Glitter


It's really not as complicated as everyone makes it out to be. You do good things and the same energy of goodness will be drawn to you. You do bad things and the reverse applies. This rule is as true for individuals as it is for groups or even countries. Usually the easiest decision is the wrong decision, making our society a true collection of easy decisions.

Imagine if in martial arts we decided to only train the easy or comfortable moves. No deep stances that would test your endurance and never a moment that would surpass your comfort. What would you gain in the end? The only way for a move to work well is if you have had an intimate moment together. Meaning like a relationship you have had trial and error, misunderstandings and even disagreements.  Through all of these discomforts we gain what we call strength. Strength begins with the acceptance of your discomfort and later maybe even enjoyment. A pearl is merely an irritation to a clam.

So as the reflection of a negative society may shine in your eyes when you wake up, you must hold to your faith in goodness and overcome. Mirrors at times may seem very real but all mirrors are easily broken. The mirrors that have been placed around you,  to believe that you are learning, working or even helping at times, may be working against you entirely.

By standing and looking at something long enough we can begin to see if it is something real or a reflection of society. Do I do this job because I can gain from it? Is this job only gaining from me? I have used martial arts as a way to keep myself focused on what I was doing. Still it in no form can replace our need for purpose.

Look deeper and longer into what you are doing. Is that really you or a reflection? A reflection can never express joy for the true treasures that we have been given. The treasures lie in the center of your heart tucked safely away next to your purpose.

Lastly I would like to make a comment for all of the scared heroes who have forgotten we're going to win this battle. Don't step away from your responsibility to be better for yourself and for your family. Sometimes we may get our hands dirty in the process, but we will understand what it means to be clean in the end. Draw good within, harness it and enjoy. Every dream you have ever had is rightfully yours and deserves do be realized. Of course don't get distracted by all the glitter that surrounds your dream. The glitter in most cases can make you miss the gold.


Comments

Jason said…
Two thumbs up! I really enjoy your posts.
September 9, 2011 at 2:02 PM
Robert Jay Arnold 孔有有 said…
Thank you, I enjoy your comments.
September 9, 2011 at 3:57 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Take the day with you

Image
My father used to tell me stories about his masters and his master's masters. I remember one about his master Choi, who used to go into the mountains in Korea to train. Inside of a cave he would do a ridiculous work out, thousands of punches and kicks. He mentioned to my dad that he used to punch the wall hundreds of times a day for several years. After years had passed he said that the wall had not changed much aside from the small, smooth groove. But now every time that he hit someone with that punch, they would also feel the wall of the the cave. I don't recommend punching walls for training these days but there is more to the story than that. Every day that you are able to get up and train, you take a part of the day into your technique. The days I train and it's freezing cold I add the frost to my footwork. The days I train in the intense heat I add intensity to my lungs. The days I train in the blinding rain I add clarity to my attack. The days I train when I have no
Read more

Warfox Training Rooms and Missions

Image
In order to meet with the needs of students that are all over the world, I've decided to open the Warfox Training Rooms for FREE  online tutorials.  Check out online tutorials for Soft Body Flowing Baguazhang on my facebook page, "The Warfox Training Room." (https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Warfox-Training-Room-RJA-%E5%AD%94%E6%9C%89%E6%9C%89/925078367526760) The Warfox Training Room is a free visual training blog with  tips to help people have a better understanding of the physics of this system of combat.  There will be videos on an almost weekly basis to help my online students with their practice from the comfort of their home. The first room is focused on the Heaven Section of training, meaning it is the simple truth of how techniques are used and applied. After students have gained enough Warfox Experience points they will be able to advance to the  Warfox Water Section, which goes deeper into the mechanics, offering even more thorough explanations
Read more

The One Thing

Image
Two years ago I finished learning the movements in the system of Gao Bagua and was very excited to begin my journey of developing. Learning all of the movements is only the beginning of our quest. I have spent all of my recent time refining and perfecting all of the techniques. The sword, spear, footwork, combat, conditioning have all been a daily routine for me in finding my understanding of the art fully. I have mapped out new training techniques and ideas that will revolutionize the way people train or perceive the martial arts. My training has been going very well but progress as always has been slow and steady. I have trained everything that my master showed me. Well, almost everything. There is this one exercise that I just hated practicing. It made every part of me ache so much that I didn't have energy to do the rest of my workout. I have never been a lazy person, but this one exercise just took everything out of me. So every time I have set up my workout schedule for the
Read more