Impressions Matter

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Impressions of one another come from our perceptions of those folks. Perceptions and impressions are a fact of life and while in most teachings of the “Way” say that we must cast off our ego’s and pride driven attitudes it is still a fact of life that others will always make judgements dependent on their impressions and perceptions governed by their own personal private and socially driven belief systems. 

Take a look at a lot of what is happening in todays media deluge, i.e., take the most current about the confederate flag. What is driving this effort is not actually the flag itself but our perceptions and impressions to what we think it represents and that was driven by its presence when some innocent folks were killed in a souther church not long ago. 

The confederate flag holds a lot more symbolic history of our country than simply slavery. The flag was not just created when we went to war between the states, right? This brings up the fact that many misunderstanding occur due to some “Stigma” attached to some thing or event because it was related to that same thing or event at that time of occurrence. This also comes from socially emotionally ego pride driven beliefs from misguided, stunted and incomplete perceptions and impressions humans tend to go toward in an “Instance of emotional outcry” usually attacked to some singular stigma assigned to some thing or event. 

This carries over into martial disciplines. This carries over into martial arts self-defense. We make assumptions from our impressions and perceptions often driven through media such as movies, fictional books and television - to name a few cause Youtube, twitter, etc., all have to take some responsibility for the misconceptions and stigma’s that are assigned through media framing to gain viewer attention, etc. 

Martial Arts is about perceptions and impressions. Lets’ take the coveted “Black Belt” as an example. After its implementation in Judo so long ago along with its adaptation to karate and other martial disciplines it became a symbol of proficiency, expertise and mastery. It didn’t get there by some defining definition held to higher standards, at least not at first because it was exclusive, as to the dan-i system of judo, to that discipline. It had meaning in that discipline that was understood by those students and instructors. It didn’t start to come to symbolize anything outside that system until it was adopted and adapted to other systems of martial discipline. 

Since no one actually put forth a defining definition with specific attributes, principles and goals in achieving black belt status it was then the individual systems, styles and instructors to define the meaning of the system. It was then a matter of perceptions, knowledge, understanding and experiences that became each persons perception and impression as to what it means to be a black belt and that often came about from lesser and lesser transference of knowledge, experience and teaching of original higher standards. (can you begin to see how convoluted and complex this becomes when something is left without some overall pre-requisite valid levels of meaning, etc.?)

Add in other influences such as a need to see or get something for something, i.e., rank and title for the amount of money invested, and then instant gratifications along with perceptions and impressions as to what constitutes black belt along with criteria that will set a time and duration to achieve such a goal. This, along with many other factors and issues, led to the denigration of ranking systems along with testing, etc. 

Lets get back on track with why even in martial arts impressions matter. All of us tend to look for some validations to ensure that what we see, experience and often pay for has the value we personally perceive makes it worth our effort and makes the overall end product worthwhile to pursue. Humans look for something or some sort of credentials that say, “This person is an EXPERT!” At one time making the first black belt meant that the recipient was a dedicated novice and ready to become a true student, a beginner. Now, today, most believe incorrectly, to my view, that to be a first level black belt means you are an expert and master of your system or style. 

Now, as time has passed and many, many changes have occurred - some good, some bad - that black belt status has fallen far from the tree that says one is an expert, now the higer levels have to be attained to validate in many minds that one is an expert. Example is the thoughts, i.e., impressions and perceptions of many, that to be a master expert in martial arts one must have attained many, many black belts in many, many different systems or styles. They must have participated in many, many tournaments; have trained with and under many perceive luminaries in martial arts through seminars; have won many, many varied sport oriented competitions with many, many trophies and so on. In one instance of personal experience when seeking a place to teach the organization wanted teaching certification from that state, a college/university degree in physical education and many other perceived credentials to qualify me for teaching at their organization. 

When one such organization talked to me about teaching martial arts they wanted to know what level of black belts I held in various forms of practice such as ju-jitsu, karate, judo, aikido and others as a minimum show of expertise and ability. Then the level of said black belts also was necessary so you had to have a level of fifth grade or higher. The part that surprised me was no one verified such credentials and grades and ranks, the accepted that as their perceptions and impressions from media driven information said that was what made for an EXPERT. 

At one time if someone said they had a black belt in karate the impressions and perceptions of those not in martial arts automatically went to the thoughts of expert and master of fighting. In reality it could not be far enough away from the truth. 

Impressions count, in order to even have acceptance in martial arts those who look to you must see what they believe makes you the expert and more often than not that involves credentials along with a resume that may or may not actually be true, valid or even verifiable. As long as the other person perceives that you are an expert, then you are an expert.

Going back to the flag thing, because of the stigma assigned to the flag and because no one will listen and because now that the momentum has snow balled to such a frenzy of emotional bull the flag is close to being wiped away from American history as possible simply because a small group with a lot of pride driven emotional movement has declared by their personal inaccurate understanding and knowledge that this flag is symbolic of racial discrimination and murder. The momentum and belief system has taken such a strong hold in our social emotional realm that no matter how factual and accurate the counter argument the flag now holds only that small assigned stigma of racial stigmata that it will be gone and forgotten in only a few years. 

First impressions do matter in human nature. Whomever, be it an individual or group, who comes out with their impressions and perspectives with the loudest and most dramatic version will be the impression, perception and BELIEF accepted by the whole, the group. Once it gets its hooks in us seldom with truth, reality and knowledge be able to overcome and change that belief, perception and impression. 

Back to MA, this is why you will continue to see various forms and accouterments of martial system take a dominance in the discipline with colored belts, unique and varying uniform styles and lots of drama media driven forms of entertainment and sport.  It is why acceptance and validation of expertise will be geared more toward credentials as to how they fare from the perceptions and impressions of non-martial folks as they see them from a media commercial driven entertainment source. 

The true essence of what is considered as traditional martial arts without all the symbols, stigma’s and other accouterments they entail will be practiced, trained and taught by the very few who in all likelihood will be viewed as cult-driven like followers who just can’t see the truth of marital arts. 

Bibliography (Click the link) [As a good example, watch the following]