Essays From The Master

The proof of any martial art is in the prevailing of the one that uses it over what would hinder them. Lineage, rank and so on mean nothing on the field of battle and if a system works for the one using it then it works. If we take this standard of proof then it becomes meaningless to speak ill of a martial art or a martial artist in a public setting, no matter what one’s personal views may be. The same holds true in matters of spirituality, government and so many others arenas of living life, if a person finds truth or effectiveness in a given thing or system and it does not interfere with anyone else then why waste the energy on calling them out? Do I have personal views on other martial arts and martial artists, yes of course I do and I have shared them with some on a personal level but never in a public forum because to do so is to invite strife which is not productive. On a tactical level, to give one’s view on a martial art et al is to give a possible foe insight into one’s drives which a foe could take advantage of. On a wider tactical front, to expose one’s view on others allows an outside party to set one martial artist et al against another which only aids those that are against such arts. It is said in some circles that a boast is a gift to the enemy and what is giving one’s view if not a boast, in many circumstances? If one is aware of a teacher that is harmful to their students or in a way that is criminal then one needs to have proof if one is going to make a public stance; note a personal opinion is not proof.

If martial artists set aside argument as to each other and let the arts speak for themselves the more effective systems and their users would become self-evident. If a martial artist feels strongly enough to confront me on something I do, or do not do, then they must be willing to step into my circle to do so, if it’s not worth it then do not bother. There are some martial artists and arts that have become a part of pop culture and some of these I like and some I do not, some present well in the media but do not seem legit to me as fighters. On the other hand there are some that are thought to be frauds or the like that I know to be legit based on experiences or informed study. In either case I strive to not speak ill because it adds nothing but strife and casts the martial world in a negative light; it also invites others to judge me which I do not need. Martial Arts have fads of the moment, the year or even a decade and if someone finds their way through such how I feel about that fad will not change the truth that someone found. I would not rob any person of the truth they find, be it via martial arts or otherwise, because I would not want such attempted with me and it’s not a matter of import in my life. If martial artists reserved their energy for training and application of that art when it is called for rather than for arguing with each other how much more progress could martial arts achieve in the lives of those that use them?

If your life reflects your art and you benefit from it and you are victorious when you are confronted, is that not enough? If you feel the need to judge others that have not attacked you, what does that say about you and your art? If the success of a person, art or school bothers me my response is to improve myself and let my advances prove any argument I may have. To prove one’s art, one’s school or one’s teacher all one must do is improve one’s self using those things that one has been taught and one’s advance is proof enough. Self-empowerment, self-enlightenment and self-improvement can all flow from the martial path or from any path that one works fully because it is the person that works the path that proves that path. If your art serves you then I am happy for you to have your art and promote it, I would ask that you promote that art by properly reflecting that art. Martial Arts are matters of life and death, of combat, and from these one gains the strength to enforce one’s sense of reality, does argument really rise to the level of life and death?