There wasn't much to peruse in my Google Alerts today, except for a very thoughtful, priceless gem coming from a site called realmuscleonline.com.
The author of the article examined the two sides of a common debate about martial arts: does it foster anger or spirituality?
I am going to assume for the moment that the author is a male, since I don't know too many women in my life who participate in the various disciplines of martial arts.
I mostly remember my dad not wanting me to take karate or anything like that because he was afraid I would use it wrongfully. I later learned his fears were unfounded, because while I've not really been able to learn martial arts yet, I did find out that taking a martial arts class has something of a transformative quality, and that I actually would have ended up a far more peaceful person than I am now.
Though there is the possibility that some people still choose to use martial arts while in an angered state of mind. The "Karate Kid" movie proves that with the abusive Cobra Kai doctrine taught by its ex-military macho-man "sensei."
Having watched various Jet Li and Jackie Chan films, and knowing what I know about some of the various disciplines, I know that I would rather go for Tai Chi or Aikido. Karate might be useful at times, though. As someone who prefers the way of peaceful reason, I think a "softer" discipline might be more up my alley.
And while reading the martial arts piece, I think I just discovered something about myself...and I mean really realized the implications of part of my personality...
My dad has this habit of painting me as an angry person--all the time. Yes, I admit, I do get reactive. But I don't necessarily get reactive just to get my dad upset, as he so thinks.
When I am talking with someone, my favored expectation is that most people can be reasonable when they want to be. But when people don't choose to be reasonable and balanced, I can just feel my inner temper rising, because my sense of justness and fair play is seriously offended and I want to make things right.
Thing is, I don't like the idea of hitting someone via martial arts if I'm feeling angry. And many times, the people I'm angry with I can't hit for very good reasons: it might be a boss (since I am, by traditional standards, unemployed, my boss would be myself), my future in-laws (and they're pieces of work, too!), certain politicians in the White House (On those guys, I'll just use my very strong "voting pencil kung fu"), an elderly female relative who shall remain nameless, and so on.
So...maybe the "kung fu" I've got to strengthen now is not so much the ability to defend myself physically, but to go inside and find peace within...and that, for me, is challenging to do right now, as making peace internally with people who insist on being @$$holes is not the easiest thing in the world.
And that kind of aspect of "martial arts" is probably the cornerstone of the whole shmere because the key to learning martial arts--especially going deeper into the disciplines--is learning to fight so that you don't have to.
But one thing is for sure...while my dad prevented me from taking martial arts because of his personal fears (which may or may not have been accurate. I don't know)--that didn't prevent me from remaining the Warrior spirit that I am. I guess if I feel as angry all the time as Pop thinks I am (and I am NOT angry all the time, by the way), I am merely echoing his own feelings of anger and injustice at the atrocities and chaos of this world.
Time for me to go back and read "Way of the Peaceful Warrior."
BB,
Rev. Kat ^.^
The author of the article examined the two sides of a common debate about martial arts: does it foster anger or spirituality?
I am going to assume for the moment that the author is a male, since I don't know too many women in my life who participate in the various disciplines of martial arts.
I mostly remember my dad not wanting me to take karate or anything like that because he was afraid I would use it wrongfully. I later learned his fears were unfounded, because while I've not really been able to learn martial arts yet, I did find out that taking a martial arts class has something of a transformative quality, and that I actually would have ended up a far more peaceful person than I am now.
Though there is the possibility that some people still choose to use martial arts while in an angered state of mind. The "Karate Kid" movie proves that with the abusive Cobra Kai doctrine taught by its ex-military macho-man "sensei."
Having watched various Jet Li and Jackie Chan films, and knowing what I know about some of the various disciplines, I know that I would rather go for Tai Chi or Aikido. Karate might be useful at times, though. As someone who prefers the way of peaceful reason, I think a "softer" discipline might be more up my alley.
And while reading the martial arts piece, I think I just discovered something about myself...and I mean really realized the implications of part of my personality...
My dad has this habit of painting me as an angry person--all the time. Yes, I admit, I do get reactive. But I don't necessarily get reactive just to get my dad upset, as he so thinks.
When I am talking with someone, my favored expectation is that most people can be reasonable when they want to be. But when people don't choose to be reasonable and balanced, I can just feel my inner temper rising, because my sense of justness and fair play is seriously offended and I want to make things right.
Thing is, I don't like the idea of hitting someone via martial arts if I'm feeling angry. And many times, the people I'm angry with I can't hit for very good reasons: it might be a boss (since I am, by traditional standards, unemployed, my boss would be myself), my future in-laws (and they're pieces of work, too!), certain politicians in the White House (On those guys, I'll just use my very strong "voting pencil kung fu"), an elderly female relative who shall remain nameless, and so on.
So...maybe the "kung fu" I've got to strengthen now is not so much the ability to defend myself physically, but to go inside and find peace within...and that, for me, is challenging to do right now, as making peace internally with people who insist on being @$$holes is not the easiest thing in the world.
And that kind of aspect of "martial arts" is probably the cornerstone of the whole shmere because the key to learning martial arts--especially going deeper into the disciplines--is learning to fight so that you don't have to.
But one thing is for sure...while my dad prevented me from taking martial arts because of his personal fears (which may or may not have been accurate. I don't know)--that didn't prevent me from remaining the Warrior spirit that I am. I guess if I feel as angry all the time as Pop thinks I am (and I am NOT angry all the time, by the way), I am merely echoing his own feelings of anger and injustice at the atrocities and chaos of this world.
Time for me to go back and read "Way of the Peaceful Warrior."
BB,
Rev. Kat ^.^
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