Blog Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)
I have cried wolf so many times trying to convey in my articles that martial arts, karate, is not best practiced and learned by cutting corners and leaving out those things we find boring, uncomfortable and seemingly useless. One spoke in a bike wheel if missing may seem innocuous and unnecessary but over time it will have adverse effects on the wheel, the bike and the rider - you need all the spokes and they must be balanced in the wheel at all points along the outer and inner rims.
If you don’t want to accept that then heed the following facts about people and our genetics, genetics adaptations of people from the effects of our environment is found in the evolution process, i.e., that process that contributes hugely toward human survival. One of the greatest advancements of human existence came from the agriculture era, i.e., apparently that occurred approximately 10,000 years ago. Geneticists find that humans evolve and adapt genetically over a very long period of time, 25,000 years. We are still adjusting and evolving from the effects of the agriculture revolution.
We have not fully and completely evolved from that beginning and now we also have to deal with other advancements of a very significant nature, i.e., specifically the Industrial revolution and now, today, the Technological revolution or era. According to the article written by Sebastian Junger the following quotes would indicate the effects of people, humans, cutting corners.
Background: “Early humans would most likely have lived in nomadic bands of around fifty people. They would have experienced high levels of accidental injuries and deaths. They would have countered domineering behavior by senior males by forming coalitions within the group. They would have been utterly intolerant of hoarding or selfishness. They would have occasionally endured episodes of hunger, violence, and hardship. They would have practiced extremely close and involved childcare. They would have done almost everything in the company of others and they would have almost never been alone.”
Significant Changes requiring Adaptation by Humans: “Our human experiences have encountered two major changes of which the first was the “Agriculture Era” and then the “Industrial Era.” During these era’s people were able to accumulate more personal property and to make more individualistic choices about their lives. It is this process that inadvertently and unavoidably diminished group efforts toward a common good. As modern times evolved people found themselves able to live more independently with less reliance on the communal group. There is evidence that this mode of human existence is hard on people and is overwhelming. “
Today: “Modern Society - despite its nearly miraculous advances - is affiliated with some of the highest depression and suicide rates and are going up higher as we progress. It seems to me that our evolutional scale vs. that of modern advancements is leaving humanity far behind and the mental and physical repercussions are mounting. We are afflicted more and more with maladies such as higher rates of depression, schizophrenia, poorer health overall, anxieties, resentments, loss of emotional maturity and control and chronic loneliness. It seems like our increased societal wealth is foster the decline of health in people.”
Lets say, for the sake of this discussion/article, all that is true and found through research and studies then we can extrapolate, synthesize, that if humans require a certain time span to learn, understand and evolve that by creating significant changes requiring human adaptation at a faster rate than nature intended with devastating effects detrimental to human survival why can’t we accept the fact that cutting corners, removing the boring and seemingly useless parts of other disciplines and situations is good?
If this is true, then isn’t it also possible that our taking shortcuts and leaving out parts of the whole would result in certain changes that would degrade the discipline or adaptations with less beneficial results, i.e., slowly erode the system or discipline causing it to change into something less and losing the authentic traditional foundation of that discipline. Change is good and changing the discipline is beneficial as long as you don’t lose its true authenticate foundational essence that makes it wholehearted and complete.
It seems like I am countering my beliefs that adhering to an original with no changes is now a good thing but in truth I am saying adhering dogmatically to the superficial outer dressing of that tradition is not a complete system but merely the cover to the entire book and the content of that book is what needs updating, changes and further editions to ensure its viability and validation to the times, etc.
Change is good but let that change come over time and with its entire recipe because although the frosting is delicious and triggers all those brain cells of gratifying pleasure it is not the entire cake. Make sure you bake the entire cake, you can always scrape the bowl and feast on the left over frosting when the cake is finished.
Bibliography (Click the link)
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