Education is a lifelong journey. A passion followed becomes our driving force. The journey to get to where we become who we are is often elusive at the time. When I was training formally in the traditional martial arts, often I thought to myself,
"What the hell am I doing?"
"This is insane."
"Why am I here?"
Especially after about the thousandth strike, or after the absurdly extended amount of time sitting atop of my feet in 'saiza' listening to the loooong winded instructor wander back and forth in front of us lecturing. Once your feet go numb, they don't really 'hurt' anymore. Until you stand up. The pain is intensely indescribable.
But the trials of my training, and the methods in which I have been trained have all brought me to the point where I am now. No, it wasn't always 'fun', there were contusions, concussions and dislocations, but, yeah, overall, in retrospect, it was fun. (We ol' school martial artist have a warped sense of fun.) I still get to roll around in the floor (sometimes in the dirt and concrete) but now the learning has reached the next level, it's all for discovering something specific. Learning how to see what I was training for.
A quote from George Bane, "Theory may inform, but practice convinces." should always be a part of one's education. We can hear lectures from long winded instructors, and we can have the discipline to do hundreds of thousands of strikes, but when the rubber meets the road, one's foundation must be massive.
Education helps build that foundation.
My long-winded instructor had lots of information, personally I didn't mind listening. The brutality of training was also a positive in maintaing a body that still has its original knees, is flexible, and a mind that can push beyond what the body 'thinks' it is able. The foundation has opened doors to allow me to train along side Middle East US Embassy body guards and it has provided mentors to guide my way because of the depth of the foundation.
Education. It is not something that you can horde away and keep to your self. Nor is it something you can force onto others. It is not something that is concrete. It changes as you change, and it flexes when life does.
Education is something that becomes wider and broader the more we open-mindedly share it.
I have much gratitude for the educational foundation that was built with my core teacher(s) and often give thanks to the universe for allowing many unparalleled opportinities to continue my education with phenomenal teachers.
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