In my martial life, I've had the good and bad fortune to train with, learn from and even leave a lasting impression on many a great teachers. I remember so well maybe four or five that changed my thinking and perception of the journey most, but not all of us have taken and it's instruction into the real reason we do all of this "stuff".
My 'Master' who really introduced me into violence was named Johnny B. Lifetime thug, gangster BIG chip on his shoulder and hated cops and the fact that I was white added fuel to the fire. Four or five encounters with him none of which were peaceful, the last retired me and he went to prison soon after. He had no concept of his height and width zones, of his power principles, of his combinations or his ghost imagery. He didn't know the Kenpo creed, but he knew his own creed which changed daily to fit the situation. Johnny B. could really hit and hard. He could, though impaired with alcohol and drugs, keep fighting until the sun rose if you let him and it always took a bunch of us to subdue him.
He is just one of many in my life, most out there in the Kenpo world have their own. But it occurred to me (again) that what I've really been studying is "violence" first and martial arts secondly. Violence is crippling, more so than just plain anger. Of course they are sympathetic bedfellows, but violence is the act of engaging in behaviour that has the intent to damage, hurt or kill. The power of a "Master of Violence" can be overwhelming both emotionally and of course physically and can leave inner and outer scars that last a lifetime. Even when this 'MofV' is overcome, the memory is haunting and sometimes removes a large part of the confidence and self esteem that the victim had.
I've made this subject long enough, we could go on forever with it, and maybe someday there'll be a great Kenpo "potlach" where we'll trade, buy and sell, or destroy legends, myths, info or the latest and greatest moves never seen before. But I'll leave with these little tidbits of coping skills of things that I don't do, or try to amend to face the reality of life and the true study of violence.
1. I don't subscribe to the "Be all you can Be" ethos. That is a true path to burnout and assumes that if I am (or become) all I can be, that's all I'll ever be. I am all I can be right now, but I do have some energy in reserve. 2. "What goes around comes around" Nah, people that are total jerks or evil people often get all the good beaks. Being nice guarantee's nothing and sometimes, things just don't work or balance out. 3. Love conditionally. Healthy, lasting love is conditional, not unconditional. Throwning around the "Love you's" "I love you man" and so on are nice platitudes for comforting yourself and others. But real love for a person is earned and not neccesarily something I deserve (with a few exceptions). 4. Instead of correcting my faults, I try to enhance my inner strengths. Then it seems, my 'faults' peel away since I'm more aware of them and they are crutches to hide my laziness to making my strengths greater. 5. Savor life. It ain't all that bad! Yeah, you get your butt kicked but after a while and if you don't go running off to hide and cry, you learn to move your butt or block it successfully and come out the wiser for it.
If you are truly a martial artist, Kenpoist or any other follower, then you should be a Student of Violence as well as a student of motion. I've tried for 47 years, to change that order of words and thoughts but life continually brings me back to the truth...
Posted
Dec 13 2007, 07:56 AM
by
Uncle