Filter Bias

The only thing that you can guarantee about your own perspective is that it is not 100% accurate. Perceptions are coloured and influenced by the sum of our personal experiences so perspective is unique for every individual.

Childhood is filled with imposed experiences and exposures that form the personal filters we carry throughout our lives. Religion and politics will further polarize our biases and filter our perspective to hear what we want to hear and spin what we don’t want to hear into something more palatable.

Fake news is in the eye of the beholder. Fake or real becomes reality the instant dogma creates filter bias and distorts perspective. Seeing things for what they are is impossible if we cannot first neutralize the way they make us feel. Emotional response is not always a logical response.

In kung fu this concept is encapsulated in the harmonization of our spirit with our intent. Recognizing the incongruities that exist when we compare our actions to our values can be a life changing and enlightening.

Know thyself.

 “He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.” - Lau Tzu (601 - 531 BC)

Taking a Moment

Busy. Always busy. This time of year is relentless for the Chinese martial arts. Lion dances, banquets, festivals, and all the planning that goes with them makes for constant engagement. Unfortunately, constant engagement does not always mean mindful engagement.

The irony that the lunar new year is all about fresh, positive, beginnings while I am running around putting out fires is not lost on me. If you want a fresh start, you better make sure that you are aware of where you are and what you are doing. The festivals are more than just blind celebration, they are about renewal and opportunity.

Time to slow down, I am moving too fast.

“If you abandon the present moment, you cannot live the moments of your daily life deeply.” - Thich Nhat Hanh (b. 1926)

What He Said

Chop Wood, Carry Water

“Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.” - Zen Proverb

A friend of mine recently reminded me of the ‘Carry Water, Chop Wood’ Zen quote. It was a timely reminder as I am quickly approaching the time of year where I will be promoting some long time students to the rank of black belt.

Success is built upon process. Follow a process, and you will achieve results. Often we get so focused on the end results of what we are working to achieve that we forget about the journey that got us to where we wanted to be. The real value is found in the journey, not the destination.

We say our black belt is the white belt we started with, stained black with the sweat and blood of our efforts. Achieving a black belt is not an endpoint in and of itself. To keep moving forward after that achievement, you need to continue to the same things after that you did before. The little things never stop being important. If you can’t maintain the simple tasks, how can you hope to conquer bigger challenges?

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)