Hai.....Yah!
Sep. 27th, 2002 04:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
davywavyI was thinking after Ninja high school the other day the way that martial arts philosophy has come to influence so many other areas of my life; this train of thought was inspired by someone trying to draw me into an argument over email, and me resisting.
I view arguing and debate as being much like martial arts; the skills involved in both require considerable dedication and training to come to any sort of mastery over, and there is no shame in learning from somenmoe who is an acknowledged master, be it Ch'ieng man Chen, Ken Oneida, or Socrates. Secondly, sparring, or even test fighting, is not only good practise, but it can also be great fun. In an environment where two people of any skill level are testing each other in a non-damaging way, you can learn a lot - if you are better, you can teach what you know. If they are better you can learn from them, and if you are of equal ability, you can develop each others skills. it all comes down to sharing what you know (I'm flattered that Ninja Master has got me teaching people pushing hands these days).
Finally, avoid actual fights and conflict.
It's something I've noticed more than anything; people who go out looking for a fight - in any context - are people with something to prove. The insecure, in other words. And those who help them find their conflict are of a similar 'something to prove' mentality.
Fighting leads to people getting hurt, and should be avoided whenever possible. It's very noticable that the very best martial artists I've ever met are people who avoid fighting unnecessarily. They have nothing to prove to themselves, and so they simply don't see the need to defend themselves against the taunts of others. Not because they feel themselves above that, but because they don't *need* to respond in order to maintain their self image.
There's an analogy across to arguments as well; spar, get into valid debates and learn, develop skills. But as soon as someone starts throwing punches for real, then it's time to leave if at all possible. Nobody likes getting hurt, and only people who have some personal development to do enjoy causing pain. Let them do it in their time, not yours.
That said, when I come out after a good class there's the atavistic hope in my head that I'll come across some ne'er-do-wells insulting a nun, or something, so I can test out what I've just learned. I think I've got some learning to do yet.
I view arguing and debate as being much like martial arts; the skills involved in both require considerable dedication and training to come to any sort of mastery over, and there is no shame in learning from somenmoe who is an acknowledged master, be it Ch'ieng man Chen, Ken Oneida, or Socrates. Secondly, sparring, or even test fighting, is not only good practise, but it can also be great fun. In an environment where two people of any skill level are testing each other in a non-damaging way, you can learn a lot - if you are better, you can teach what you know. If they are better you can learn from them, and if you are of equal ability, you can develop each others skills. it all comes down to sharing what you know (I'm flattered that Ninja Master has got me teaching people pushing hands these days).
Finally, avoid actual fights and conflict.
It's something I've noticed more than anything; people who go out looking for a fight - in any context - are people with something to prove. The insecure, in other words. And those who help them find their conflict are of a similar 'something to prove' mentality.
Fighting leads to people getting hurt, and should be avoided whenever possible. It's very noticable that the very best martial artists I've ever met are people who avoid fighting unnecessarily. They have nothing to prove to themselves, and so they simply don't see the need to defend themselves against the taunts of others. Not because they feel themselves above that, but because they don't *need* to respond in order to maintain their self image.
There's an analogy across to arguments as well; spar, get into valid debates and learn, develop skills. But as soon as someone starts throwing punches for real, then it's time to leave if at all possible. Nobody likes getting hurt, and only people who have some personal development to do enjoy causing pain. Let them do it in their time, not yours.
That said, when I come out after a good class there's the atavistic hope in my head that I'll come across some ne'er-do-wells insulting a nun, or something, so I can test out what I've just learned. I think I've got some learning to do yet.
