holds.

Lately I have begun to notice that my perspective of my mortality has shifted. I haven’t been predicting the quality of time I have left by doubling my age, I have been basing my mortality assessment by what I perceive to be our society’s inevitable demise. How much longer can the earth sustain our present consumption rate of her resources? As a large portion of the earth’s population is starving, the rest of us continue to waste and consume in an effort to sustain the unsustainable.

With that in mind, my Student UBBT Team has begun a project for the month of August. We will be documenting everything we eat this month in a group journal. I believe the project will make us all more mindful of what we put into our bodies and the impact our choices have on the planet. This will lead to positive, permanent lifestyle changes for many of us. My hope is that the public nature of the project will create a greater awareness for everyone who reads it and maybe, just maybe, the seeds of change will have been planted.

“You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result” - Mahatma Gandhi (1869 - 1948)