Meditations

It has been a long time coming but I have finally got around to reading Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Aurelius was the last of what Machiavelli coined “The Five Good Emperors”.  Marcus Aurelius never meant for his writings to be published or read by any other. His writings were private journals meant for his eyes only. I have always been fascinated with the miracle that his writings have survived this long. They were written on ancient papyrus, and here I am today, reading them on my iPad. I wonder what the Roman Emperor would think of that?

He may have ruled ancient Rome two thousand years ago but I find the problems we face today are virtually identical to the problems and moral dilemmas that Marcus Aurelius faced so long ago. Environmental issues, social injustice, conspicuous consumption — two millennia later and we seem to have made little progress on issues that continue to plague mankind.

Meditations is a humbling and inspiring read. A two thousand year old message of simplicity, compassion, accountability, and mindful living. An important message indeed.

“Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking." 

“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.”

“The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it.”

“Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart.”

“You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”

“Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.” 

“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.” 

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” 

“The soul becomes dyed with the colour of its thoughts.” 

“If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it.” 

 - Marcus Aurelius (121 - 180)

Absorb What Is Useful

Bruce Lee’s advocation of absorbing what is useful while breaking free of the limitations of form and style are probably the most misused precepts of his philosophical approach to kung fu. It is easy to exclude the context behind the written word, especially if it serves a personal agenda.

Bruce Lee pioneered branching out and not restricting your potential by limiting your approach to the specifics of a given style. Everyone is built differently, with unique strengths and weaknesses, and every style is built upon a dogmatic foundation prescribed by its creator. It becomes a disservice to the martial arts when the inexperienced and uneducated latch onto specific statements by famous martial artists without understanding the context of the quoter’s intent and the historical, practical, intellectual, and spiritual significance of the principles of a complete martial art style.

Bruce Lee had a complete traditional style upon which his philosophical approach to kung fu was based. This is the context behind his statement. Having a complete style as your foundation and then building upon it by expanding your knowledge within areas that suit you and interest you is vastly different than starting from scratch and studying a hodge podge of techniques to make yourself a better fighter.

It is time to reclaim what it means to be a martial artist and not let the term become a generic label to denote people who train to fight. Kung fu is over two thousand years old. It would be a tragedy if we allowed its definition to become reduced to something associated with ego, testosterone, and violence during our watch.

“Art calls for complete mastery of techniques, developed by reflection within the soul.” - Bruce Lee (1940 - 1973)

Silent River Kung Fu

Excerpt from our news article:

With the popularity of the UFC and competitive fighting, the public’s understanding of the martial arts is becoming more distorted and limited. The last thing the martial arts is about is fighting.

Training at Silent River Kung Fu is more than kicking and punching. When you consider the fact that we all have a better chance of having our butts kicked by our finances, our diet, our attitude, and our acceptance of mediocrity than a physical assault; there is a better use of the idea of self defence beyond the physical protection of the body. Is not self defence found in the values we pass on to the young? In the examples we set for them in how we demonstrate, through our own practice, what is wonderful, meaningful, and valuable in the world? What if the idea of self defence was applied to the mind, to the family, to the community, to the environment, to the food we eat, to the way we deal with conflict, stress, and anger?

At Silent River Kung Fu you have an opportunity to practice with people who can talk about and show examples of what the martial arts does for a person, for their family, and their community. Silent River’s intelligent curriculum teaches discipline and respect, and how to take what is learned on the mats and put it to work in the world. While many walk through huge sections of their lives like the living dead, oblivious to the beauty, the mystery, and the wonder around them, there are also many people who are awake and engaged.

"Yes, a black belt should be able to execute precise, effective, beautiful, and technically proficient martial arts techniques, whatever the style. But just as importantly, a black belt should be able to execute precise and beautiful ideas, equal to or better than their physical techniques. A black belt should have an attitude equal in its brilliance to his or her physical skills." - Tom Callos (b. 1959)

One Step Forward . . .

In any and every endeavour there are ups and downs. Moving forward may be the goal but any journey worth making will always be rife with challenges and setbacks. Three steps forward, one step back. Setbacks are frustrating and demoralizing. Years of progress and achievement can be wiped out with a single mindless act. That is why it is important to remember that the path to success is not linear. Things never go as planned. Weakness can overcome discipline. Stress can derail structure. It is comforting to be reminded that every major success is defined by how one has responded to hardships and setbacks. Failure is only absolute when we stop trying.

 “Failure? I never encountered it. All I ever met were temporary setbacks.” - Dottie Walters (b.1925)

Power of Engagement

It has been a good week. I was able to spend some quality time with a few students who constantly remind me of the power the art wields in helping someone change their life. I also had the opportunity to spend some personal time with my instructor this week. Master Macdonald has been my friend and mentor for over twenty years now and his ability to inspire me has not waned one bit.

Yesterday provided the perfect finish to a spectacular week. I shared the day with a group of incredibly engaged individuals. I have been training hard for most of my life and I have not found anything that can emulate the clarity and inspiration that comes from being around people dedicated to mastery.

The parade in Alberta Beach was an absolute blast. The crowd was loud and incredibly positive. Their engagement mirrored our own. Our demo after the parade was a whole lot of fun. In my early years as an instructor, my demos were always about entertaining the public and promoting the school. Now that I am older (and hopefully wiser) I see so much more value in demonstrations. My first and foremost focus is using the event as a tool to help engage my students. My emphasis is now on entertaining ourselves and just experiencing the moment. Sure I care what everyone else thinks but that is never on my mind during an event. It’s just about being mindfully present and staying aware of who I am with and what we are doing.

Finishing yesterday with a BBQ was perfect. Our performance was done and any anxiety surrounding it was also done. I have come to treasure these personal moments that we share as a family. Kung fu is the catalyst that brought us together but that sense of family is keeping us together.

“Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” - Lou Holtz (b. 1937)