Martial arts shouldn't take years to learn.

[lklawson]

Don't get offended so easily.

Huh? I'm not offended. I'm just cranky. It comes with being old.

It'll speed up the aging process. You don't want that to happen now, do you?

I'm already old. Just ask my kids.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

Huh? I'm not offended. I'm just cranky. It comes with being old.

I'm already old. Just ask my kids.

Everyone older than me is a geezer. Everyone younger than me is a whippersnapper.

You're younger than me. That makes you a whippersnapper.

 

[Buka]

Silly rabbit...

 

[lklawson]

Everyone older than me is a geezer. Everyone younger than me is a whippersnapper.

You're younger than me. That makes you a whippersnapper.

To tell the truth, I usually feel about as good as when I was 25 or 30. Until I get injured and have to heal. Ack! Then I feel every one of my years.

Oh, and sometimes in the morning when I'm trying to stretch out my plantar fasciitis. I got rid of the blasted "condition" last year but it came back a few weeks ago.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

 

[Tarrycat]

to be clear i am not against the way your teacher is explaining things. what i am trying to point out is that you are posting on a public forum and to express certain concepts in a "mystic" way will be misunderstood and be dismissed by your readers.

I never referred to anything as being "mystic", until someone else brought it up. What I DID do, is mention the Godai. That's what I did. I tried to explain what lies behind all the "mysticism" - if THAT is what people who know absolutely nothing about the art would like to view it as. My purpose was never to make anything seem unrealistic, until someone else gave it that impression.

Read my very first comment on this thread. It AAAAAALLLLLLLL escalated from there.

If the readers were anything like me, they would read on to avoid any confusion & to educate themselves.

(So, if you're reading this thread, READ ON, DON'T STOP).

 

[Tez3]

I tried to explain what lies behind all the "mysticism" - if THAT is what people who know absolutely nothing about the art would like to view it as.

But as we've seen it's not in your art is it. It's in what you study but as we've been told it's not in the art itself.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Huh? I'm not offended. I'm just cranky. It comes with being old.

I'm already old. Just ask my kids.

Hell, ask most of us on here. We'll vouch that you're an old curmudgeon.

 

[Tarrycat]

Well...I think we're in the age of "that'll do". Even more so whereas as the fairly instant gratification of getting involved in or even watching combat sports has convinced a generation of people that they know best. Sad that they are so sure of themselves that they seem compelled to dismiss the perspectives of people who have spent decades dedicated to a different path, but this is current cultural phenomena not limited to martial arts. Tez, I know that we've even had people lecture LEO and others on this forum about "reality". Their sense of reality, of course being watching sparring on YouTube. "that'll do".



With all do respect here. I think you're trying to salvage an overplayed hand and I think you're handling it well, but the real lesson here is (picking on you, but certainly you're not the first or the worst) that when you make declarative statements of fact on the internet, occasionally people who are in fact experts on the topic you suggested understanding of come along and call you out on it. I applaud your response and recovery, but it appears you got caught out on a limb here. I don't study this system, so I can only follow the dialogue and wouldn't have known one way or another on the subject you have been debating otherwise.

There's a direct parallel to the OPs declarative statement that he knows better than the long time students and teachers here and elsewhere and essentially holding his (implied) quick and early success in this field with people who have been pursuing mastery.

This issue, at heart, defines this and other forums on martial arts. The frustrating thing is that the classicalists seem to be more or less fine with people going to straight to combat sports and being satisfied with their choices. But that respect doesn't seem to extend the other way. There was a recent thread that I eventually unsubscribed from and blocked the OP over where he started it by saying that it was his mission and duty to expose everyone in the world as frauds who did anything other than UFC style training. That pretty much sums it up.

I'm not going to comment on this thread with my tail between my legs.

I make bold statements, because that's the type of person I am. I am VERY opinionated, but open to criticism at the same time; NOT conflict.

Please don't get me wrong when I say this, but quite frankly I don't care how I come across to you people on here or what you think about me, because you don't know me in person.

I don't have much time for people who try to express their authority over others on the Internet. Only INSECURE people feel the need to tower over others. At the end of the day, you are all just people like I am; & I am not going out on a limb; I WANT to learn.

I also don't care if my bold statements make me look ignorant or insipid. I'm lowly enough to admit to my mistakes, & to admit that I'm not perfect. VERY few people can do that.

I'm not on here to impress people. I am simply MYSELF.

If people don't like it, I'll delete my account. I'd rather talk to genuine people than to people who pretend to be something they're not.

 

[Tarrycat]

But as we've seen it's not in your art is it. It's in what you study but as we've been told it's not in the art itself.

Yes. That's it...

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I'm not going to comment on this thread with my tail between my legs.

I make bold statements, because that's the type of person I am. I am VERY opinionated, but open to criticism at the same time; NOT conflict.

Please don't get me wrong when I say this, but quite frankly I don't care how I come across to you people on here or what you think about me, because you don't know me in person.

I don't have much time for people who try to express their authority over others on the Internet. Only INSECURE people feel the need to tower over others. At the end of the day, you are all just people like I am; & I am not going out on a limb; I WANT to learn.

I also don't care if my bold statements make me look ignorant or insipid. I'm lowly enough to admit to my mistakes, & to admit that I'm not perfect. VERY few people can do that.

I'm not on here to impress people. I am simply MYSELF.

If people don't like it, I'll delete my account. I'd rather talk to genuine people than to people who pretend to be something they're not.

That's an awfully strong reaction to a reasonably worded, relatively friendly post.

 

[lklawson]

I don't have much time for people who try to express their authority over others on the Internet. Only INSECURE people feel the need to tower over others

Not trying to offend, but I don't think that is true. It's not insecurity that drives it, it's the very human need to establish Dominance. This is particularly true for young adult men, where it is often called "The Monkey Dance" but still holds true very often for women as well and still continues to greater or lesser degrees as we age.

Heck, it's true of a great many mammals, from the "Alpha Male" wolf to the "Lead Mare" horse.

Misidentifying or dismissing it as "insecurity" is a mistake which could cause problems.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

 

[Tarrycat]

Everyone older than me is a geezer. Everyone younger than me is a whippersnapper.

You're younger than me. That makes you a whippersnapper.

What is a whippersnapper?

 

[Tony Dismukes]

What is a whippersnapper?

A callow youth. A stripling. A snot-nosed kid who doesn't remember how we did things in the good old days and who needs to get off my lawn with that noise they call music these days.

As opposed to a geezer - a broken down old fart who keeps droning on about some boring old history that nobody cares about any more.

My own age is, of course, the perfect balance of youthful energy and mature wisdom.

 

[Tarrycat]

Not trying to offend, but I don't think that is true. It's not insecurity that drives it, it's the very human need to establish Dominance. This is particularly true for young adult men, where it is often called "The Monkey Dance" but still holds true very often for women as well and still continues to greater or lesser degrees as we age.

Heck, it's true of a great many mammals, from the "Alpha Male" wolf to the "Lead Mare" horse.

Misidentifying or dismissing it as "insecurity" is a mistake which could cause problems.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

Well, I'm not a woman that likes to be controlled. Protected, yes. Controlled, no. My father was controlling enough, so it stems from my childhood. I'm a complete rebel now.

When I think of authority:

Autocrative leadership style - HITLER was an autocrative leader.

A MAN of true integrity supports others, he provides, he helps others grow, he doesn't compromise his standards, he doesn't look down upon others... That's what enviable leadership is to me. I don't like people in who think they're better than others.

Someone who goes out of their way to make another person feel insignificant, IS insecure to me. It's a horrible character trait & a BIG turn off coming from a man.

Most of you men on here lack empathy. You don't take into consideration that I don't think like you do, & that I think on an emotional level.

That's the difference between men & women. It's not in my biology to be able to explain in logical terms the things that I feel or experience. I express it through emotion, not on the bloody Internet. In fact, it only frustrates me. You ALL frustrate me.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

A callow youth. A stripling. A snot-nosed kid who doesn't remember how we did things in the good old days and who needs to get off my lawn with that noise they call music these days.

As opposed to a geezer - a broken down old fart who keeps droning on about some boring old history that nobody cares about any more.

My own age is, of course, the perfect balance of youthful energy and mature wisdom.

You're almost right. You have the dividing line off by about 5 years, though.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Most of you men on here lack empathy.

That's a rather sweeping generalization, and not well supported by evidence.

 

[ShortBridge]

Okay

 

[Tarrycat]

I meant AUTOCRATIC. I'm mixing my English with a bit of Afrikaans.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I meant AUTOCRATIC. I'm mixing my English with a bit of Afrikaans.

Odd, I didn't even catch that. Is that the word in Afrikaans? I've been exposed to Afrikaans from time to time, and have never picked up even a single word of it (odd for me - I usually pick up bits of languages).

 

[Gerry Seymour]

That's the difference between men & women. It's not in my biology to be able to explain in logical terms the things that I feel or experience. I express it through emotion, not on the bloody Internet. In fact, it only frustrates me. You ALL frustrate me.

By the way, that's not as much male/female as a communication style. My wife is far more logical than I am (and, yet, more apt to react emotionally, except at sad movies, where I'm always the one who cries).