davywavy | Things I have learned from studying the martial arts.

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1) Just because you're bigger than them, don't assume it means you'll hit harder.
2) Youth & speed beat old age & guile 95% of the time.
3) Regardless of what the rules say, your groin is a legitimate target for female opponents.
4) My big toe is not supposed to bend in that direction
5) Nor is my arm, thanks very much.
6) If your opponent is smiling, they probably mean it.
7) Getting hit in the head hurts.
8) Nobody is impressed by how high you can kick.
9) No one style is inherently better than any other - except for Hung Gar, whcih is shit.
10) No matter how good you think you are, if you are ever faced with real-world violence then your best tactic is to run like hell and hope for the best.

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From:

applez.livejournal.com

(hehehe) I'm sure the Welsh, Irish and Scots would argue that the UK itself is an act of subjugation, long before the effort went global. :-)

re: leading kids to knowledge ... well, perhaps this does sound Orwellian, but there is little reason there can't be more extensive testing - beyond technique, but to reaction choices to given problem X (then the next layer of - is that even a problem? rather the sort of 'reading the crowd' training promulgated in the better police forces, like the RCMP). Likewise, it's a fabulous tutorial when the philosophy or morality is applied - such as a temple doing a public festival, or school students brought to soup kitchens and the like. The 'learning to care' ... true, these external methods are of little used to a closed individual, but that will still embed an experience that they could learn from later, should they ever contemplate it fairly.

Personally, I've long advocated a 'civics' course, applied, from K-12 in public education. Too bad the shearing of music, philosophy, Latin, and non-competative physical education was just a forerunner of insufficient books, degraded facilities and worse that far too many children contend with...even in the 'better' counties in the US (I imagine things can be as grim in the UK's North).

Removing guns is only a temporary solution, but if it produces a space of time for society to slow down, take stock of itself, debate, and take an agreed-upon path (or paths, we're a diverse world now) - I'm all for it.

I would add that philosophy and applied social goodwill certainly has its limits, after all, the cradle of many humanist philosophies, India, acts every bit as belligerently at a geopolitical level as any other 'modern' state.

From:

baalazamon.livejournal.com

You could well be right about the "other" indigenous population of the UK - even today we have the Irish situation, and it wasn't such a very long time ago that i was told to "fuck off back to England" whilst visiting Wales....it seems the resentment that lives in cultural memory weighs much more heavily on people than current governmental attitudes. There are few, if any, external influences applied to this generation that are positive in nature - gone are the music lessons, Relegious Education, physical education and hell, even dietry sources are ignored in the face of trying to fulfil government figures for exam results - the notion of Renaissance Education where a full grounding in many subjects was considered cimpulsory has given way to ever more specialised and insular subjects which further divide allready fractutred population centres.

The North....well, again, it wasn't so long ago that a visiting Group of Cammies played a game in my local village and derided me as posh in comparison to their hometowns. I hadn't really considered that the Industrial centres of the Uk were that bereft of hope - but i think your comparison stands. Certainly there _still_ seems to be a North/South Divide in terms of Education, Facilities, and general propspects for those who make it their home.

Education is sadly lessened in scope and application these days - the humanities are all but ignored for the faceless and impersonal medium or Electronic communication, and even tho there is a limit as to the impact of applied philosophy and social awareness, i just see many of the lessons of the past being re-visited without any reference to the horros that the World Experienced originaly.
And Yes, oddly, the cradle of humanities are beset by their own problems on both social, geo-political and international levels, which is one of the great ironies of our time.

If we could allow time for the world to breath, then a discipline that intergrated many of the values of the Orginal intentions of Martial Arts would be a benefit indeed, however.....i often think the world moves far too recklessly forward to stop and contemplate the sunset. Its a great shame, but the mere fact that there are people who seem to have reached some of the same conclusions does indeed hearten me. Actually, to my own chagrin there are few more examples i can think of to add to this discussion as you seem to have hit many of the pertinent points and although i do hate "me too" type posts, i have to say that i can't fault your logic.

From:

davywavy.livejournal.com

I'm reminded of Flanders' & Swanns 'Song of Patriotic Prejudice at this moment...

The rottenest bits of these islands of ours,
We've left in the hands of three unfriendly powers,
Examine the Irishman, Welshman or Scot,
you'll find he's a stinker as likely as not.

Personally I'm all for Scots, Welsh & Irish independence. The British derive little benefit from the union. I mean, we've stolen all their natural resources and they can'thave them back, so it isn't like we need the people any more is it?