Respect ...

[Dibble]

I've been surprised at how quickly MA reveals character. It takes years to reach the kind of comfort level with non-MA friends--the roll with the punches quality that MA's need to reach with their partners at warp speed.

Within the first few sessions of working together (maybe 12 hours), I have a pretty good idea of how they handle conflict and challenge and in what quantities, the size of their egos, their open-mindedness/intelligence, attitudes toward force, their genuine feelings about the male/female power dynamic, and who's just full of it. I think it's just hard to concentrate on a facade when a knife's coming at your eyeball realtime.

It's a little trippy, but through MA, I've both lost and gained tremendous amounts of respect for the unlikeliest of candidates.

[Omega Supreme]

My respect system with regards to martial arts in general has changed some. Before I got involved, I tended to have more respect for the 'pillars' of the martial arts community. Now that I know some of the politics behind the scenes and have met some of the movers and shakers, I've lost some of the respect I used to have for some well-known martial artists. I'd rather not name names. I also didn't realize the growing problem of fraud and mis-representation in the martial arts until I got involved, so I suppose I've lost respect for the businessmen that have created the McDojo phenomenon. This is something I've seen across the board, not just in a certain style or type of martial art. The MMA and self-defense communities have their snake-oil salesmen just like the TMA population.

What he said.

Go away I'm talking to myself

[Carbon]

I do give more respect to the people that can take me out.

I also lose respect for people who don't try to get into shape and lose weight and do something for themselves. I have a friend who is becoming extremely obese and it just hurts me to see him so out of shape and we try to get him to come and play basketball with us and soccer and he'll usually comes.

Its just cringing to see people now that are so out of shape since in the past 2 months my conditioning now would of utterly destroyed myself 1 year ago.

[patfromlogan]

quote:
I've realized that it's hard to spot the really tough people in a crowd.

Yes, my Kyokushin sensei looks like a mild mannered mormon middle weight until the gi goes on and it's like clark kent after the phone booth. The power justs eminates from him. One of the chiroku instructors in a janitor and at work looks like a balding wimp - looks real different when he's punching me out screaming his head off. When I spar sensei it's like a fire hose putting out a candle. When I spar the chiroku guy I feel like I'm a board that he's going to break.

>>>Always walk on a bright, wide road. If you choose to live with your right posture, you don't have to go on a dark road or a malodorous place. Oyama

[PizDoff]

i've lost respect for most of the choreographed movie sh1t....

--
Hard work, Patience, Dedication.
The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed later.

[Bolverk]

I have gained a deeper respect of people in general, except that person in the fast lane going 55mph when I have to get somewhere. LOL

Sincerely,

Knowing it is not enough, we must apply.
Willing is not enough, we must do.

[deus ex machina]

Unfortunately, I think I've developed a sort of arrogance after I began taking martial arts. As 9Chambers touched on in his post, I find myself sizing people up in terms of fighting ability instead of accepting them as they are. "Yeah, he thinks he's cool because he has money, but I could drop his ass..." sort of stuff. It's something I never really dealt with before taking martial arts, just because of my laidback, easygoing attitude. It affects me deeply, even scares me, when those kinds of arrogant thoughts enter my mind for no reason. In some ways, it has helped me to truly realize that everyone has a purpose, and an ability to do something, whether it be twirling pencils, doing zippo tricks, running track, performing surgery, etc. Yet, I still struggle with that inner arrogance, that adolescent machismo that screams out "I could kick your ass!!"...but I'm trying to overcome that, and learn to enjoy meeting people and not making any sort of judgements about them, and appreciating them for who they are, not how well they fight. Still, those thoughts come up, and I'm disturbed every time they do, because I know that those feelings DO exist somewhere deep inside me. All I can do is try to be as accepting and open as possible, in all things.

EDIT: Part of it, I think, comes from a totally overdriven sense of competition that the martial arts have instilled in me. To me, personally, I think it's bad. I'm not a naturally competitive person and when I started, I just wanted to learn. Now I have this compulsion to "one-up" the competition, which is something that some might consider good. I, on the other hand, am totally against what it stands for, because that kind of attitude to me is simply putting yourself above other people, as opposed to just testing yourself, and that is the wrong idea.

~
my name is daniel jo

Edited by - deus ex machina on March 26 2003 19:42:45

[PizDoff]

lol, a lot time (less recently) i visualize points of attack on a person

--
Hard work, Patience, Dedication.
The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed later.

deus,

I am not arrogant. I am actually really hard on myself. Other people seem to have it all together while I'm still getting my life started. All I have is my skill to make me feel like I am worth anything. I mean, not just martial arts but also drawing, writing climbing and stuff. My sense of satisfaction comes from knowing that even though someone else has a flashy life, I am really good at really a few things that I really enjoy.

My current situation is: 2 college degrees and no job. Its frustrating. I am substitute teaching while I wait for a graphics job to open up here in town. I would move but I need to be here for my family.


>> Perhaps it was because I had an inherent skill for the science and never deviated from natural principles. - Miyamoto Musashi 1643

[IndoChinese]

i was always arrogant,i think taking ma when i was young made me more arrogant. but eventually i learned how to fight, and i no longer need to be disrespectful to people. no need to prove anything. thats true self confidence.

you take ma because you want to learn how to fight,after you learn how to fight,you would rather not,and hence you become more pleasant and respectful.

its funny.

[Balloonknot]

kuntaokid is correct! Once you get past the fighting stage it's all love.

[sanchin]

I respect arts that teach violence as self-defence to the lower grades, then progressively emphasise softer techniques so that the experienced practitioners can avoid seriously hurting an attacker.

[Shura]

I have learned to respect others more, but none of my friends take martial arts seriously, so it hanst helped with respect towrds me

There's something inside me that pulls beneath the surface, consuming...

[Kensai]

I guess the one teaching that has stuck in my head is:
"Dont look the part, be the part"
Once you have got rid of the false hood in your own life, you can look upon others with a more open mind. I guess this is the essence of budo.

And I have relised its not as easy as it looks.

"Those who are skilled in combat do not become angered,
those who are skilled at winning do not become afraid.
Thus the wise win before the fight, while the ignorant fight to win." -O Sensei Ueshiba

[deus ex machina]

9chambers, nothing I said was aimed toward you. It was just that one thing you posted that made me introspective.

~
my name is daniel jo