Thread: Martial Arts Rocks!

Yes it does!

If you go to a good Dojo or gym, you will:

1. Learn to defend yourself
2. Get in great shape
3. Meet people
4. Learn about yourself, what your limits are, and how you actually have no limits
5. Grow spirtually and physically.
6. It can show you ways to change your life.

The list goes on!

That is just kind of off the top of my head general stuff...but I would really like for people to talk about what they think about their own Martial Arts experiences...or any spiritual ideas and concepts.

Where you you with your inspiration when I was 21 and didn't have arthritis and no money?

My daughter started taking Jujitsu when she was 8; unfortunately she didn't want to go back for the next season. She liked it when she was there, but I think she may have psyched herself out by thinking about the possible physical contact as a result. The teacher even said she was doing great and building her confidence, but, oh well.

I even offered to take classes with her, but nope, that didn't work.

Hmmm...I wrote a note on my big inspiritation from Martial Arts. Let me pull it up....

So as you can easily tell from my previous notes, I have been questioning many ideas in my spiritual life. As you may also derive from previous notes and simply by talking to me recently I have really enjoyed my time with Martial Arts and lately I have been thinking about it as more than something physical and competitive.

I once saw a Bruce Lee clip, actually its from the movie "Enter the Dragon", where he is tutoring a young martial artist on how to fight with emotion. He wanted him to kick with emotion, instead of simply kicking. Then I read on a martial arts website, that true karate will make the mind and the body as one being. You will be able to illustrate your intentions with your moves, project your mind and feeling into your combat and kata. So that when you try to perfect a kata, you will illustrate emotion and feeling into it as well. Perfecting kata, which show your discipline, knowledge, and style, is another goal of Martial Artists. Its part of what makes it an Art.

It also gave me a reason, outside of the military, to keep in shape. I feel that pushing yourself to go beyond what you think you can do is key in mental and physical development. It perfects you. Putting yourself in a crucible sharpens and hardens you.

I also learned that...it doesn't matter if someone is better than you. Jealousy, hatred, and aggression can all be quite impeading on ones character development. I mean the reason why I started Karate was to become a "bad ass"...but its ironic that I have developed quite the different view that keeps me wanting to pursue it for the rest of my life.

Things seem a lot more simple the more I think about what I have learned in the past few months. I openly will tell people that I do not believe in organized church, but I will openly admit that I do not know what our purpose is exactly, or how created this exactly. So I strongly encourage people to develop themselves and grow at youth groups and churches, because we all grow differenlty.

I feel that there is a linear cycle of things...things are very complex yet very simple at the same time. A balance to everything. An opposite to everything, yet there seems to be no absolute on either end of the opposites.

Then I was watching Star Wars...and my goodness..the Jedi philosophy is pretty much Martial Arts philosophy mixed in with Taoism. The idea of a flowing force with everything, retaining aggression and "dark side" elements, enhancing your physical being and combat skills, but knowing that you should only use them for knowledge and defense.

It makes me wonder how much more knowledge and ability I will gain the more I travel down my own road. Some people might not think I have any power or knowledge...maybe I do not.

I am not out to impress anyone, once I realized that I felt much more complete.
I used to want to grow fat and old and not care at fifty...but that would be like no longer living to me now.
A few weeks ago I had no idea if there was any purpose for us here on earth...but now I at least I want to retain my aggression, fear, and hate. There must be some reason why we humans have a soul...and emotions.

So if anyone was wondering why I put "Jedi" as my religion...its kind of a jesting way to sum up this note and what my view on my life is.

I briefly studied Martial Arts. self defense is cool, the patience, the custom. I thought it interesting that the art was used on horseback in combat.
the mental part was the most fascinating to me, self control, and levels of personal growth.