A Classical Vision of the Martial Arts
Through the millennia, man has been subject to aggression and violence
from other men, and has pondered ways to meet such hostility. The source
of man's ceaseless conflict lies in our nature. We are just not content
with the simple life. We want what we do not have and lust for what
others possess.
Empires wax and wane; states cleave asunder and coalesce. Thus it has
ever been. - Three Kingdoms (Chinese Novel 1400 A.D.
Ironically enough, the modern civilized world promotes many alternatives
for conflict resolution in place of overt violence. As a result,
physical strength, mental determination and emotional endurance have
lost their urgency in today's popular society. Are we a generation
self-absorbed in the absence of routine discipline and sacrifice?
While the martial arts revolve around the way of personal combat, it
also demands that its adherents live in accordance with a certain
warrior code of conduct and honor. The Martial Way promises a long and
arduous journey. It is an invitation to the subordination of self, the
endurance of sustained practice, and the cultivation of the body and
mind, with no tolerance for self-indulgences of any kind.
Martial arts without compassion and honor promises only violence.
Stripped of its spirituality, it threatens injury and suffering to both
its victims and its practitioners. In the end, this higher ideal is what
separates the warrior from the predator.
