Secret “Anything!”

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Kind of a "Double Negative," i.e.,
Hidden and Secret as if "Something
Special Here."

How can something be a secret? If it is, then we cannot possibly know about it so how would or could we tell anyone that we have or found a secret? In the military they have secrets. Those military secrets are generally known about but as to particulars only those few allowed access can view such secrets. Those secrets are often classified according to a specific set of requirements, etc., i.e., you have confidential, secret and “Top Secret.” There are other classifications but guess what, those are secret so “I would have to kill you if I wrote about it ;-) “

Here is the rub, if a secret is told to anyone outside the “Authorized” parties it becomes an “Unauthorized” access and makes it open to reclassification dependent on actions and requirements as the unauthorized access is investigated and adjudicated. 

When a government secret is declassified it is no longer a “Secret.” You don’t communicate that as, “The secret of <fill in blank here> is now this or that.” It it is now an “Unclassified (possible labled as formally a secret document)” document with reasons associated as to why that document is no longer secret.

Granted, in the media for the sake of drama and sales the headlines might say, The secret of <fillin here anything secret, etc.> has been released or exposed or what ever. But there is ONE very important thing that must exist before a secret is a secret and before a secret is released to to either certain authorized persons or to the general public. It has to have been classified by an authorized authority such as a government to be a secret.

Secrets can be designated and authorized by almost any authority but that is also dependent on certain criteria such as a company whose earnings and survival in the world of business thereby may make some entity or product a secret or the process by which the company makes something, i.e., such as a “Secret Recipe” that when or if exposed would result in huge economic loss and so on. 

Now, we have a person who runs a dojo who suddenly finds they have either come across some information that was previously not known or they discovered some historical document that was previously not translated and known and then they suddenly label it as a “Secret; either hidden or some such status as they decide.” The question then becomes, “Is this a true and valid secret?” Who decided it was a secret and why is it now being released and for what reasons? Is that person or dojo actually an valid authorized entity who can both classify and declassify this so called secret? 

Such terms abound in the martial arts community, a community that bundles up the various forms and models of martial discipline including combatives, fighting, competitive endeavors and self-defense like Safeway bundling a market for food, a store to rent video’s, a auto supply department and a bank to get out money and do investments, etc., into one-stop buy all you need venue. 

It seems in our modern times with our modern means of research, THE INTERNET/WORLD WIDE WEB, we are suddenly exposed to some what “Questionable” sources where we see or hear or read of something previously not known to us or that person or persons and whalla, “We have a new SECRET meaning, bunkai or something or other historically significant piece of data” that suddenly finds itself in an article espousing that dojo or training one-size fits all model the new secret meaning, etc., of your or his or her or anyone’s style, system or whatever.

Is it truly a secret? If so, where did it come from and who said it was and how would you prove that it was a secret? Interestingly enough, many new concepts of modern martial arts are simply thoughts, theories and ideas the community has that “Seem New and Fresh” thereby qualifying under questionable criteria as “Newly discovered SECRETS” because the word “Secret” holds a certain mystic to it often derived from exposure to media headlines and the movie and television industry. It seems to come down to what we can come up with that will trigger the imagination and emotional monkey of humans so they naturally and speedily gravitate toward our version of the secret over some other.

I have to admit that if I advertised I had discovered a recent way of doing something and said it is not known generally to the martial art community and promoted it as how I teach that martial discipline it doesn’t grab the attention of possible students. If I also advertised that I have no experience in fighting, in self-defense, as a conflict and violence professional yet said I could and would teach a person to defend themselves in all probability no one would come and sign up for classes let along pay me premium fees for that training. It just doesn’t happen.

So, we will always see headlines, titles and ads about “Secret, hidden, warrior combat defense, etcs, programs newly discovered, often hidden until released to only Uber Master Sensei Warrior Me to teach just those favored few who “Sign up today before the class fills” before you “Lose Out on such a good deal” type thing.

That brings it back to, “If all this is true why do we all continue to fall for it” time and again. It has been going on for decades now, something to think about. 

So, when I see some ad or headline such as, “The Secret Meaning of <fill in something here>!” I immediately have a doubt but even so I tend to still take a look because even if it is not truly a secret or hidden thing it can still have merit, meaning and applications in the martial arts self-defense world. It does make me wonder at the person using such language, what are they selling and for how much. Especially if they only give you a hint then tell you to “Get the full disclosure you just have to send me $29.95 with an self-addressed stamped envelope” to get your secret today. 

Kind of funny, ain’t it? Hey, with all the secret and hidden stuff presented over the last forty years I am totally surprised that there are still "MORE" secrets and hidden things in martial arts still hidden and secret waiting only to be discovered by the next great master of the martial arts to present to us in the next article, ad or video. 

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