Thunk

You can invest a bunch of money to increase awareness about hunger, poverty, and the general abstractions that most global problems fester behind, but like any investment, payoff is never an absolute guarantee.

I can’t think of a more mindless act than wasting food. We have so much while so many do not even have enough to live. The mindless waste and greed from last night, for me, bordered on obscene. I say mindless because it was good people who were generating all the waste. There was nothing nefarious about their intent, just zero awareness or thought about the consequence of their own actions. They were completely oblivious of the impact their mindless actions were having on, not just people in obvious less fortunate circumstances than their own, but on people in the very same buffet line as themselves. The difficult part for me to resolve and process is that I had hosted the event to help combat the conspicuous consumption so many of my guests were so mindlessly displaying.

Last night’s audible splat of my best intentions and efforts to make a difference on the mindfulness front failing miserably could not derail the celebration of three new black belts entering the Silent River Kung fu fold. Sifus Hannah Meier, Simon Kohut, and Andrew Meier are three of the finest candidates I have ever promoted. I am proud of the example they have set for everyone. Also congratulations go out to Sifu Lisa Freitag and Sifu Kim Macdonald for their promotions to 6th degree and 2nd degree respectively and Sifu Brenda Stoddart who not only was promoted to fourth degree black belt but who was also awarded Black Belt of the Year. Lastly, we have not had a finer recipient of the Travis Panasiuk Memorial Award than Jackie Kohut. Jackie’s accomplishments and leadership this year gave little doubt of her earning the title of Student of the Year for 2018.

“If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.” - Jim Rohn (1930 - 2009)

Wake Up

When I was a child, my mom told me about the predictions of Nostradamus. One in particular had to with the emergence of an “Antichrist” that would herald the end of times. At that time I was somewhat fascinated with the idea of the apocalypse. I always felt that my life would end at an early stage, either through misadventure or the final end of all things.

Throughout my teens, I became keenly aware of the state of the planet. Pollution and conspicuous consumption were rendering vast tracks of land uninhabitable and the exploitation of the earth’s resources was driving many species into extinction at an ever increasing rate. This awareness is what inspired my environmentalist leanings.

Taking stock today I am aware that, despite my generation’s naive confidence that we were going to fix the problems created by past generations, the world is in a substantially worse condition than anyone ever thought possible. Global warming is no longer a debatable fact yet we are electing world leaders who don’t understand the difference between weather and climate. We watch with disinterest while those same leaders dismantle all plans to help save the planet. My generation is more concerned about the money in our wallets than the availability of food on the table for our children’s children.

The thought that crosses my mind today is - are we witnessing the end of times? Is Nostradamus’ Antichrist among us? If the Antichrist is indeed a great antagonist expected to fill the world with wickedness, how can we ignore our society’s unwavering worship of ‘more’ and the havoc our greed is causing? Everything has its price and our ethics and values are completely flexible as long as the price is right.

“. . . So many evils shall be committed . . .that almost the entire world shall be found undone and desolate. Before these events happen, many rare birds will cry in the air, ‘Now! Now!’ and sometime later will vanish.” - Nostradamus (1503 - 1566)

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)