Caveat: This article is mine and mine alone. I the author of this article assure you, the reader, that any of the opinions expressed here are my own and are a result of the way in which my meandering mind interprets a particular situation and/or concept. The views expressed here are solely those of the author in his private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of other martial arts and/or conflict/violence professionals or authors of source materials. It should be quite obvious that the sources I used herein have not approved, endorsed, embraced, friended, liked, tweeted or authorized this article. (Everything I think and write is true, within the limits of my knowledge and understanding. Oh, and just because I wrote it and just because it sounds reasonable and just because it makes sense, does not mean it is true.)
Please make note that this article/post is my personal analysis of the subject and the information used was chosen or picked by me. It is not an analysis piece because it lacks complete and comprehensive research, it was not adequately and completely investigated and it is not balanced, i.e., it is my personal view without the views of others including subject experts, etc. Look at this as “Infotainment rather then expert research.” This is an opinion/editorial article/post meant to persuade the reader to think, decide and accept or reject my premise. It is an attempt to cause change or reinforce attitudes, beliefs and values as they apply to martial arts and/or self-defense. It is merely a commentary on the subject in the particular article presented.
This, I believe, is a statement toward the human need to take one side or the other to extremes whereby those who do are doomed to eventual failure. I liken this statement is a simplistic form for the fighting humans experience on a small scale where one-on-one tend to dominate. We as humans tend to lean toward conflict and violence in every aspect of life, from the mundane and simple to the chaotic and complex. The complex being that which spurs on the need for physical violence of the socially driven status seeking ego building form up to the predatory process and resource extreme damage form.
The quote also speaks to the balance one must achieve to survive whether surviving the every day conflicts and violences of the work world to surviving the infrequent, modern times driven, conflict and violence that takes us all the way up to great bodily harm and even death - accident or deliberate.
This quotes is to be seen like many other quotes as a Zen Koan like story or statement that one ponders and meditates on to achieve a greater understanding of life’s trials and tribulations. A means in seeking a level of enlightenment that evolves man and mans mind toward a more peaceful way where war, fighting and combatives remains available but is not used except in extremes of necessity.
In the warrior mind-state this also speaks to those who succumb to the mysteries and gratifications found in violent physical disciplines of action without tempering that with the more peaceful nonviolent counter weights of peaceful thoughts and actions. Relying on the strictly physical manifestation of violence toward “others” leads toward a sickness of the mind that will lead toward extermination. Relying on the strictly non-physical manifestations of non-violence toward “others” leads toward a sickness of the mind that leaves us open to extermination as well. No one way is the only way, all ways are comprised of a balance between its symbiotic parts that make it a whole, its hardness as it blends into softness, yin-yang.
When self-defense martial arts of our modern era are discussed they are thought of as merely sport. As such they leave out those principles necessary to make them a combative form of self-defense, i.e., they focus solely on the peaceful self-improvements toward enlightenment. This form discards human nature in conflict and violence necessary for survival even when not at war. It tries to hide that aspect so that we tend to assume and feel conflict and violence are to be removed like a cancer of the body leaving us to rely solely on peaceful measures for survival - that too results in extermination.
To achieve a true balance of human existence we must embrace our nature, our nature being violent with levels from mere disagreement to out right violence taking life. This requires a blending of both our natural inclination toward a war like acceptance, belief and proficiency of combatives from the lowest level of verbal to the highest of war like combat resulting in great bodily harm and death all the way to those peaceful like acceptance of our nature, belief in the counter weight of peaceful actions and our proficiency to hold peace dear and foremost in our hearts with the reserve of our warlike nature in extreme necessary circumstances and situations. This gives birth to those principles that create appropriate weights that balance out the scales of life such as the principle of “Theory.”
Theory, as an open minded way where our experiences, practices and training lead to ideas or systems of ideas that explain life’s experiences so that one can explain, understand and develop ways that make it productive and thereby justifies our actions toward a more socially acceptable way insuring survival.
This gives birth toward a principle called, “Physiokinetics.” The teaching, training and application of those physical needs regarding human survival. These are about human physical health, well-being (also a contributor toward balance between war and peace like actions and deeds) and fitness so when necessary our minds and bodies can act in survival.
The next principle that couples with the first two creates an ability that can both avoid and deal with (get-r-done) conflict and violence, “Techniques.” Often thought of as those particular physical manifestations of combat, fighting and defense. In truth they are a combination of both war and peaceful actions be they the awareness to detect potential obstacles and support models up to avoidance when conflict and violence are detected to the extreme of violent defense in the name of survival, peace and the social survivability of the tribe.
The final principle born of this is “Philosophy.” If we as humans fail to create a form knowledge, experience and reality toward the fundamental of our nature toward survival and existence then we fall prey to one side or the other, war over peace over war with no balance to stabilize such things.
Equilibrium, the balance that creates and sustains both life and the social tribal existence. All this to keep us within the means of survival, i.e., our natural warlike inclination for survival as well as our need for balance with our need for a peaceful resolution to life’s obstacles both natural and manmade required to survive, evolve and reach enlightenment.
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