Truth and Reconciliation

September 30th marks the first National Day forTruth and Reconciliation in Canada. I believe this is an important initiative to help bring awareness and understanding of what our indigenous citizens have unjustly endured by the hands of our nation.

Racism and bigotry prevails in our society and in recent years it has even become more socially acceptable to publicly support and spread bigoted ideas and actions. September 30th is an opportunity to reverse this trend. It is an important day for reflection and, hopefully, reconciliation.

I am someone who believes that one of our greatest strengths as a nation is our diversity. Our diversity brings creativity and opportunity to every problem and situation. Pre-conceived ideas and beliefs only limit what we are capable of achieving.

Silent River Kung Fu is observing Truth and Reconciliation Day on September 30th and will not be conducting any formal classes on this day. Our students are all encouraged to reflect upon the legacy of residential schools and the systemic racism that still infects our society. In light of the current healthcare crisis in this province, we will not be officially participating in any public events and we are encouraging our students to remain isolated and safe.

“We have been investing in our collective ignorance, and we have to stop." — Marie Wilson

Divsions

Politicians have used fear as a tool to divide the population in an effort to support their political ambitions. It has been a long time since a political leader actually lead by doing what is right for their constituents over what serves their quest for power. There is a vast difference between being a politician and being a leader. Alberta’s current government is an excellent example of what happens when politicians fail to lead.

Leadership must be more than just having power. Leadership should be serve as opposed to expect to be served. Proper leadership inspires everyone to pull together for a common goal, not divides everyone in an attempt to hold on to power.

At the end of the day we end up with the leaders we deserve. If we do not like what we are getting, we can change things by demanding leadership instead of supporting politicians.

“A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.” - Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 - 1968)

Incremental Progression & Sustainable Training

I talk a lot about the value of incremental progression. The idea is that a bunch of small acts of mastery will add up to significant improvement. There is a lot of common sense in this approach and the idea is easily understood by most.

An aspect of incremental progression that people do not always appreciate is the idea of sustainable training. Sustainable training is an important aspect of mastery that addresses the fact that whatever you do to attain mastery must be continued if you wish to maintain mastery. Binge training to achieve a short term goal does not always serve long term mastery ambitions. If mastery over your lifetime is the goal, your training regime must be sustainable over your lifetime.

This time of year is when I find myself thinking about sustainable training, incremental progression, and mastery a lot. Of course my thoughts are drawn this direction because this is the time of year my black belt candidates are finalizing their preparations for their black belt grading.

It is difficult to maintain a clear perspective on mastery when a deadline, such as a black belt grading date, is added to the mix. The second a due date is put in front of you, it becomes almost impossible to not panic as you notice the gaping holes in your knowledge and skill. It is important at this time to remind yourself that mastery is an infinite journey, not a final destination.

Approaching your training as a continuous journey will reinforce the ideas of incremental progression and sustainable training. If your goal is to earn a black belt, keep moving forward and you will eventually amass the skill and knowledge necessary to earn the rank. Training in an unsustainable way may help you earn your black belt but that approach will not help you maintain the knowledge and skill after you earn the rank.

The priceless value of mastery is yours if you embrace mastery’s process and not just the accolades that come with it.

“Accolades are there to congratulate you but also to make you understand that it's not over. You now have to continue trying to improve the craft and keep going. It's not something to rest on.” - Joe Morton (b. 1947)

Another Election

We are headed to another federal election this month and the country seems more divided than ever. I had a campaign volunteer for one of the major political parties come to my door this week and the second he was aware that I was not going to vote for his candidate, he became very confrontational and combative. No political discourse, no listening to another’s point of view, just immediate aggression.

Our country has changed a lot since 2006. Gone are the days when our MPs were to vote according to their constituents’ wishes. It is all about the political party and supporting the party leader, not the people who voted for you. It is no wonder that most Canadians ignore who their riding MP is and cast their vote for who they would prefer to be Prime Minister.

Divisive politics used to be the domain of a particular federal political party. Now those tactics are starting to be used by another political party. We no longer have positive campaigns that outline a party’s agenda. Our election campaigns are nothing but misinformation and finger pointing. We are expected to vote for who will do the least amount of damage. It now appears that expecting our elected government to improve the quality of our lives is not considered reasonable or even doable.

Clearly there is more to quality of life in Canada than the quantity of money in my bank account. So how should I cast my vote? Should I vote for the party that best represents my values or should I strategically vote for the party that has the best chance of defeating the party that I feel is going to do the most amount of damage?

“A politician divides mankind into two classes: tools and enemies.” - Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900)

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It has been a good week getting together with my students and sprucing up our training hall. New paint, new bulkhead, and new connections. 

Taking ownership of your training space has a profound impact on your training. We are blessed to have a space such as ours to train in. By participating in the care and nurturing of that space, our gratitude for what we have is also nurtured. 

It is a difficult time to be an Albertan because of the uncertainty of our situation. Outside of an election, we cannot control our leadership and lack thereof. With our Premier, Health Minister, and Chief Medical Officer all avoiding updating us on the situation, we can be thankful that other professionals are stepping up and trying to fill the void. The best thing the rest of us can do to help control our situation is set strong examples of common sense, compassion, and empathy.

“Be safe, be smart, be kind.” - Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus