What Will Be Left?

So Canada has pulled out of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. Another step along the path of isolating Canada from being associated with anything that may force our government to acknowledge that the planet is in crisis environmentally.

I understand where Stephen Harper is coming from. He got elected claiming that Canada was immune to the global recession, only to announce drastic spending increases three months later in an attempt to stimulate the economy. He got reelected by selling himself as a fiscal conservative despite running up the biggest deficit in Canadian history. With all the time he is spending campaigning as opposed to governing, he isn’t able to see environmental initiatives as being anything but harmful to the economy. If our Prime Minister is not looking out for our long term future, what type of country is he going to leave behind when his political aspirations are satiated?

I suspect this whole issue will quietly go away the same way it did in 2011 when Harper pulled Canada out of the Kyoto Protocol. Such is the way of Canadians - we complain but we don’t act. Our economy continues to stagnate while we cut more and more environmental safeguards in retaliation. Is there going to be anything left to protect when we finally get our priorities straight?

"Because we don't think about future generations, they will never forget us." - Henrik Tikkanen(1924 - 1984)

Engaged Kung Fu

My students have all heard me reminding them to stay engaged in their kung fu. It is hard enough to follow through on anything that takes a long time to master so staying mentally engaged with your goals and your process is a fundamental key of success.

Staying engaged with your kung fu is easier if you are practicing engaged kung fu. When kung fu has permeated itself into all aspects of your life, it becomes so much more. We always talk about the mental and physical benefits of the art but if we do not actively apply our kung fu beyond the physical, the mental benefits never reach their full potential.

Practicing engaged kung fu is about taking your training out of the kwoon and into the world. If your kung fu is teaching you empathy, that empathy should show in the compassion and understanding you show to others. If your kung fu is teaching you to listen to your body, that should show in your diet and your lifestyle. If your kung fu is teaching you to be a leader, speak up about what you believe in and never appear indifferent. If kung fu is teaching you about mastery, never accept the mediocre.

“A little knowledge that acts is worth infinitely more than much knowledge that is idel.” - Kahill Gibram (1883 - 1931)

Kindness

Bullying is a problem that perpetuates social issues beyond today’s victim. An experience like bullying leaves scars behind as a reminder of the ordeal. Unlike physical scars, the emotional scars inflicted by bullying can be contagious. They colour your interpretations, and influence your reactions. Emotional scars become an integral part of how you interact with the world. We are, after all, the sum of our experiences.

Our approach to bullying tends to be very reactionary. Schools have a “zero tolerance” approach to bullying that focuses on punishment but does little to address prevention. I think that society tends to look at bullying as something that has been around since the dawn of time and therefore it will be here until the end of time. What if we were to proactively address the problem of bullying and concentrate on prevention? What if we shifted our focus from eliminating bullying to promoting kindness? Would not the positive action of kindness help eliminate bullying?

You cannot eliminate bullying until you eliminate the bullies. Bullies come by their tendencies honestly. They are not born that way, they become that way through the sum of their experiences. Most bullies are victims themselves who have come to practice what they have learned. Emotional scars have a way of making it difficult to see the world through the eyes of another. A little mindful kindness goes a long way toward developing empathy. The ripples created by an act of kindness can develop into a wave of positive change.

It all begins with a single, mindful 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 (1824 - 1998)

Excellence

“On the path to mastery, erase any resentment you have towards masters. Develop compassion for yourself so that you can be in the presence of masters and grow from the experience. Rather than comparing yourself and resenting people who have mastery, remain open and receptive; let the experience be like the planting of a seed within you—with nourishment, it will grow into your own individual mastery.” - Stewart Emery

No one understands what resides in my heart. Like my personal demons, my kung fu is my own. I alone understand what it means to me and I have learned to recognize when another’s estrangement from their own journey can cause them to feel resentment toward those who are still on the path. Where mastery is a personal journey, mediocrity loves company.

Kung fu is an individual journey that we share with others. Anyone who trains understands the bond and fierce loyalty you develop toward your training mates —training mates who are complete strangers outside the training hall. Such is the power of a shared extraordinary experience.

In the kwoon we do not judge one another. We recognize that everyone has their own unique strengths and limitations and therefore each individual journey is different from our own. I cannot think of another activity where respect and support for one another’s efforts is so absolute. This is why the training feeds the soul more than it feeds the body. Only first hand can one experience and understand this phenomena.

The compassion and support we show our kwoon mates is much more difficult to extend to ourselves. We tend to judge ourselves harshly. Even though we recognize that everyone has their own unique strengths and weaknesses, we inevitably compare ourselves to others. This is where our journey can become a race where our approach devolves from maintaining a process of mastery, to a search for quick fixes and unsustainable results. We forget that the value is found in the journey not the destination.

Goodbye

This will be my last journal entry as part of the Ultimate Black Belt Test. My kung fu has been forever changed by my participation in the UBBT over the past few years and I feel immense gratitude for having the opportunity to be part of something this important.

I will continue on with my student team but the official UBBT is shutting down - for now. I’ve met many great people during my UBBT tenure and I am proud of the projects I have been involved in. I can’t think of a more significant or extraordinary initiative to influence the martial art industry in my lifetime than the Ultimate Black Belt Test. Tom Callos’ leadership and vision is helping us reclaim what it means to be a black belt.

“Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)