The straight path

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   mischeviousmeposted 13 years ago

   Martial arts took me in many directions, during my life time. That of a brash young man, with no self control. One in which I believed martial arts were only about self defense and fighting and one in which I believed was about defending the weak. While it is good to defend the defenseless, violence is never the solution.
    
     It took many years for me to finally realize what martial arts were about. Temperance, stillness and remorse, to name a few. I believe the role of a true master is to guide One's pupils to a working synthesis, within themselve's and with world at large. Life is a thorny path and it has many crossroads, the path choose affects who we become and yet can destroy we are. I like painting and what not, bevause that is who I am. A fighter is a fighter and will never find peace, at least not until they through down the armor of dellusion.
   
     To find stilness from within is tricky, to find it from outside one's self, is impossible. To be humble is a virtue, to be violent is nature. We struggle with this nature and swim against the tide. We fight who we are, yet we think we know ourselve's. To truly master one's own mind, is like fighting a bull.

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      pennyofheavenposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Remorse? Can you expand on that please?
      
      I am also not sure what you mean by violent is nature?

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         mischeviousmeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         We are a war like species... Simple but true. No?

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            A Troubled Manposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            No, we are a compassionate and altruistic species. Religions have stomped that into the ground in order to control us, claiming we are sinful, evil and as you say, war like.

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               Mike Bigioniposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               I think with the billions of individuals out there it is impossible to pigeon hole people into one classification. There are those who are war like and there are those who want no confrontation combined with a whole bunch of people in between. And while yes I agree that religion has been a tool for many people to control and manipulate others it is the people who have used it for their own selfish reasons that have done the damage. If it wasn't religion, they would have just used some political propaganda.

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                  A Troubled Manposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  Who is war like?

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            LookingForWaldenposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            No, humans are not homogenous. I don't know why you keep using generalizations to define people.

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            pennyofheavenposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            For you perhaps that is true. For many others No

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   Dave Mathewsposted 13 years ago

   It has always been my understanding that martial arts physical training was for totally defensive purposes to defend one's self, one's property or others who are weak and defenceless. phsycologically, it teaches self-control, provides balance and inner peace and a connection to one's inner self.
   
   Although martial arts teaches techniques to quickly instantaneously kill, this is not what it is meant for or about.

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      mischeviousmeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      It is my understanding that before the refinement of martial theory and what not, land changed hands more so than today. In todays world a martial artist may use their teachings for glory or self defense. It is also a form of meditation meant to center the individual. For martial arts are about the opposite of violence.

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   janesixposted 13 years ago

   Humans ARE a war-like species. No doubt about it. I'm not sure what planet the rest of you are on.

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      A Troubled Manposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Are you war like? How about your neighbors or friends and family. Who do you know that is war like?
      
      C'mon all you believers, tell us who exactly you know that is war like? Anyone?

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         janesixposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Sure I am. If someone was going to hurt my family or take my possesions, I would knock them on thier a**. Wouldn't you?

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            A Troubled Manposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Sorry, but that has nothing to do with being war like. You are simply defending yourself.
            
            Does that happen all the time, btw... someone hurting your family and taking your possessions? Does it happen so often to you that you now consider humans war like?

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               janesixposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               Ok. Humans aren't warlike. You are correct.
               
               This has been proven repeatedly throughout the history of mankind.

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                  A Troubled Manposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  The wars of history are based on very bad ideologies and not human traits of compassion and altruism. Bad ideologies making good people do bad things.

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                     janesixposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                     It's human nature to be competitive, which leads to being war-like.
                     
                     I agree that it's also human nature to be altruistic. But the people in power are more often than not jerk-faces,and most people are followers. So there you have it.

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                        A Troubled Manposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                        Not true. One has nothing to do with the other.
                        
                        
                        
                        Being a jerk in power and being war like are two different things.

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                           janesixposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                           Maybe.

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                              mischeviousmeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                              We're at war now, are we not? History can attest to the violence of men. Suppose I were to mention the christian Crusaides and Islam's war on the infidels. How can one say we are not war like? we are after all, on occasion prone to violence and then some.

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                                 A Troubled Manposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                                 Notice you said "Christian Crusades and Islams war on infidels"
                                 
                                 Bad ideologies making good people do bad things.

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                                 pennyofheavenposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                                 That would be assuming genetics is a given and that we belong to the evolution of that particular DNA strand? Perhaps survival of the fittest eliminated the war gene in most of its newer hosts. Most human beings in my view are far from warlike.

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   LYSposted 13 years ago

   I can only speak from my own experience of Martial arts. I am a muay thai enthusiast and have trained in Thailand twice but have also cross trained a little bit in other martial arts which exposed me to Bruce Lee and his own system and philosophy for martial arts,Jeet Kune Do.For me personally martial arts have only been a positive thing in my life and have also taught me a few things about myself too and helped me too confront a few inner fears.
   
   Bruce Lee did study philosophy at University and applied philosophy (seeking the truth)to traditional martial arts looking to strip them down to their essence,I think the same can be applied to religion too and most things in life. Truth is what matters most to me and the truth can often set you free although it can often be painful as well.
   
   The truth and essence of Human nature has yet to be fully revealed I personally believe as people are kind and altruistic but are also capable of inflicting terrible atrocities and violence if beliefs, opinions and values differ to others.

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      mischeviousmeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Very true, and also, is it not the seeker that creates truth through action? To see things and leave them as they are, is trapping one's self to the past. Men's propensity towards violence, which does not pertain to all men, is the result of historical conditioning. Example; My grandfather was a fighter, so therefor, I shall do the same.
      
      It could also be said that the student, is very much the image of his teacher. A good teacher, teaches his student in both, non violence and the knowledge of when violence is acceptable. For myself, it must be justifiable to inflict harm on another. I prefer to say that it must be alright with God first, or whatever you should choose to call it.

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         pennyofheavenposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Are you talking genetical conditioning?

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      pennyofheavenposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Perhaps if we let go of beliefs, opinions and values, or at least question them we might just find more of what is true. 
      
      I know of no two people who have the exact same beliefs.

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         mischeviousmeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Beliefs are like fingerprints.

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