False Success


If you practice martial arts, it is common for people to suggest that you enter a competition or begin fighting so that people can see you. If you have a good voice they may suggest that you go to Hollywood and try to see you if you can make it. Because I speak Chinese I often have people ask me why I don't get a certificate and become a translator. All of these suggestions as harmless as they seem, would certainly lead you down the path of self doubt and eventually destruction.

Just as subtle as the sword we can be cut to ribbons with bad suggestions. Satan told Eve that if she ate the fruit she would be like God. The problem being that she was already like God. When she ate the fruit she lost what she never knew she had.

Our world today is under the very same illusion. Many people are rich in many ways and still seek "success" because we are educated into believing we need something that we don't want. The martial artist who begins competing may enjoy it at first but slowly his view is tainted of the art because he wants to win. The idea of winning is completely contradictory to your ability to learn. When you are hit in combat it teaches you where you need to protect yourself. It doesn't matter how gruesome an MMA fight may appear to be, it still isn't fighting. It is a sport. A fight takes place between you and an enemy. An enemy who seeks to harm you not for the attention of others, but for your destruction. No matter how many competitions you enter, it will never be comparable to a real enemy.

A real enemy one might meet with in competition would be injury. Injury is sure to delay and maybe stop your training all together. Martial arts is a lifestyle. What good is it if you have to quit when you are 30? or 50?  Human beings originally were never meant to die. Which means your connection to what you like to do should be eternal. Imagine how much your view would change if you played the piano a 1000 years. It's foolishness to put a time limit on your interest.

The singer that goes to Hollywood will find that she is faced with an invisible empire. One that would appear to be trying to help but they just want to steal your ideas, talent and voice. American idol is a great way to round up lots of talent and kill their dreams all at once. The singers are actually far superior singers compared to those that judge them. They would be kings in a more honest time. Yet they take their "shot" and we throw them away and wait for the next season. In 11 seasons of the show do you know anyone more famous than Mariah Carey?

You don't need a certificate to know my Chinese is good. You don't need approval to practice what you love to do. You don't need the silly form of success that you they would offer you.  Your interest is your gift!!!


Your interest is the most valuable treasure that you will have your whole life. With our interest everything becomes easy. If you like basketball, then it's easy. If you don't like basketball, then it's extremely difficult. So by knowing what you are interested in, you become more powerful. If you are slightly interested in anything it is your life quest to follow it. God put it there so that you may have an advantage in this world. What we all truly want is as unique as a fingerprint. Maybe you and your coworker are at the same job, but you want to do different things with the work. It is categories that make us compete for meaningless reasons. It enslaves us to do things that people in power would rather us do. They just want to make money off your effort, that is why the category was created.

I'm not saying certificates are evil and yes you may want to go to Hollywood to pursue your dream. What is important for you to understand is that you must do what you do with out justification. It is the reason that kills your dream.

If you continue doing anything that you enjoy, on a long enough timeline it will become valuable to our society. You don't need to make plans for your piano practice or art work. You just need to continually enjoy what God has given you until you finally see the blossoming of his promise. If you are doing it because you are trying to make money, then it is only a matter of time that you will not be interested anymore and you will quit. Money quite easily will replace interest and one day you won't even know why you do what you do.

Do it because you love it. There should be no other reason. If you do this, I promise you will be truly successful.

The most powerful form of kung fu is to know yourself even against the pressure of society. After all society killed Jesus.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Finding my Qi: The Story of Robert Jay Arnold

Image
(Note: It's been about ten years since my last serious blog entry so this is a bit lengthy. Get a soda, some chips or coffee and enjoy the trip. Thanks) To Qi or not to Qi, that is the question. Myself I have never been a skeptic, but always a realist. Whatever works in terms of self-defense, was adopted into the arsenal. But effectiveness has always gone hand in hand with truth. Is Qi something real? Or just an ancient Chinese parlor trick used to bring in more students. This is my journey, my search and discovery. A highlight from 4 years old to 40; my evolution in the martial arts. I began my training at the age of four, under my militant-ass father, strictly for reasons of not getting "dusted" by the other boys on the playground. My brothers and I started with Taekwondo and boxing, but my father and old school Korean instructor weren't as concerned with the art in terms of how it looked, as they were with self-preservation. "How can you k...
Read more

The Image Nation

Image
As children we are taught the importance of imagination for the purpose of keeping busy, being creative or just having fun with friends. More than likely because it is introduced to us at such an early age, it’s generally depicted as childish or even worse…a form of fantasy. We often forget that our bodies in many ways are like a universe, made of 30 trillion cells with different functions, most of which are automated, keeping us alive without us needing to understand the extent of their purpose. However, every so often a thought about what we are made of can help us understand a hint of our value, direction and most importantly, perception. What does it mean to perceive something? How is it different from seeing, viewing or witnessing an event? The word “per” as one definition states is containing the largest possible portion of an element. This means as a “per son” you contain the most of who you are. The word “ceive” means to obtain or to get something. In short, we coul...
Read more

Part 1: The White Jade Tiger 白玉老虎 （英文板）

Image
 In my free time I enjoy reading and translating Chinese classical novels. Here's the first scene from one of them. If you are interested in something like this, please leave a message. Thanks and God bless.  This story is called The White Jade Tiger, written by Gu long. Published in 1976 Chapter One It's an enchanting spring day, an exceptionally important day for someone in particular. Willy Zhao, lays on the warm bed attempting to regain strength after the long ride. His steed, powerful and quick, had taken him over 200 miles in a relatively short time. Still, afterwards he found the need to rest his head on the soft and fragrant sheets. The bed belonged to a woman, Shanna, who is even softer and more fragrant than the luxurious mattress. Every time she knew she would meet with Willy, she attempted to make herself even more desirable. The rays of the sun shine through the window,  the breeze carries in the aroma of the abundant flowers surrounding the house. As Willy l...
Read more