Contrary Views

Blog Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)

“I believe any view that runs contrary to the established order of things is bound to appear offensive.” - Shinseidokan Dojo Blog Excerpt

Yes, I understand because any time one refutes or questions a dogmatic-belief the owner of said belief is going to take it personally, even when it is not personal. That is the species condition that is either directly or indirectly born of our very survival instincts-needs. It takes one of great strength and inner integrity to see past the dogma, analyze the incoming data and then synthesizing their beliefs accordingly. 

It is so because evolution is about having such survival tapes, click-n-whirr, but with one caveat that when the not so obvious becomes - obvious - the species assimilates it and over time encodes it into a tape used … wait for it … survival (tape=click-n-whirr). 

It took me almost fifty years to realize the truth in this and to allow myself, with constant due diligence along with occasional failures, to accept this fact and work with it. So much of my angst these last few years has come from this realization and the stresses that come from overcoming the tape and allowing the recording of a new tape. Then add in that it takes time and great effort to push the old tape into storage so that the new tape can assume its rightful place (see, this delay is similar to the evolutionary processes of our species). 

Communications has become a huge subject for me and it involves relaying such things often in the face of resentment and resistance. I did this the other day on a subject of importance and found myself attempting to communicate another perspective so that a person and group could analyze and synthesize a possible new view on that subject. It took me a period of time and efforts to realize they were trapped in their beliefs and I was wasting my time continuing the effort. Some times you just have to see that you must cut and run because waste not want not lives.

A karate-ka and blogger I have come to respect is stepping back from his blog efforts and I understand why, the “established order” of the karate community has dug themselves into a deep hole of egoistic economic power driven dogma simply because it feeds the ego-esteem of those who run it along with the blinders placed on by the income and potential income of the new product. It is not their fault but from where I sit I have to say that letting something change simply to feed the machine while killing its very essence, in my personal view, is just not proper or even legitimate to the heritage. 

Yet, things change and for the evolution of karate this change may be necessary or our art just may die on the vine and end up killing the entire vineyard. I am sure, and from my continued studies, that such things have occurred throughout human history and that many like me tend to feel it is a detriment only to discover much later that the changes was good and it evolved us so that we would continue with human survival. Then again, there are far more changes in regard to evolutionary processes that are not good and are discarded for the sake of survival, you just never truly know until much later. 

Meanwhile the species tape of contrariness and the comfort zone of the order of things has a strong hold on the community. Changes are difficult even in the best of times and with all the gratifications felt from the current state of affairs it will take some huge contrary thing to result in either good change or the death of the art. 

A good example are the recent current events regarding the election of the next President of the United States. As protests continue and the media becomes consumed by the effort to NOT CHANGE we see an upheaval of society at least on one side. Even tho we all did the democratic thing and voted along with the electoral system find that the change we actually wanted, as shown in the vote and electoral system results, we have a large faction whose beliefs are such they cannot accept this and move on and therefore are resorting to breaking the law and acting in a violent manner contrary to societal rules and laws that things remain - uncomfortable. If we are lucky, it will take a lot of time and a considerable effort to make those who are resisting - to change. 

Our community in karate is the same and like the above example it is a small number that resist simply because it disrupts the continued existence of what we have come to love but we are the minority so we should step back and allow those who are in the new established order discover the benefits and detriments that will be uncovered over time and will judge and adjudicate the continued existence or demise of karate and martial arts. 

Like in our current societal upheaval those who believe in the past and old ways must step back, continue our ways and allow our children to discover and come to change accordingly. I know this, there has been; will be; will always be a contingent of so called traditional ways and practices that the few, the proud and the traditional karate-ka will exist. It makes that form of the way, unique!

Bibliography (Click the link)

“In order for any life to matter, we all have to matter.” - Marcus Luttrell, Navy Seal (ret)