Identity

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Defined herein and from the dictionary as: the fact of being who or what a person or thing is (the characteristics determining this; (of an object) serving to establish who the holder, owner, or wearer is by bearing their name and often other details such as a signature or photograph); a close similarity or affinity; a transformation that leaves an object unchanged.

AND

Identity (plural identities)

• Sameness (the sameness individuals share to make up the same kind), identicalness; the quality or fact of (several specified things) being the same.
• The difference or character that marks off an individual from the rest of the same kind, selfhood.
• A name or persona—the mask or appearance one presents to the world—by which one is known.
• Sense of who one is; a sense or knowledge and understanding of who one is and who others are).

Now, I asked myself the question, “Is this adequate to explain how identities work in our species, is it enough for a complete understanding?” And, at least initially, I said that, “It is not enough.” It makes for a good start and sets a foundation that can be used to analyze, hypothesize and then synthesize a better definition and explanation, at least for me and possible for the reader. 

In my way I am using a variety of milestones to reach a destination that says, “In karate and martial arts for self-fense identity is about …”

Lets start out by saying that the core, cornerstone, of life itself in the universe and in its nature we all must, “Survive.” Survival is that one singularity of existence that spans everything in one way or fashion or other, we must adhere to certain rules, requirements and standards in order to survive. 

Nature and the Universe is a very volatile, chaotic and dangerous place where hazards exist everywhere and in every aspect and facet of our existence. The human species of the living, human and animal (although in my mind we are also animals even if we believe and assume we are of some higher order, etc.), are actually very, very fragile especially when you start seeing how that can be. Our very existence since the beginning of the time of man (yes, politically it should be human but). Alone, survival is impossible if for no other reason than when born we take decades to reach a state where we can participate and contribute toward our survival, our families survival and as we proceed the tribe or clans survival. We instinctively found out on the plains that we must come together into groups in order to survive. 

Simply put: Human's are a fragile species especially when competing against nature, especially others in our animal kingdom like, "Lions-n-Tigers and Bears - Oh my!"

Now, in regard to our survival, at least in a narrow way, humans exists simply because nature and the universe exist in a constant fluid state of both conflict and violence. If we wake up in a bad mood, that is an emotional conflict that often results, if left unattended, etc., in a physical and mental type of violence causing grave harm manifested in illness, etc. or mental/psychological manifested in various mental states that are harmful to our psyche, etc.

If we encounter someone and need to communicate and that communication becomes troublesome, i.e., one does’t understand or listen to the other, that leads to an emotional psychological form of conflict and unless it is resolved it can lead to violence, i.e., physical (as in repercussions due to stressors or as to grave harm by being physically attacked, etc.). You get the picture.

So, one of our many tools to handle such conflict and violence in a more narrow area is to achieve proficiency in marital arts and karate to defend if and when the situation results in being attacked both psychologically (avoidance and deescalation as self-defense) and physically (when the first fails we resort to the use of karate/MA in self-defense). 

Understanding things like how our identities work in socially driven group dynamics helps us understand and that leads to our abilities to succeed in conflicts and violences, of all levels and types, to mutually come to a safe, secure and mutually beneficial end. So, lets talk marital arts and karate through the lens of identity along with its associated traits. 

First, styles are unique simply because we humans as a species in need of the abilities to survive need to establish our identities personal and professional so that we may collect as a group to train, practice and learn. Like our personal identities, i.e., our nature, our character, our personalities and all the various expertise’s we bring to the tribe make for our more social identities. You know, like minded people tend to gravitate toward one another for mutual benefit and in this it means, groups or clans or tribes, etc. 

Once we collect and establish an hierarchal system of control, i.e., unique style that speaks a personality that is like our own personality; the dojo; the Sensei; and the Dojo members all of like mind, like character, like personality and like “Likes,” leads us to that group dynamic that is a survival need. It hits on a basic survival instinct even if we are not exposed to grave harm or death. It is how our minds work that when exposed to triggers that in truth are safe, innocuous and simply irritating still can trigger the fight or flight I am going to die if I don’t do something response. 

Our lives may indicate logically that we are safer than ever in human history and that the dangers leading to grave bodily harm or death are so few that the chance of it is remote except maybe for that use of ear buds distraction results in getting hit by a car thing. The fight-flight lizard brain emotionally driven triggers don’t really care about all that, since our existence is base on conflict and violence and we have not exactly evolved enough that the F-n-F trigger goes away when it is triggered it goes to the extreme, i.e., Oh crap, I am gonna die here, do something!

As in the dojo, as with sensei along with senpai and kohai we all fall to the need to group together for survival so we naturally lean heavily toward identifying with self to others and the others identifying themselves with us so we can get along, create a dojo-group or tribe and than create that hierarchal status type of dynamic that makes it work. In short, we train in a style that matches our personalities - our identities; we train together to our mutual needs; we contribute our skills and so on with one another as to status, i.e., rank or grade and experience, such as senpai and kohai; we create connections and become a brotherhood of martial artists and karate-ka the translate and gravitates to all aspects of our lives.

We therefor “Identify” with others and in the process of collective group dynamics become the same and we share until we are strong, capable and able to survive. We socially connect, for survival.

All of it comes down to how we create and develop our personal identities then we seek out and connect with others of like identities and as a group we survive. Styles of karate and martial arts are founded and built over the top of the fundamental principled multiple methodologies of appropriate force applications to survive. Even if the foundation construction is the same across the board, the house built and the environment of that home make it of character and personalty that results in a unique group and individual identity. 

This is the why and how of styles and their creation. It is how in karate one system became three styles and gave birth to the many styles, in the hundreds, of modern karate. They are not wrong, they all server a purpose and they are all good because the meet and provide us with - our very survival and while it accomplishes that it gives us social fun and enjoyment, yes? 

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