Symbol Triggers

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In karate as well as other martial disciplines the West has adopted what I would think of as symbols of the disciplines but those symbols trigger a deeper drive in us and in humans that may give greater meaning and understanding of why those symbols have become such important trappings of the martial arts community. 

In nature humans have this basic need, survival. That survival drive influences every aspect of life even in our modern times and even tho the ability to avoid death exists. Survival means gathering into groups bringing together all those traits and abilities the group needs to survive, everyone is a contributor and the entire process creates a group hierarchy where status and authority of various levels and requirements must exist to - survive. 

In this natural/nature driven survival drive there exists various levels of status and authority. It is the status that allows authority to achieve the groups goals in survival and failing that results in the groups death or the removal of the person or persons not complying with the groups survival needs. Authority must appear authoritative to the group so the group through the status effort may have, “Titles and/or Clothes and/or Trappings” that symbolize the status and authority of those within the group. Take a look at the military to see the most obvious representation of authority symbols, etc.

This quote provides the gist of what I am trying to say in this article, i.e., “Due to social conditioning, humans have an extreme willingness to go to almost any lengths on the ‘command of an authority’. Whenever humans are faced with a potent motivator in human action, humans naturally expect that good reasons exist fo the motivation. We live under a multilayered and widely accepted system of authority that confers an immense advantage upon a society (remember, keep in mind societies and humans all collect together for the base need of survival). It allows the development of sophisticated structures for resource production (necessary for survival), trade (necessary for survival), defense (necessary for survival), expansion, and social control (necessary for survival) that would otherwise be impossible.”

When one dons such trappings such as titles, i.e., Sensei, Master, Grand Master, First Generation Student and others, this conveys both directly and indirectly that the wearer of such things, at least by association, is an authoritative figure in the discipline. As with other symbols such as the belt systems the color provides a hierarchal system with status set according to colors, etc., i.e., white belt being at the bottom and all the levels of black belt setting levels of knowledge, understanding, experience, etc., of Sensei/Yudansha, etc.

The very nature of such titles, clothes and trappings of the dojo smack seriously and trigger deep seated instinctive drives and mechanical automatic click-whirr responses that solidify connections, mostly unconsciously, to the symbols. 

In another quote one can perceive and believe how this works and why it has become so important to people, i.e., “We are trained form birth that obedience to proper authority is right and just and disobedience is wrong and unjust. The essential message is formed toward social conditioning from parental/family lessons, school house rhymes and school yard dynamics, stories, and songs of childhood that are carried forward to our societies legal, military, and political systems we encounter as adults. Notions of submission and loyalty to legitimate rule are given a great deal of value and the repercussions of failure to live to these are often very high.”

We are actually left little leeway in deciding how and why and when we come to accept and believe such things that automatically become a part of our belief systems because it is so deeply ingrained. I bring this up this way because it lends understanding to why we all, I mean all of us in the dojo, believe and are attracted to such trappings, it is our nature and it does double duty by pulling us in from being a mystical mysterious way of the Asian culture and beliefs bringing with it heritage, history and connections to something much greater and a contributor to our very past, present and possible future. 

Symbols that trigger Authority; Titles, clothes and trappings of authority:

▪ Titles: the most difficult and the easiest to acquire; to adopt a title automatically provides automatic deference; actions are frequently more influenced by a title than by the nature of the person claiming it; authority status affects perceptions; humans see size and status as related; outward signs of power and authority frequently may be counterfeited with the flimsiest of materials; 

▪ Clothes: In chameleon style, people adopt karate-gi, belt of black, uniform patches, or a collection of trophies and certificates of completion and association membership papers that the situation requires for maximum advantage. etc.  

▪ Trappings: As with clothes, patches and such; owners of prestigious relations to luminaries both real and perceive receive a special kind of deference from people, etc. 

So, it becomes apparent that such trappings and the dan-i system, associations and seminars with perceived masters of martial disciplines will and always will attract and associate others for the purpose that seems to create a perception of authority, professionalism and expertise in martial arts. The lesson to learn here is that because of a total lack of control and the  ability to validate the more nefarious compliance oriented people will continue to use such symbols and trappings to trigger, click-n-whirr, automatic mechanical unconscious actions that will bring in customers and fleece, opes sorry, take in monies to run their dojo (Note: What makes this so difficult, so hard, is that legitimate sensei and dojo suffer repercussions from such nefarious folks and actions). 

No wonder the quote, “Buyer Beware,” holds so special and critical sway over all of us in dealing with professional economically driven compliance professionals (think ad-men and the like including resource/process predation). 

This is enough to still the ongoing conflict of the value of the belt system, etc. because “we can’t help ourselves!” Sigh, at least it gives reason to the conundrum of karate/martial trappings. 

Bibliography (Click the link)

“In order for any life to matter, we all have to matter.” - Marcus Luttrell, Navy Seal (ret)