Empathy and Respect

As 2018 draws to a close, one can’t help but meditate upon the state of the world. I don’t think many of us would have predicted the nationalistic shift on a global scale. Who knew that racism and intolerance could make such a comeback?

I know my generation knows better. At least we did when I was in school. Yet here we are, destroying the planet’s precious few resources so that we can fill our wallets and have all the latest gadgets. Consumerism has never been so hallowed.

It was not so long ago that we understood how small the world really is. Today, birthright is everything. No one cares about what is earned, we all seem to have this overwhelming sense of entitlement. - as if we have done something incredible to deserve our place on the planet.

Don’t get me wrong, I am eternally grateful to live in the country I have been lucky enough to have been born in. When it comes to citizenship, I have won the lottery. But that’s the thing, isn’t it? Knowing that I have done nothing to deserve this. I just happened to be born on this side of an imaginary line.

My awareness of the total randomness of my citizenship gives me deep respect and empathy for those who have not been so lucky. As I have done nothing to deserve my lot in life, neither has anyone else - no matter where they live.

Life is short. I think it is infinitely more productive and fulfilling to appreciate what you have and share it with everyone, rather than spending all your time protecting your random birthright.

“it is not easy to see how the more extreme forms of nationalism can long survive when men have seen the Earth in its true perspective as a single small globe against the stars.” - Arthur C. Clarke (1917 - 2008)

Christmas

I find myself wondering what Christmas is. From all appearances, it is a festival of capitalism in all its glory with very little to do with the Christian faith.

Looking at the world today I see billionaire ‘Christian’ politicians promoting hate and intolerance while their foreign policies produce war, famine, to ensure that their own personal financial interests are reinforced. At the same time, people I respect, are celebrating their ‘Christian’ faith at the same time they are speaking out against helping the refugees they have helped produce by supporting nationalistic rhetoric. When did Christmas become such a mess? I don’t know but it has always been like this during my lifetime.

Christmas should be about peace, tolerance, and good will. Shame on us.

“Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn’t come from a store.” - Dr. Suess (1904 - 1991)

Rooting and Centring

In kung fu we train in energy and power with our ultimate goal being the harmonization of the two. Power comes from centring and energy comes from rooting.

At the beginner levels, we constantly reinforce the concept of maintaining our centre. At this level it begins with maintaining and lowering our stances. We progress by keeping our centre of gravity in our hips as we transition through our stepping and stances. Application of centring is about maintaining our own centre while disrupting our opponent’s centre.

At the advanced levels we expand the concept of centre to include rooting. Rooting involves using energy by pushing our feet into the ground. When centred we tend to stand ‘on’ our legs but when we are rooted, we are standing ‘in’ our legs. The force vectors of our energy while rooted spiral in and down so that application of rooting can explosively lift our opponent completely out of their stance.

“If the I wants to move upward, it must simultaneously have intent downward.” - Chang San-feng (1279 -1386)

A Life of Consequence

As people I love continue to leave this earth, I can’t help but think about the fragility and shortness of life. Rich or poor, the only commodity of real value is time. But time is not just about quantity. Spending the precious time we have on things that matter defines a life well-lived.

“Death is not a tragedy to the one who dies; to have wasted the life before death, that is the tragedy.” - Orson Scott Card (b. 1951) 

“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” - Marcus Aurelius (121 - 180) 

“The idea is to die young as late as possible.” - Ashley Montagu (1905 - 1999)

Intelligent Curriculum

The difference between traditional martial arts and fighting arts is what I refer to as intelligent curriculum. The martial arts has always been about more than kicking and punching but too few schools actually teach anything but.

Kung fu tempers the confidence that comes with building character and self esteem by ensuring empathy and compassion are part of the training. It is in those less physically tangible attributes that the real value of traditional martial arts is realized.

If you want your kid to learn how to handle a bully without becoming a bully himself, empathy and compassion are essential. Unless you live a life where you are in constant threat of physical assault, the biggest and most applicable training you receive from a traditional martial arts school is found in their intelligent curriculum.

“There is no cost difference between incarceration and an Ivy League education; the main difference is curriculum.” - Paul Hawken (b. 1946)