Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Injuries


I received a phone call from a student that was apologetic about not being at class lately.   This student had been hurt a few months back and the nature of the injury had left the student in a situation that any workout at all would aggravate the situation.   They explained that the last time they were in that the student they were training with further caused injury and found it either funny or did it intentionally.  I was taken aback.  Wounded in fact.  I had never once thought that someone in our ranks, our brothers, our comrades, would take pleasure or find it a point of comedy to cause harm to one of his own, especially for no real reason other than some abhorrent and sociopathic reason. 
This has got me thinking about ground rules and responsibilities.
I passed this information onto Sensei and we discussed some of the matter to see what the best possible solution would be.  We both agreed, simply, that anyone caught hurting another would be dismissed from our dojo, with as much humility and dishonor as possible.  Such behavior wouldn’t be tolerated.
What is the purpose of training?  Is it simply to become a fireplug to put out danger as it arises?  Is it selfish and ego driven so that in the end we become, not better members of society but monsters?  Is it militaristic by nature and thus, anti-social, a boys club for arrogant, tough men?  I’ve seen a few dojo’s like this, but not many.  I’ve seen a few service professionals like this, but as a friend from Corp said, “You learn real quick to be upstanding amongst the other men, after all, that guy is going to be standing right behind you when the firing starts.”
The reality is the opposite.  The longer amongst people with the skill and the talent to kill others the more respectful and human people become.  Perhaps it’s the slow dawning of enlightenment which awakens in a person the realization of how precious each moment.  Most likely though it’s the realization that this shit hurts when it is done to you and nothing is more motivating than pain as a reminder of what we are really doing.  But this concept of pain is not a punishment, or a vindication.  We learn to let up early and often to avoid hurting each other.
Also the sharing of such secrets in the company of danger tends to give us a sense of comradeship.    We begin to view those that we see three or four times a week as brothers and sisters. As you age and gain rank, these comrades become your children.  So it is difficult when you hear that one of your children is being bullied.
I have expectations.  I admit it.  I expect our black belts to have certain qualities.  

Teacher / Mentor
As a teacher the black belt’s responsibility is pass on the things they have learned.  This means more than the simple techniques.  Any robot, television station, or high school textbook can give you rudimentary understanding of rote ideals.  What a teacher is really suppose to do is help guide the individual toward some goal.  And, from what I can tell, I feel our goal is humanity.   That our goal is not simply passing on ancient fighting techniques, but the act of helping create thinking, living, human beings.  A teacher therefore oversees as well as instructs.  A teacher reminds as well as guides.  

Friend
We are social creatures that in the end enjoy the company of others.  As part of our own growth into becoming true human beings we need to remove the obstacles that keep us from interacting well with others.  It is because of this there is an expectation from our black belts to be more than instructors, but to be there on some level for those moments, such as this one, where one of your fellow buyu is not sure how to proceed.

Student
You are not the boss of it all, sorry. But you’re just like the rest of us, black belt and all.  The world isn’t going to bow to you.  It isn’t going to explode if you die.  It most likely doesn’t even really notice you.  It shouldn’t.  You’re responsibility is to you.  To your own growth and ability to become something of yourself.  This is why you should never lose that spirit of being a student.  It will keep you young at heart as you are constantly testing the waters.

Protector
That’s right, you know what I mean.  That we have a responsibility to look after those around us, especially those that come to use for support.  This doesn’t mean you go looking for arguments and fights and looking to defend ‘honor’ or your ‘rep’ or this weird social perception called ‘respect’.  Those are all fallacies and frankly, unrelated to being a grown up.  Protection is about truly looking out for the safety and sanity of others (even yourself yes, but not for these narcissistic reasons above). 

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