Nice job, Josh. I couldn't agree more. Keep up the fine work on your journey!
Yours,
Michael Miller, CKF
Well stated, Josh,
I've often heard of organizations that don't allow you venturing into other organizations and training with someone outside of your own. They don't even like it if you cross train. To me that shows fear.
One great thing I've never heard from my instructor is that I "can't" do anything other than Kenpo and from anywhere other than our school/organization. If he had I wouldn't have some really great friends outside of our studio or learned some really valuable lessons both about myself and motion in general.
It may take me some time to catch on to "their way" of doing things, but the bottom line is we all learn from one another and we find common threads that bind us together even with these varying nuances.
If Larry had just told me no I wouldn't have gotten to meet or train with the likes of Marcus Buonfiglio, Steve Brown, Mike Pick, Mark Gaskins, Frank Trejo, Wes Idol, Scott Higgins, or even Edmund Jr. (and there are plenty others, I'm just making a point here).
Thankfully I was not inhibited to venture out and go beyond my comfort zone and what I'm used to or I would have missed out on some great new training partners and even better....some very good new friends.
So thank you Larry for not sayin no and thank you Josh for posting this blog. I think it a valuable lesson to hear that we can all learn something from one another no matter what part of the family tree we're rooted to.
Regards,
Angela McNmee, LTKKA
It is refreshing to see a young person post this opinion. Likewise, to see the thoughts of the responders also was comforting in that it seems they "get" it.
Politics is a necessary application to progressive thought. It is SO true that many a friendship, training opportunities, divides, etc, have felt the brunt of 'politics'. But is it politics or posturing for power? Some of the early battles became physical because it was a challenge to 'manhood', 'honor', 'the system' and reason was not an option. Your comment "the greater entity is...studying and perpetuating Kenpo" is acurate, but not entirely possible without some sort of political involvement, which I perceive you're saying IS possible as long as the ultimate compromise is the betterment of Kenpo, it's practitioners and it's history. If that's it's then, and I hope it is, the power brokers will wither. Good post...
As one who doesn't know his place, or care to for that matter, I drag my poor instructor to whatever looks good. What the heck is an AKTS? Who cares it's kenpo and it's close lets go. AKKS? IKKA? CKF? THHPPPPP!!!! The power is there's if we give it to them, ours if we care to wield it. Suck useful knowledge out of those who have it like the marrow from the bone. Teach it to whoever will learn and make it yours. With this as my prime directive I can learn from anyone regardless of politics. Those who won't teach but for political affiliation well, the knowledge there has a tendency to be suspect anyhow.
What are we going to do tonight Brain?
Same thing we do every night Pinky. Try to take over the world.
Thanks!
CT
Josh,great blog just ran accross it, it really hit home, I found a great friend and practioner in you in just a very short time, more so than in people that I have been around for many,many years?
And what uncle wrote - Likewise, to see the thoughts of the responders also was comforting in that it seems they "get" it. I got it and always did,good job uncle.
Also from uncle - But is it politics or posturing for power? Hmmm...food for thought.
Kenpo High- Those who won't teach but for political affiliation, cant we all just get along and leave the baggage at the door?
S
Actually, "politics," is never just personal. It's about jockeying for power among people, and it takes a lot of forms. There's sheer physical dominance--you beat the guy up, you have power over him; you get beat up, he has power over you. But there are also matters of economic power, intellectual power, "spiritual," power--achieved by getting everybody to agree that you're more spiritually developed, that you have an emptier cup--and a buncha others. And in martial arts, there's often the sort of power you get when you buffalo others into believing in your "no-touch knockout," or your interpretation of everything. Of course, power itself can mean other things: a scholar gains power when they read and write whether or not anybody else is smart enough to see it, a martial artist gains power when they develop better self-discipline whether or not anybody else is smart enough to see it. Still, I agree that in kenpo we're usually talking about men's jockeying for power when we're talking about politics. My advice would be, a) accept it for what it is rather than pretending that it's going to evaporate; b) watch out for guys who say they're above all politics and power. Because in the end, politics is just a way to describe how people get along so that (mostly) they don't kill each other. About what you'd expect, given our evolutionary history.
Josh, Just read your reply from a year ago, I dont get out much. Lol
Im new to this site, this is the second time on.
I recieved two emails from it (test and new test) when I clicked to go to them ,I forgot my password so had it sent to me.
When I went back to see what this test stuff was, I was denied, was that the test do you think?
p.s. camps went well last year and this years starts this Monday, wish me luck.
Your friend,Steve