Good morning.
Last night I visited both the Bromley and Dulwich schools. My main aim was to make sure that all the students were clear on the purposes behind the grading and the seminar. However, it was also brought to my attention that last year a few students were not aware that they would be missing out if they did not attend the weapons defence seminar (and apparently the same happens after most the seminars).
Personally, this is a view with which I have very little sympathy – the schools give notice of the seminars at the start of the year, they are published on this site, and regularly mentioned in class as well as brochures being sent out about them. Short of coercing people to attend (which is both highly inappropriate and extremely short-sighted) there is nothing that myself, or the teachers, can do to change this outcome. However, this mindset of not appreciating something until it has passed is something that I have found to be common throughout many different aspects of life, not simply Chinese Kung Fu, and as such I would like to address it (although I will concentrate on its relation to the martial arts). It may only seem like a small point, but it illustrates a far greater problem if you look a little deeper. As the saying goes, the great big tree grows from only tiny roots…
The little details of how you act determine who you are and create the ‘soul’ of a martial artist. If you have a misplaced attitude to life, the effectiveness of your techniques or the possession of any high-level knowledge do not matter. You need to take accountability for your own choices and actions. It is all too easy, and in my opinion, rather cowardly, to blame everyone else for your loss – when in fact it is down to you. Just imagine how much better our world would be if everyone was to do this…
Although this seems to be a rather harsh comment (and perhaps it is), the point of being a martial artist is to act in a better way than others - not in a way that other people may do, no matter how understandable. The position of a martial artist must be to uphold principles and ethics, not to take refuge in a mindset that abdicates responsibility.
Another, perhaps lesser point, is that a person with this attitude never realises that they are the one that loses out. I have said this before, but I strongly believe that opportunities only come once. My career in Wing Tsun has been built on doing and achieving things that other people simply could not be bothered to do, or did not appreciate were important at the time. When you are able to see this in your own life, it will be amazing how many extraordinary things will happen to you...
To conclude, while this may seem like a harsh critique of some of the students, I don’t believe that most people think in this way because they want to – simply because they do not reflect enough upon what is the appropriate way. This is why the duty of a master is guide the students and bring important issues to their attention, no matter whether it is a topic that is ‘popular’ with them or not.
The final thought on this topic is this then: there are times in life when events are not within your control. However, when this is not the case, you should realise that the consequences of your choices are yours and yours alone.
Sifu