Abstraction

abstraction |abˈstrak sh ən|
noun
1 the quality of dealing with ideas rather than events : topics will vary in degrees of abstraction.
- something that exists only as an idea : the question can no longer be treated as an academic abstraction.

This term can be applied to almost any humanity controlled blight on this planet. The abstraction of hunger. The abstraction of genocide. The abstraction of environmental cataclysm. The abstraction of war. The abstraction of mental illness. While most of us agree that something, anything must be done to address these issues, we can appear to be quite apathetic in our less than zealous efforts to confront them. We donate money, attend a rally, and crawl back into our down filled beds and sleep like babies, our conscience clear. As long as we are able to live our lives and keep world issues as abstractions, things will never change. Samuel Mockbee’s Rural Studio students refer to how the experience of that project removed the abstraction of poverty from their psyche. Empirical experience immediately brings abstractions into the realm of reality, making them impossible to ignore.

One of my students just returned from Nepal where she fed a thousand people. Literally. She travelled there to further her training and expand her knowledge. When she witnessed the poverty and suffering around her, she took the money she had been saving for a laptop, purchased some food, and proceeded to personally serve this food to over a thousand people. Hunger is no longer an abstraction for her. It is a very real, tangible problem. By sharing her first hand experience, she has inspired many of us to reconsider our lifestyles. The money I spent yesterday to feed twenty of my black belts a single meal could have fed 500 people in Nepal for a day. We have so much and the volume of what we consume and waste is obscene. Something as easy as simplifying our lives can address many of the most critical man induced problems facing our world today.

There is so much we can and must do. The projects we initiate, despite often having a fundraising component, create the biggest impact by raising public awareness for the issue at hand. The more abstractions we remove, the more apathy and indifference we eradicate. A world without apathy and indifference is a world without mediocrity, and a world with great hope and potential.

“Live simply so others can simply live.”
- Mohandas Ghandi (1869 - 1948)

All For One and One For All

During the same week the Alberta Government was embarrassed by the death of 500 ducks that mistakenly landed in a toxic waste lake (Syncrude uses the innocuous term “tailing pond” to refer to it - great spin on their part), Alberta Environment announced that the Province is scrapping mandatory environmental studies for high voltage transmission power lines. Where is this new environmental accountability Ed Stelmach has been promising? In fact his leadership has been so dismal that rather than coming up with a plan to address the duck disaster issue he is pointing a finger at the number of birds California’s wind generators kill each year. While all this is going on British Columbia is pointing a finger at Alberta because it was BC ducks that were killed. You know, the same BC that is responsible for dumping so much waste into our oceans. Not to worry, our Prime Minister has promised a full investigation into the whole matter. The same Prime Minister who is refusing to even try to abide by the Kyoto Protocol. It really seems like no one is willing to take responsibility for pulling us off this path of self destruction. We’re all good at pointing a finger at each other but no one is really willing to provide the leadership and initiative that is going to make a difference.

I was listening to Gord Whitehead on the radio a few weeks ago. He mentioned a story about a Weather Channel representative who had just retired and went on record as saying that global warming is a myth and a bunch of environmental babble. Mr. Whitehead went on to speculate that if someone of this caliber was questioning global warming, you had to listen. Obviously Gord himself does not believe global warming is an issue. A couple of weeks later the same Gord Whitehead was talking about the Pine Beetle infestation that has crossed the border from British Columbia and is now entering Alberta. He talked about the carnage and total destruction left in the wake of the beetle. Gord went on to say that we really need to figure out why this is happening and that we need to come up with a solution before it is too late. He even mentioned that the mild winters we have been experiencing have contributed to the magnitude of the problem. What the heck? According to him global warming does not exist but for some unrelated reason we have had so many mild winters that the pine beetle is destroying our forests.

With political leaders more concerned with keeping their jobs as opposed to doing their jobs and with irresponsible media skewing their reporting to represent their views as opposed to facts, it is going to take a herculean effort on everyone’s part to cause the paradigm shift necessary to initiate change. As martial artists let’s use our leadership to initiate the change we want to see. Let’s set an example by making ourselves accountable and let’s stop accepting mediocrity from our government leaders. Let’s vote with our wallets and put our money where our values are. Let’s demand accountability from our media and educate our students about the issues that are going to have a bigger impact on their lives than traditional self defense. Let’s get organized and work together to encourage everyone we touch to step up and take responsibility for improving our world.

“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”
- Henry Ford (1863 -1947)

Alabama Perspective

It’s been a week now since Alabama and despite the backlog of work waiting for me, I am happy to say the clarity I developed from the experience is still intact. I am way behind on the goals I set for myself upon my return but the focus and resolve are strong enough to give me the best possible chance of following through after the dust settles.

I found the whole experience quite overwhelming. I am a very shy person socially so this trip was way out of my comfort zone. I find it very difficult to initiate conversation with new acquaintances so I am hoping to attend more events like this so that my new acquaintances from this trip evolve into old friends. One of my major goals to manifest from this experience is to work on my social skills. Mine have definitely atrophied over the past couple of decades of hanging around martial artists. We tend to be a unique bunch whom outsiders find it difficult to relate. I have always found it easier to listen than to talk unless I am leading a class. Time to expand my horizons.

My one regret of this trip is that my social awkwardness prevented me from maximizing my opportunity to connect with so many amazing people and tapping more into all that communal knowledge. I mentioned to Chris how envious I was of him and Debby for the amazing experiences they are garnering at such an early stage in their martial arts careers. To have personal access to such people as Masters Dave McNeill and Tom Callos is an opportunity that many of us never realize in a lifetime. I hope you guys keep reminding yourselves of that and always appreciate it.

Beyond the obvious personal soul quenching that an experience like this provides, there were so many other more tangible benefits. On my fourteen hour trip back to Canada, I completed a seven page list of ideas and goals that were generated by my experience in Alabama. Talk about being rejuvenated personally, professionally, and spiritually.

The biggest, unexpected revelation I received was the value of structure. Maybe not so much a revelation since I stress this point with my students all the time, but more of a reinforcement. Having had my day structured so minutely from 6 AM until 10 PM everyday provided untold benefits. My focus and clarity were beyond anything I have felt for years. Bad habits and cravings were all non existent in that environment. I definitely learned a lot about myself and what makes me tick. This self realization will go a long way in helping me achieve my goals.

I’m really looking forward to attending next year and hopefully having two healthy knees under me so that I can contribute at a much higher level.

“Take advantage of every opportunity to practice your communication skills so that when important occasions arise, you will have the gift, the style, the sharpness, the clarity, and the emotions to affect other people.”
- John Rohn (b. 1930)

Rural Studio

I’m thinking I have about three more weeks of healing before I can start to tax my knee. I experimented a little with forms this weekend and found I still can’t transfer my weight properly so flow and power are way off. What I hadn’t anticipated with this surgery is its impact on my ability to perform push ups. The pressure in the knee is preventing me from using the leg that way without consequences. As usual I didn’t listen to my body so the swelling is a little worse than it has been so I am going to have to bite the bullet and wait. It’s already been almost three months of waiting and patience isn’t one of my virtues when it comes to healing. I always teach my students the value of patience, trust, and progressing wisely but I can’t seem to master that myself.

Three more days before I leave to take part in the Alabama Project. I am pretty excited but at the same time I am somewhat anxious over the whole experience. When I read Rural Studio, I was struck by the comments from Samuel Mockbee’s architecture students. They all mentioned how the experience removed the abstraction of poverty and replaced it with an awareness that they had never experienced.

For me this project is a frightening step. One of my biggest strengths has been my ability to compartmentalize my life so that I can handle extraordinary amounts of stress. I believe this ability has been fueled by the fact that my mind tends to mainly operate at an abstract level with very little linear or comprehensive thoughts coming to the surface until they have been already worked out at the abstract level. Journalling has forced me to bring many of these abstractions to the forefront of my mind so that I can document them. The experience has been wonderful. I have accomplished more in the past few months at a personal level than I have for the past few years. Rather than just thinking about things, I am putting my thoughts into action. I feel a sense of resolve and certainty that has been absent for a long time. However, as with everything else, nothing is for free. By putting all my thoughts down and laying them out, I am now forced to address the murmurs of my soul. The murmurs that as of late seem to be evolving into maniacal screams. I am now painfully aware of the oh so many missed opportunities to make a difference. At times the guilt can be overwhelming. Now I am involved with a project that promises to properly define yet another abstraction. Oh joy.

I can’t say enough about the Alabama project. The people involved are truly extraordinary and to be part of this is a real privilege. I can only imagine what could happen and what potential could be realized if the 100. were to have the support and the funding to truly spread its wings. 100 martial arts masters across the globe with hundreds of students each, all vigilant, committed, and ready to mobilize for a single cause. Wow, goosebumps. This is one opportunity we can’t afford to miss.

“At the studio I learned that economic poverty is not a poverty of values but a fact of birth. You come to realize it’s the luck of the draw that you don’t end up poor. You learn poor people are like you and me. You get to know them and respect them.”
- Bruce Lanier (Rural Studio Architecture Student Graduate - 2000)

Hope

I haven't been able to teach a class or workout for over two months now because of the knee injury. The surgery is over but the healing is taking forever. Ironically, besides the swelling, the knee is not the problem. My leg aches constantly in the thigh from the tourniquet used in the procedure. I haven't slept through the night for a week now so I am hoping this week marks progress in the leg.

All this time off has given me ample opportunity to think about many things. With my country embroiled in a war that is influenced by American foreign policies, I have a keen interest in the US presidential campaign. I happened across Barack Obama’s speech on Race and Unity earlier this week. It was one of the most inspiring orations I have ever heard with his message evoking much optimism in me for the state of our world. What impressed me about this speech, beyond the strong message of reconciliation, was how he delivered it. A forty minute speech where the entire talk was delivered with his eyes on his audience, he only looked to his podium once to read a quote from a book. His thoughts were organized and his message was clear, off the cuff, and obviously from the heart. Forty minutes. A man like this has the power to rally people behind almost any cause. A man like this can change the world. If Barack Obama truly believes in what he is saying, and he is allowed to put this thoughts and influence into action, we are living in exciting, hopeful times.

If nothing else, the lesson of the former Yugoslavia should remind us of the evil caused by ancient hatreds and of the value of reflection over reaction and reconciliation over retaliation. Do we really want our future descendants fighting a war over ancient hatreds that were spawned by our actions of today? The hatreds of today can become the wars of tomorrow unless an eye to the future is stressed over revenge for the past.

"But I have asserted a firm conviction – a conviction rooted in my faith in God and my faith in the American people – that working together we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds, and that in fact we have no choice if we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union."
- Barack Obama (b 1961)

A Call to Action

Had my fifth, and hopefully last, knee surgery on Monday. The recovery is going to be somewhat longer than I was anticipating because my surgeon attempted to repair the meniscus rather than just cutting out the tear. This procedure involved some bone drilling with a femoral drill to give him something to suture the damaged cartilage to. I was under the impression that cartilage cannot heal because it has no blood supply. While that impression was accurate to a point, I now realize that some areas of cartilage do receive blood flow. Apparently my tear had some blood flow - hence the repair. While there is a risk that the repair may not take and I will require future surgery, I am grateful that the attempt was made. I would like to avoid a future knee replacement so anything that prolongs further deterioration is okay with me.

I have spent a large part of my recovery contemplating the state of the martial arts and the martial arts business. Anyone who teaches answers to a higher calling. I think that is why the industry in general is rife with failed businesses and dreams. As martial artists our passion for what we do can blind us such that we forget that without our school, our students will have no place to learn and our art will have no way to propagate. It can be difficult to see the forest for the trees and realize that we must take care of our business if we want to take care of our students and our art.

After many years of nurturing your students and ensuring the future of your school, it is easy to become complacent and forget about why you started doing what you do in the first place. As teachers we are responsible for sculpting the values of mankind’s future leaders. What values do we wish to instill within our students - the best way to punch or the proper way to live? We are the past, our white belts are the future. What type of legacy do we want to leave behind? What is our vision for the future of our industry?

While there are many martial arts organizations that help us grow our business with integrity and martial arts organizations that help us foster our art, there are very few that cater to our soul. Tom Callos has created the 100. and leads it as an organization that I believe to be the ultimate evolution of the martial arts industry. The 100. brings us full circle back to why we all got involved in the martial arts in the first place. If we truly believe we can make a difference beyond the walls of our school, this association not only provides the inspiration, it has a call to action. It is time.

"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops."
- Henry Brooks Adams (1838 - 1918)

Living Hero #1

Irshad Manji is a Canadian journalist and a faithful Muslim who is a self described Muslim Rufusenik. She is on a campaign for Muslim reform and moral courage. Her biggest claim to fame, or infamy, depending upon your perspective, is her book ‘The Trouble with Islam Today’. Her book is described as a wake-up call for honesty and change. Irshad’s book has been published in over thirty languages and is available as a free download, translated for those living in countries where the book has been banned.

Irshad Manji’s moral courage is both humbling and inspiring. She has initiated Project Ijtihad to promote a positive image of Islam, and is the founder of the Moral Courage Project at New York University - teaching young people to speak truth to power within their own communities. All this while living with the death threats that have come from her speaking out.

I had the good fortune of hearing Irshad Manji speak last year. I knew absolutely nothing about her prior to her presentation but by the end of the evening she had won my respect and admiration.

Prior to hearing Irshad speak, I had a very limited understanding of Islam. My knowledge of the Muslim faith had been gained mainly from what I had learned from the media which was a very narrow-minded depiction of an extreme minority of the Islamic world. Our media tends to ignore how congruent Muslim values are with western values. Thanks to Irshad Manji, I have a deep respect for Islam and have begun to read the Qur’an to further my understanding.

Of everything I heard Irshad Manji speak about, the most important was the power of asking questions. She shows how one voice, asking simple questions out loud, can change the world. Irshad has made me realize the potential AND responsibility I possess. I live in a free country where I have the ability to ask questions without fear of extreme consequences. If I don’t have the courage to speak up, how will anything change when so many do not have that fundamental right? Inactions are as responsible for the state of the world as actions. It's time for me to step up.

“The challenge now is to transform our underground hunger for change into a visible, above-ground phenomenon.”
- Irshad Manji (b 1968)