Peace One Day

I completed the first leg of my ongoing 1000 Cranes for Peace project this week with my students generating the final 300 cranes needed in just a couple of days. In fact we have already started on the next thousand. We will be sending the cranes to Hiroshima for August 6 - the anniversary of the US dropping the atomic bomb on their city.

I started this project after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto last December and I feel that this project is even more pertinent and important today. War will always be controversial and our own personal politics will polarize communities into extreme factions. One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. One man’s inhumane torture is another man’s justified force. At some point we have to realize that all our perspectives have merit and the only way to resolve the differences in these perspectives is by first empathizing with our perceived adversaries. I’m not sure if this is even possible without dialogue. It just seems that we are so busy fighting that we are not considering any other alternatives. If our ultimate collective goal is peace and security for our families, I would think we already have enough common ground for which to begin. Sometimes the diplomacy being used at the world level is no different than the tactics I used in the playground conflicts of my youth. “She hit me first!” was the usual justification for swift retaliation which fueled the “You hit me harder!” snappy retort for the inevitable escalating comeback.

I am teaching children today who have never known their country to be at peace. That concept has really hit home for me and it scares me. What if they just accept this as a fact of life and have their world perspectives and overall general outlooks evolve from this baseline? What type of future is in store for mankind if the leaders of tomorrow never experience peace or are not educated on the alternatives to war?

A project like folding 1000 paper cranes may not generate instant massive change but it definitely is creating awareness in my young students of a huge movement that is supported by people who do not accept war as the only solution to conflict. It is also connecting them to young people all over the world, including countries where beliefs and ideologies are different than theirs, and showing them that at the end of the day our values, our hopes, and our dreams are not so different after all.

“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek but a means by which we arrive at that goal.”  - Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929 - 1968)

Serendipity

Yesterday we helped celebrate our community’s centennial birthday by performing a couple of lion dances and demonstrations throughout the day in our town’s main park. The weather was perfect and the response from the crowd we had gathered was spectacular. I have performed hundreds of demonstrations over the years but yesterday’s experience struck a chord within me and reminded me of the importance of maintaining mindfulness and staying in the moment.

There were three senior citizens seated in chairs at our first lion dance performance that were just out of range when the lucky lettuce was tossed. When we completed the dance I gathered up three small pieces of lettuce that had not been claimed by the crowd and hand delivered them to these three ladies. The heartfelt appreciation they expressed really made my day and the ripples of positive energy their reaction generated continue to feed my soul.

I often think of how fate conspires to bring people into our lives. When one considers the infinite improbability of meeting a particular person at a particular time, these serendipitous encounters must be savoured. How many opportunities do we miss by not truly appreciating what is happening at a particular moment in time? I have noticed that everyone my day brings me in contact with can have a profound affect on my life and thus I can have a similar affect on everyone else. Something as simple as an act of kindness or an expression of joy can start the ripples that create a wave of change.

Yesterday was a good day.

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”
- Leo F. Buscaglia (1924-1998)

Redefinition

The martial arts business is volatile at best. Just try to get a business loan for your first school if you don’t believe me. Historical data forces banks to rank us as a high risk to fail because while most of us who venture into this market may be skilled martial artists, we’re not always qualified teachers or business people. The business aspect of running a school can become such a distraction that it can be easy to lose one’s way and forget what value we contribute to our society. After reading Jason’s post this week and Tom’s comments on an MMA blog, I have been thinking about the disservice we as martial artists do to ourselves and our art.

Look at how the popularity of mixed martial arts competition has polarized the martial arts community. While half of us feel that the UFC is damaging our reputation, the other half are retooling their programs to cash in on this latest craze. Do either of these approaches reflect well on ourselves? If the UFC is damaging the reputation of the martial arts, we have to consider who is responsible. It is not Dana White, it is us. If we had been taking the time and care to continually define our art ourselves we wouldn’t be in the present situation where our arts’ value and relevance can be challenged by something so new.

How do we want the martial arts defined? If we really want our students to take what they are learning from us and apply it to the world at large, we need to decide what type of world we wish to live in. If MMA is able to redefine martial arts as being all about fighting, shame on us.

“The Way of a Warrior is based on humanity, love, and sincerity; the heart of martial valor is true bravery, wisdom, love, and friendship. Emphasis on the physical aspects of warriorship is futile, for the power of the body is always limited.”
- Morihei Ueshiba (1883 - 1969)

The Baltic Way

I have been thinking about the peaceful demonstrations that took place in the Baltic States back in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia achieved independence through a series of amazing peaceful displays of unity and conviction. In 1989 they organized an awe inspiring demonstration to bring attention to the hidden protocol within the Molotov-Ribbontrop Pact between the USSR and Nazi Germany that led to the occupation of these three states. This peaceful demonstration saw the forming of a 600 kilometre long human chain consisting of 2.2 million people that spanned their three nations. Only after one considers that the total combined population of the three countries was only 8 million does this display of unity fall into the proper perspective. Over one quarter of the population showed up at the same time to protest this half century old injustice in the face of their communist oppressors. The world took notice and governments listened.

Governments definitely listen but at times what they are hearing is not always the will of the people. Right now big corporations have a louder voice and thus more influence over our world leaders. Since our culture was retooled to promote consumption after the second world war, these corporations have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo to bolster their bottom line. As long as we continue to let the corporations drown out the people’s voice, our environmental concerns and peace initiatives will take a back seat to corporate profits.

In my province things are happening under our noses that the majority agree are not right but as a group we do not seem to have a voice. Our political leaders gave themselves a 34% pay increase while the tar sands that feed the government coffers are destroying the environment. Rather than investing our budget surplus into diversifying the Alberta economy, our government is promoting an expansion of the tar sands, further solidifying our economy’s dependence upon this resource. We watch them as they continue to spend their tax revenue irresponsibly and at the same time cry that more revenue is needed to ensure a healthy economy and a bright future. What future is possible with carbon emissions rising exponentially, global warming melting the arctic ice, and full scale wars being threatened and waged over control of oil reserves? Where are the massive public protests? Can you imagine the government not listening if a quarter of Alberta’s population showed up at the Alberta legislature to protest the way things have been managed?

What does it take to rally people, on a massive scale, to stand up for a cause? People like Rosa Parks show that it only takes a single person to catalyze change. I do believe that the more we talk about it, the more we write about it, the more likely it is that we will wipe out the public apathy that is so prevalent in our society. Perhaps then the government will once again become accountable to the will of the people and prove they deserve the entrustment we have given them.

“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little. “
- Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)

Stay In The Moment

I had wanted to share my inspirational experience at our annual boot camp yesterday in today’s entry but as I began to write, I realized my thoughts and passion were dominated by something that has been bothering me all week.

James Hansen, the director of the Goddard Institute, predicts that at our present rate of emissions, our atmospheric carbon dioxide levels will reach 450 ppm within thirty three years. At this point there will not be any ice left on the planet - that is if we maintain our present rate of emissions. With second world countries just starting to industrialize and first world countries turning to environmentally volatile biofuels as opposed to reducing consumption, our species’ negative impact on the environment is only going to increase long before it gets better. According to Hansen we have already hit one tipping point. No matter what we do at this point, we will be without Arctic ice within five to ten years.

Most of the damage we have caused is reversible but not in any timeframe that is relevant to humans. That’s the kicker - relevant to humans. We tend to place so much faith in mother nature’s ability to adapt and restore that we fail to consider our own arrogance. The planet may go on but the likelihood of our species being one of the few that actually survive extinction is extremely remote.

Lately I find myself asking some pertinent questions. Why are countries so eager to become less dependent upon foreign oil rather than just less dependent upon oil period? Now that Alberta is finally labeled as being the source of some the world’s least environmentally friendly oil, why are we using the term “dirty oil” to describe it? Is that not clouding the issue and implying there is a such thing as clean oil?

It can be easy to become overwhelmed with the magnitude of the problem, making it almost impossible to stay in the moment. If I don’t stay focused and appreciate the here and now, my life will pass me by before I realize it is over - or worse yet, without me having the opportunity to leave a legacy of which my children would be proud. The answer to our problem is within each of us.

Our global solution is only a matter of conscious and conscientious existence. Mindful actions produce mindful results. Breathe in, breathe out.

“Life can be found only in the present moment. The past is gone, the future is not yet here, and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life.”
- Thich Nhat Hanh (b. 1926)

Respect

Respect. We talk about it, we teach it, but what is it? Everyone knows how to show it but very few actually conduct their lives in a way that embodies it.

A leader must exemplify respect. Of course no one is perfect, especially me, but if we want people to follow us, listen to us, respect us, we must strive to truly embrace the concept of respect and endeavour to conduct ourselves accordingly. I have made many bonehead mistakes in my past and I continue to struggle with this ideal. The fact that I keep it in front of me at all times, and consider it a work in progress, shows the personal value I have placed upon the concept of respect. It is a lifelong commitment that I will never fully master but one to which I am completely devoted to.

There are many times when I am not even aware I am showing a lack of respect until after I reflect upon the issue. I find that if I do not apply self realization, empathy, and accountability to my daily life, I can coast along, blissfully unaware of the consequences of my actions.

My respect for my body and my health is reflected by my diet and my lifestyle.

My respect for my instructor’s wisdom and time is reflected by my commitment to master the concepts of his lessons by applying myself 100% to this responsibility before seeking more knowledge.

My respect for my students is reflected by the passion which fuels my classes.

My respect for my art is reflected by the standard to which I hold myself and my students.

As an instructor I am obviously very sensitive to a student showing any lack of respect for my time and efforts. Fariborz Azhakh has a great story about him losing his opportunity to receive a personal lesson from Grandmaster Jihan Jae because he showed disrespect for his instructor’s role as a teacher through a flippant, yet innocent, remark. Presently I have a couple of sihings working their butts off to earn their black belt but will probably never achieve the rank because they still do not understand the concept of respect. Such are my failings as a teacher.

“There is no respect for others without humility in one's self.”
- Henri Frederic Amiel (1821 - 1881)

Avarice

Petrol prices are up, disposable income is down. Our culture continues to decline while we struggle to maintain our privileged lifestyle with less available money.

Our dependence on fossil fuels is causing many of the major problems facing our world today. Rather than focusing on how our culture has evolved around this dependence and encouraging the social change required to address it, we look for alternative fuels so that we can continue to maintain the status quo. Biofuels are not the answer, in fact they may be the final nail in the coffin. While world governments are beginning to legislate ethanol based fuels, dollar signs are filling the eyes of many as they strategize on how to exploit this new cash cow. Forests are being clear cut to make way for crops to feed our fuel addiction while we continue to struggle to produce enough food to feed our expanding population. The food crisis is such that the organic food industry may be wiped out while we have no choice but to use chemicals to maximize production to address this burgeoning issue.

Here in Canada, eleven companies in Quebec were charged with gas price fixing. While oil companies continue to rake in record profits, their greed is such that they resort to illegal tactics to generate even more. CEOs of major corporations continue to get paid exorbitant amounts of money to make their shareholders rich at the expense of the planet and ultimately at the expense of the longevity of the very corporation that is feeding their greed. In an attempt to get by with less, our schools are devoting less time and funding to the arts and physical education to maintain focus on the sciences. Our governments have followed the same pattern. Perhaps this is why we continue to search for a technological or scientific solution to a social problem and why we are in another dark age of cultural decline.

For my part, I am trying to address my concerns through my wallet. I am simplifying my life so that I consume less. I encourage small local businesses by spending a little extra on their products rather than patronizing the big corporate chains. Ultimately this will encourage less urban sprawl and reduce my need to travel outside my immediate community to shop. I will continue to use my disposable income to reflect my values and not my materialistic wants while avoiding television so that I can maintain enough clarity to tell the difference.

“A grandfather talking to his young grandson tells the boy he has two wolves inside of him struggling with each other. The first is the wolf of peace, love and kindness. The other wolf is fear, greed and hatred. "Which wolf will win, grandfather?" asks the young boy. "Whichever one I feed," is the reply.”
- Native American Proverb