Labor Day 2014

Here are two thoughts to consider on labor Day

1.   Working Vs. talking (or idle talk)

2.  A Proper Balance for all things

Solomon said in proverbs that
In all labor there is profit . . .

He also goes on to say that just talking leads to penury, or extreme want.

I find it ironic and amusing that the day that we use to celebrate the American work ethic is marked as a day without "labor" goofing off or anything far from labor in and of itself . . .  unless of course we count barbecues and picnics as labor.

I have a love for old books and still own a set of encyclopedias.  Some information is pretty much static.  So is the history of Labor day.  It was initiated in 1882 by the Nights of Labor with a parade In New York City to celebrate the American worker.  The original society behind the institution of Labor day no longer exists due to several ideologies that didn't mesh with 19th century America. 

If you care to study the history of the Knights of Labor you will find they had high ideological goals but no practical strategies to get there. What ended up happening was some noble attempts but an eventual disenfranchisement of  Irish immigrants.  This led to radicals taking over.  This reminds me why a good street fighter can beat up a Black Belt in the Martial Arts.  Point fighting is great, but can you take a punch?  Ideas are great, dreams are great and working towards a goal is great.  What is always needed is a balance between ideas and labor.

Even in our society today there is still the age old struggle between labor and management.  Labor wants the most money for the least effort and Management wants the least money for the most work!

No matter if you are labor or management I must caution you that there is a proper balance for both and the argument will probably never end on who is right and who is wrong - since there are liars and noble people on both sides!

Having said this, I wish all of you a happy Labor day 2014

(Now I will go do a load of Laundry!)

Sincerely 

Your Brother in Christ

And  Senpai in Karate 

先輩

Milestones

This post is dedicated to a friend at karate, but to all who strive to reach a goal.

Recently my Kyoshi asked when I worked (evenings and nights) because he wanted to test one of my class mates for black belt.
He has been training for just as many years as I have, but just wanted to be a good fighter and has never been concerned with rank. He truly believes that the belt is "just a piece of cloth"
True as that may be, I want you to think about is this way:  It represents a milestone.

Websters online dictionary defines milestone this way:

an important point in the progress or development of something : a very important event or advance

In a previous post on self confidence I conveyed the story that when I was a novice (yeah... I still feel like one 27 years later as well!) the black belts would tell me "A black belt means that I am just beginning to learn"

They were right. A black belt means you have learned the basics to an acceptable degree of the martial arts school curriculum that you are involved in.  The senior instructors in the school / organization will review your abilities and confer on you that "piece of cloth" we call a black belt.

Now, depending on the school, the test may be rigorous or . . .  shall we say less than rigorous. I say this because there is a common occurrence in martial arts schools that a person can "purchase" their way to black belt with no real-world skills.  We have all heard the story how a person that claims to be a black belt in Karate easily loses a fight to a person who has never stepped on the mat a day in his life.  I readily admit that there are good street fighters out there than hold their own and win against a person trained in the arts.

So, what is my point?  My point is to simply state that this "piece of cloth" represents a milestone in your training and, for that matter in your life.  Although there are many programs out there that teach martial arts and self defense, and a person can "buy" a black belt, you my friend have paid for this through blood, sweat and tears!

That piece of cloth is a representation of those years of sweat and practice.  It is a representation of your dedication and development and marks an important event.

That event being "you are just beginning to learn."

I am by no means an expert in Japanese or Okinawan traditions, customs or culture but I do understand a few things. An upperclassman in a school (Japanese:  Senpai) has a responsibility to look out for and encourage the class mates in the ranks below him (kōhai).  As Westerners we have a difficult time understanding collective societies that value the group over the individual.  In America, it is all about us. In other cultures the family name, or group affiliation is more important.

I am encouraging you to test out.  In many many ways, you have already earned it.  Oh, and being Senpai I offer my help in practice at the inconvenient times, when I work until midnight and come to the Dojo with only 3 1/2 hours of sleep under my . . . belt (pardon the pun).

To my readers, I say this: any event that marks a milestone in your life should be stepped through and taken. If you have "done the time" in training and work, treat that pinnacle event as what it is: a milestone!

In other words, you earn(ed) it!

Sincerely 

Your Brother in Christ

And  Senpai in Karate 

先輩

Self confidence

I found myself in class recently working with a younger man who was a brown belt.  And although I'm about 17 years his senior in age, a creeping feeling came into my mind:

Is he having a problem with the kick because he watched me?

Am I doing it wrong and he is following me?

Most of this came from my last black belt test for 2nd dan.  I was succinctly warned by one of the masters that I had to be extra careful, because people will pay attention to me as a senior belt.

What followed was something that plagued me since I was promoted to black belt.

I don't feel like I have arrived

Years ago, when I studied Tae Kwon Do, I would meet black belts and comment how much they must know, and how impressed I was.  I did this in a manner of humility and not "sucking up".  To be honest I don't remember the exact words but they would always come back with the statement:

 A black belt means you are just beginning to learn

I always thought to my self the following  "What kind of mystic Eastern crap is that!?"  years later I finally understood it, because I was now walking in their shoes!  I gave it about 3 years of thought and then decided to go to my Sensei (Kyoshi Wilcox).  I explained this concern with him. He looked at me and said, "You know what you call that!?"  He then leaned towards with wild eyes (quite the norm for him) and said "You call it NORMAL"

We all go through stages in life where, perhaps we feel less than adequate or wonder what others are thinking.  To a degree this is normal.  He later shared with me that to feel like you have arrived or, you are owed something is abnormal and bad.  Heres a few Biblical examples:


We read that Moses fled Egypt for killing a man and lived for 40 years in exile.  Keep in mind that he was trained as a Prince; the heir apparent of Pharaoh.  Moses was a statesman, General and scholar!  but he didn't have humility  "Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall"  The prophet Amos was a shepherd and tree trimmer, not well suited and trained by the standards of those days, but he spoke of what he knew and was effective enough to be called and recorded in scripture.  True, they had the call of God on them and obeyed, but notice what God did!  never discount your learning and abilities to be used some day!



 The martial arts is about growth and development, much like Christianity and life in general; it is a journey not a destination! It only stands to reason that we should be careful how we step because there are always people above and below you and some will undoubtedly look at how you step.

So, where does my title come in?

The best way to explain it is by telling you a story back from 1991 when I was in the Army.  I went to the U.S. Army Air Assault school where I learned about sling loading equipment from the bottom of a helicopter and how to rapel.  The instructors would tell us horror stories about not having the rapel seat tight and even a soldier who was severely injured when the rope was caught in between his leg and one of his . . .  uh never mind, but you get the point.  As a bunch of young men we were now scared silly about losing part of our manliness.  This is when I received a bit of sage wisdom I have not forgotten since.  the instructor said:

At some point, you have to have faith in your equipment

And so it is with our training.  if you attend a reputable school that has a good mix of tradition and common sense training, you may not get everything 100% correct all of the time, but you will understand the concepts to make things work and still be a good example to all. In martial arts, we wear belts as a sign of rank.  In the Army, schools are represented by badges worn, but in the church our hard fought tests are shown by our character and spirit and only sometimes by a position or calling in the church.

Incidentally, we were doing inside and outside crescent kicks, and the rhythm was a bit odd.

Overall, you .must have faith in your equipment (training). and let your good actions speak louder than words

Sincerely 

Your Brother in Christ

And  Senpai in Karate 

先輩

Worn Bibles and Black Belts

While I was unpacking my gear recently, I looked at the condition of my belt.  I have always had a concern over it's use.  This may sound silly, but is it "broken in"?
The ranks of White through about green belt usually go so fast that the belt never gets worn, just creased enough for it to be tied properly.
My mind wandered to a story that was shared with me while I was the member of an aggressively evangelistic church.  The pastor was preaching one morning and talked about how much people read their Bible.  One could tell because the pages were dog-eared or the shiny gold painted gilding was worn from the sides fo the pages.  My friend told me that a new visitor, who behaved in an overtly-religious manner (This is the kind that uses religious and Bible terms with the intent of impressing a person of how spiritual they are) was licking his finger and trying to rub the gold gilding off of the pages.

Silly, isn't it?

But this got me thinking about the three things that are common to both  Karate and Church:

• Wear
• Humility
• Confidence

Wear

When I say wear, I speak of the marks of the, if you will, trade.  For the Christian it is his or her Bible.  It is declared to be the Sword of the Spirit and sharper than any two-edged sword.  For the Martial artist, it is the body, but allow me to give a symbol instead: the Belt.  Both should show some signs of use and wear as they are 'essential'  to the trade.  An unused Bible shows a christian not reading and studying.  An un worn belt shows a martial artist that is probably not practicing and training.  Both are symbols that should indicate wear through "Training". and if not, then is that person ready for the trials and tribulations and may and will come?

Humility

The bible tells us that before honor is humility, but high and haughty spirits will lead to a fall.  To be confident in the word of God and his plan for your life is intellectually easy to do, but quite another thing when you are in the heat of circumstances.  This requires faith and trust.  sometimes we must wade through bad times and bad decisions that make us stronger, because we lack the perspective of humility.  A martial artist may be faced with events that can lead to an altercation, but is it always wise to "test a technique"?  I talked to a friend who is a part-time bouncer and he made the innuendo "I would rather fight a karate guy than a street fighter".  This was meant to say that a lot of martial arts scuffles in a bar, grill or club are due to pride.  We can also say that the martial artists who lose give the martial arts a bad name, and give the fight loser a needed lesson in humility!  True humility in ones abilities come from within, and not an outward achievement in a fight.  The Chinese general Sun Tsu said best:  "To win without fighting is the Zenith of Power"

Confidence

So where does confidence come in?  I like my belt, and oh yes, it does show some sign of wear, with creases worn in as well.  new belts are a bit stiff and don't stay tied at first.  Similar to a new bible, with the pages stuck together, and maybe not book marked with our study passages in place yet.  If they are used both often and correctly, we should have confidence in what we know, and also what we don't know.
Be confident in the fact that if we train and study properly, there will be fruits for our labors

Humility and the Martial way

One thing I noticed when I studied Tae Kwon Do was the black belts.  I admired they’d “made it”.  When I asked, they would almost say the exact opposite: “No, I haven’t made it, I’m just beginning to learn”

What!?
Is this some type of Zen stuff!?  you are a Black Belt!!

Today let me share three things I have found:

• We are on a journey
• It’s not a sin to be ignorant, but should be one to remain
• We are life-long learners

Christianity is not a destination it is a journey!

Lo and behold, years later I FINALLY understood what they meant!  Earning a black belt is no easy task.  Then you realize that black belt is not a destination, it is only one stop on a JOURNEY!
After my first stop, I understand that we never stop learning; even more so when you go to 1st Dan or higher!
Shouldn’t it be this way in every part of life?  As a Christian I realize that it takes only a moment to become a Christian with the prayer of salvation (Accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior)  but it takes an entire life to become a saint!


I had the opportunity to attend a karate seminar with my teacher Kyoshi Wilcox. The attendees were good old Okinawan Kenpo people.  I met instructors I had heard about and participated in the weapons seminar.

This is when I had to practice what I preach.

It's not a sin to be ignorant (but should be one to remain)

I love the way of the empty hand, but it is necessary to also know the traditional weapons.  This is an area that I know that I am deficient with.  Just as I said earlier in Opportunities, this is a chance to learn and behave as I have been taught.  There I was with lower ranking belts, (sometimes we can learn more from beginners than intermediate levels.  Think: basics are that important!) 
I am a black belt, I should know Kobudo. It was time to get serious as this is a requirement for advancement.  This is also an excellent opportunity because my Sensei is the best Kobudo man in the Mid-West!

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We are life long learners

So, here I am, with a bunch of lower ranking belts, and a few looking at me (for direction?) I flatly said I don’t know weapons, then went on not to let the awkward moment result in pride or humiliation welling up.  I know that if I can get the sequence of a kata, I will hone the points down to where they go and learn bunkai as well.  If I passed belt tests, and can teach and speak to 8 classes a week, I can surely do this!

With God’s grace and emptying out pride I learned humbly along with two blue belts and a yellow belt.  Pride has no place in Karate… nor in the church.

Just look at three scriptures:

1. James 4:1-10, but specifically verse 10
2. I Corinthians 10:12 (in context with 9:27-10:13)
3. Proverbs 16:18