When I started this thread I was only stating my position about how I felt if somebody in the martial arts cared about rank or not. When I said that people who didn't care about rank were bumps on logs, it was a point of view that I wanted to have challenged as I do realize I can be wrong and I learn from having my viewpoints challenged. It was a viewpoint that even I wasn't completely sure about and so I wanted to see what people had to say about it. Now, thinking it over I will say this. People go into the martial arts for all various reasons. Some people go into it to learn all they can, develop the most skill, be the best they can be, and along with it get a black belt or some other high rank. Some people to into it for fun, some people go into it just to try it out and see what its like. Some people go into it because they want to get in good shape and they want to lose weight, they want to burn off calories and could care less about getting a black belt or any other rank for that matter. So for people who don't care about rank there is nothing wrong about that but there is also nothing wrong if you do care about rank. Just like there is nothing wrong with wanting to get As in school there is nothing wrong with wanting to get a black belt. Just like there is nothing wrong with wanting to get an Eagle badge in Boyscouts there is nothing wrong with wanting to get a black belt. Yes, there are some people who go into Boyscouts because they want to learn about stuff such as camping, outdoor activities, and other stuff you learn in Boyscouts but they don't care much about badges or rank. There are also those who go into Boyscouts who want to learn all that stuff but they also want to be an Eagle scout eventually, its a goal they've got and there is nothing wrong with that. So as I said, there is nothing wrong with not caring about rank in the martial arts and there is nothing wrong with caring about rank in the martial arts. However, since rank is one of the things I do care about in the martial arts, if you're somebody who doesn't care about rank than some of the stuff I say wouldn't apply to you.
And as for my remark about being a bump on a log, I first thought of that years back on this other martial arts message board when I read a message that this guy wrote. He went to a dojo where the sensei tells the student when they will test for a belt. He then stated that this was partially because getting a belt was not about just obtaining the necessary skill and ability but also about having patience and that therefore even if you are skilled enough for a certain rank that doesn't mean you're ready for it because you also have to be patient and wait. When I read what he wrote I interpreted it as a waste of time as far as waiting for a rank, that if you have the necessary skill you should be ready for it. Yes you do need patience in the martial arts, you're not going to be a black belt on day one, at least not if you go to a dojo that makes you earn it. It takes time to develop the necessary skill and ability to get a black belt and that takes years, so that is where the patience comes in. However, if a student has developed the necessary skill and ability for a certain rank, including black belt, than they have fulfilled the patience requirement because of the time it took to gain that skill and ability. Somebody here posted about dojos that promote students once a month. While I do think that's absurd, I also think its absurd to hold a student back who has developed the skill for a rank because you want them to be patient. To wait for ranks instead of working hard for them, that is what I consider a bump on a log and I first thought about that years back when I read that guy's message in this other martial arts board.
