Blog Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)
Today, Clarke Sensei wrote a great article and the following paragraph/quote just hit me like Michael Clarke had a direct line to how the modern world of karate is and has been for decades. It describes in a short, terse and elegant fashion the true state of the karate community around the world, even in the birthplace of karate, Okinawa.
“So, are you still the self-obsessed jerk you always were, except now you have an 8th dan in kobudo? Are you still smoking like a chimney, even though you've spent years teaching others the importance of breathing in karate? Are you overweight and unfit, even though you stand before others and push them to physical exhaustion? Do you keep count of how many times you've been to Japan or Okinawa and engineer conversations so you can let others know?” - Michael Clarke, Shinseidokan Dojo Blog
I may have stated this before, Clarke Sensei speaks his mind and sometimes readers get a bit concerned, to say it lightly, and respond in a less than honorable fashion expressing that concern. I don’t always agree with his philosophy of karate but I do have an immense respect for his study, practice and training often related through his words and works, i.e., the blog and his books.
Self-obsession, ego driven needs for rank to build self-esteem, a kind of attitude of do what I say rather than follow what I do, and finally the idea that karate is more about accumulation of outer egoistic trappings rather than an internal humble creation of self toward proficiency, enlightenment and a humbleness that speaks of a life of true karate essence.
Anyway, this one quote really does describe the majority of karate in modern times. One that says to me that the ancients must be turning over in their tombs with concern and angst and disappointment that we, the children of their efforts, missed the true teachings and intent of those creators.
The great thing to remember is that even in these strange and discordant times there are a few who have taken up the challenge to bring back the essence of karate and martial arts but still with a modern proper way that is an integration of the old with the philosophy of the new modern ways to create a new, yet old, way of karate and martial arts. The growth potential is great and I suspect, at least in a smaller dedicated community of practitioners, there is room for and a solid way of classical modern karate and martial arts. Yeahhhh!
Bibliography (Click the link)
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