It never ceases to amuse me how quickly people will jump to inform you that you are wrong! A quick glance through the archives of any martial arts related forum will reveal hundreds of arguments over trivial matters, which in the grand scheme of things, have little or no effect on how the person practices their chosen art anyway.
What amuses me most is the total lack of courtesy between practitioners. It appears near impossible to have a remotely intelligent dialogue without it turning into a mud slinging contest.
If karatedo is supposed to produce people who are more aware of how their actions are perceived by others, then it looks as though it is performing woefully in this department.
Having an opinion in the world of karatedo is a lot like walking along sidewalk of a motorway. If you follow everyone else and don’t stray from the accepted path then you’re pretty much guaranteed a problem free journey. If however you chose to make your own mind up and wander into the middle of the motorway then eventually you’re going to get hit by a big truck!
The funny thing is, karatedo history and theory isn’t anywhere near as simple as trying not to get hit by a big truck.
The history of karatedo is made up of here-say, rumour, exaggeration, lies, exaggeration, a bit more rumour, and the odd exaggerated lie. With this in mind how can anybody be so sure of whats right or wrong?
All we can do as practitioners with enquiring minds is to look at the information we have and try to make sense of it all for ourselves.
Just don’t be too quick to attack anyone who doesn’t agree with what you discover!
0 Responses to “Whatever you do, don’t have an opinion!”