Springtime brings two events that are very important to me. SRKF's Pandamonium and the Alabama build-vention. Both projects literally change lives and at the same time they redefine what it means to be a martial artist.
Silent River Kung Fu's Pandamonium is the best tool I have to teach my students the power of empathy and it helps us all remember the power of one. Twenty four hours of perpetual kung fu focusing on family and community while raising awareness. The money we raise on this day go to help the Children's Ability Fund, Malawi Girls on the Move, the Simon Poultney Foundation, Second Chance Animal Rescue Society (SCARS) and Healing Hands. j
The two big things that I got out of my first experience on the Alabama Project were life changers for me. Coming from an affluent country I had not realized what degree poverty was only an abstraction for me. We all think we understand the concept but I don’t believe you can truly understand it until you are living it or, at a minimum, immersed in it. We all talk about the 1% but we rarely talk about the forgotten ones that have been left behind. Like riches, poverty is often inherited. Once you are trapped in it, it can be almost impossible to break out of it. My trips to Alabama have forever removed the abstraction from poverty for me. It is very, very real and tangible.
The second big thing I got out of my first experience in Alabama was meeting Master Dave McNeill. I have never met a more compassionate, engaged human being and he forever has set the standard for me for what it means to be a true master. I had never met him before that first trip in 2008 and have been thankful for the experience and his influence ever since.
"The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit." - Nelson Henderson
1 comment:
The example you set with your school continually inspire me to be a better person.
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