Developing any skill through concerted effort develops more than just that skill. Doesn't matter whether it's soccer, karate, or knitting. Some things take more dedication and pushing through difficulty, and those things develop other areas. Some things take a willingness to be worse than the next person on a regular basis (at least for a while), and those also develop other areas.
You seem to be under the illusion that a firearm magically solves physical conflict. Even when it is appropriate to use one, the ability to deploy it is not automatic. I'd argue the basics of good firearm use, retention, and decision making likely takes about the same amount of practice as foundational fighting skills.
I've never seen anyone teaching or training it for that purpose, but I'd argue that those who really dedicate time to it, put their ego aside (usually via competition) and learn, and make it about developing the skills for the sake of developing the skills are personally following the same kind of pursuit. I think it lacks much of the interaction that other sport (and MA) has that helps with learning team and communication skills.
The premise is that through practising martial arts, it forges ones character through hard training, adversity and tenacity augmenting ones morals and round off ones personality. It’s a much repeated idea, promoted by Japanese teachers and even boxing coaches but it is complete bunkum. Some of the most loathsome, duplicitous, viscous financially corrupt characters I’ve met have been martial artists (and I used to be a magistrate!). If you teach a w*nker martial arts, you get a w*nker who can do martial arts...the converse is also true, thus the only conclusion one can draw is the MA have nothing to do with self-cultivation of character!
I have been practicing Zhan Zhuang for a few years now.
And there’s the proof!
I agree with part of what you post, except your conclusion.
Yes and no. Most MA are meant to be challenging for the body and spirit. What a particular practitioner walks away with is correlated by the factors of the journey and what they bring with them to their practice. The same cannot be said for many of the examples you posted. If you put very little in, you will probably get very little out of it. Conversely, if you dedicate a lot of time and energy into your practice and are guided by someone who has gone through the journey before you whom you wish to emulate, there is a lot that can be gained. Not everything in life is meant to challenge you in this way and that's ok.
Yes, it could mean putting very little effort in or engaging half-heartedly however the MA also has to be physically and mentally challenging. If you aren't being pushed to and past your perceived limits, there is no growth. Sosai Mas Oyama has a great quote, "The heart of our karate is real fighting. There can be no proof without real fighting. Without proof there is no trust. Without trust there is no respect. This is the definition in the world of martial arts."
I sort of agree, but with a caveat.
That it has worked doesn't mean it works reliably. Lots of things happen from time to time that can't be depended upon. Guns don't magically appear in-hand pointed in the right direction. And they don't make good decisions for you.
That people can do martial arts and be bad people doesn't mean martial arts can't help develop people. Or are you saying there's no way to develop people (since there are bad people in every pursuit)?
An arguement I've made many times. MA can be used as a path for developing people. I think it has some nice potential for helping young folks learn self-control and decision making, given the right mentor (instructor) to guide the development. The same can be said of team sports and other pursuits, to varying degrees.
