It’s in the Doing for a Better Life

It’s in the doing for a better life. That is a phrase that is common and thrown about with ease. But there’s also a deeper aspect to doing. That is making the effort about the steering of one’s life.

A person not only needs to seize their life and their direction but make a concerted effort in the direction of their goal.

People need to make an effort to steer their life towards a virtuous target. A person can set their life towards a non-virtuous goal. In their pursuit of a non-virtuous goal, they may well succeed.

To the reader, this likely sounds hollow.

People who undertake martial arts training are seekers, and the path is internal. The martial arts may appear to be an external act and that is part of it, but it goes further.

Once the mind and heart are linked focusing on a goal the world begins to snap into place. Call that sensation clarity. A martial artist sets about ordering their lives from the inside outward. They make this movement by adopting a curriculum that is tested and has gotten results over time.

There is also the mentorship that takes place. The advanced practitioners reaching back to aid those on the climb and the newest of students reaching upward. This is how the select organize themselves. They find a system, adopt the process, and vest themselves in the process. Like a strong river current, mentorship runs through the entire experience.

Legions of practitioners are living examples of a better life built around a virtuous goal. The quotes regarding the martial arts as a means of self-improvement and self-understanding are numerous. Here are three examples of these ideas in quote form.

3 Martial Arts Journey Quotes

“The warrior learns of the spiritual realm by dwelling on the cutting edge of the sword, standing at the edge of the fire pit, venturing right up to the edge of starvation if necessary. Vibrant and intense living is the warrior’s form of worship.”
― Stephen K. Hayes

“The most difficult part of traditional taekwondo is not learning the first kick or punch. It is not struggling to remember the motions of a poomsae or becoming acquainted with Korean culture.
Rather, it is taking the first step across the threshold of the dojang door. This is where roads diverge, where choices are made that will resonate throughout a lifetime.”
― Doug Cook, Taekwondo: A Path to Excellence

“I can show you the path but I cannot walk it for you.”
― Master Iain Armstrong , Get Your Health Back FAST With Chinese Chi Kung.

The Goal of Self-Improvement

When people on the path of self-betterment, in this case using martial arts as a tool, order their world a wonderful thing happens. These people can help those in their immediate sphere of influence. This is an important role and touches on that mentorship part of who we are.

Martial arts are far more than punching and kicking, but you knew that. You are getting an independent third-party validation. That’s what you just read.

Good on You! It’s in the Doing for a Better Life!

A metaphorical tip of the cap in your direction. An acknowledgment for embarking on a journey. A journey of becoming better, better for yourself, serving your family, and bettering your community.

You are involved in one of the more difficult tasks in life, getting better at being a good person, a virtuous person. You have found a time tested and solid path that will not make your work easier, but it does provide a road map.

The journey continues. It is in the doing. Always has been and always will be.

A couple of links from which to choose if you want more.

Let’s Connect

KRIS WILDER

Kris Wilder is a martial artist based in Seattle Washington. He has authored many martial art books, including the classic, The Way of Kata. Making no apologies for his obsession of Football he can be found telling any who will listen about the nuances of the Canadian Football League.

November 21, 2020December 25, 2020

Must I Retreat from the World?

Must I Retreat from the World? Here are some answers. Peter Owen Jones (1957- ) made a BBC 2, television production calling it, “Extreme Pilgrim.” Jones spent time researching and experiencing different religions.

At one point found himself in the desert under the guidance of Fr. Lazarus. The transformation of Jones, over his time in the desert is profound.

Thoreau Thinks You Should Retreat – Some

Two years, two months and two days by Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) The author of Walden. Thoreau recounts his experience as he lived in a small cabin on the shores of Walden Pond. Walden Pond is next to Concord Massachusetts in the United States. Thoreau writes, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”

Do You Find Yourself When You Retreat from The World?

*The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit*. I recommend this book.

The odd case of Christopher Thomas Knight (1965- ) a hermit of the Central Maine area. Knight spent 27 years in the wilderness. Speaking in a 2014 GQ interview by Michael Finkel, Knight waxed, “What I miss most,” he eventually continued, “is somewhere between quiet and solitude. What I miss most is stillness.”

Knight said he’d watched for years as a shelf mushroom grew on the trunk of a Douglas fir in his camp. Finkle commented, “I’d noticed the mushroom when I visited—it was enormous—and he (Knight) asked me with evident concern if anyone had knocked it down.” I assured him it was still there.

In the height of summer, Knight said, he’d sometimes sneak down to the lake at night. “I’d stretch out in the water, float on my back, and look at the stars.”

These are three examples, and there are many more. The gradation of experience and purpose can range from intention to take something back into the world, or a complete snubbing of the world. A retreat from the world and a snubbing are different.

The World Does Not Go Away

The Rule of St. Benedict, written by St. Benedict (c.480–550) has one section titled, “Chapter 70: The Presumption of Striking Another Monk at Will.” Yes, there had to be a rule about hitting each other.

Retreating From The World

Retreating from the world, whether solo or in a group can have a positive side and bring us great works like Walden. Or this kind of retreat can be a deep dysfunction exhibited by Christopher Knight.

To be clear Knight stole over his 27 years to support his hermit behavior. Knight did this by breaking into local Maine cabins. Knight burglarized and stole to survive.

Then you have St. Benedict having to put into writing a banning of monk-on-monk violence.

You don’t have to retreat from the world. You can, but it is not necessary. And Knight and St. Benedict prove the problems of the world are real no matter your location.

Musashi, the greatest swordsman of feudal Japan went into the woods to live and study by himself? Well, yes, and no. He went into a solitary life for a period. The majority of Musashi’s life was spent in the company of other warriors and students.

Further, can you name one modern athlete that has retreated? No, all of them, to a person, lean into their coaches, trainers, and social support systems.

Periodic retreats are a good thing, but they don’t solve everything.

If you look to the great spiritual leaders you will see they go into the wilderness, for periods and then return to the world.

Humans are social animals, not always well behaved, but social none-the-less. A person is more valuable to themselves and others when they can retreat, learn, and return. And in that return share with those who take an interest.

Some further information you may find useful.

Let’s Connect

KRIS WILDER

November 20, 2020December 25, 2020

Goldilocks Rule and Martial Arts

The Goldilocks Rule and martial arts. The Goldilocks rule is about avoiding excess. As a child growing up during the cold war the Olympics were a blood sport. The Olympics were about athletic competition. But the Olympics was also about The United States getting more medals than the Soviet Union.

Olympics were a replacement for actual combat. Instead of the dead, you counted the number of medals and what kind. I’m confident that the members of the Warsaw Pact held that same position.

The Warsaw Pact was a group of countries in Eastern Europe pledging cooperation with one another. The motto of the Warsaw Pact was: “Union of peace and socialism.” The Democratic Republic of Germany (GDR) or East Germany was a member of the Soviet-dominated Warsaw Pact.

Too Much Energy

The East German athletes were unbelievable in their physicality. Their level of Olympic competition was extraordinary.

The GDR female swimmers had profound physical attributes bordering on male. These female swimmers had broad shoulders powerful arms, an ambient muscle mass unknown for women before this time. It was revealed in later years that the GDR’s women’s swim team was using anabolic steroids to boost their physicality.

The risks to the misuse of anabolic steroids are now known. Not just a change in irritability or increased aggression. but hair loss, liver disease, and heart disease.

Putting too much energy into the system for an extended period is dangerous to the system. A violation of the Goldilocks Rule. The GDR athletes, in the calling of service to the country, were willing to overdrive their bodies.

Not Enough Energy

Not getting enough energy into a system results in the organization falling apart. Starvation is an example. Fewer calories are taken into the body than needed for survival.

Over time the body begins to cannibalize its resources and the body is no longer able to function. Again, an example of the Goldilocks Rule being disregarded.

Extremes And Trade-Offs

No matter what the extreme, there are tradeoffs. The merits of the moment at hand, versus the long term, can be argued, but, there is a price you will be paying. The extremes, in either case, are bad. This applies to the Goldilocks rule and martial arts.

Strike a balance in your journey. Heed the warnings of steroid misuse and anorexia. These two examples are examples of choices. They are not the result of forces out of our control. An example would be famine. Famine is out of our control anorexia is not.

The Goldilocks Rule provides a tried and true example of why the old martial arts masters can still perform at a high level. These martial artists adopted the middle path.

The Goldilocks Rule is based on the fable of Goldilocks and The Three Bears. The moral of the story is, not too hot not to cold, just right. Venus is too close to the sun and as a result, is a boiling mess, Mars, too far away, too cold. Earth is just right for us to survive.

The Goldilocks Rule and Martial Arts

We live in this Goldilocks zone and we should approach the martial arts journey in the same way. Don’t drive the system too hard, too fast, because you will burn out. Don’t be too soft either because you will waste away.

Choose the middle path, seek balance. You will become imbalanced when necessary, but once that force is removed seek the balance and live a long and more importantly healthy life through the martial arts.

A few related articles you may want to explore

Let’s Connect

KRIS WILDER

November 19, 2020December 25, 2020

A Martial Arts Mind Experiment

A Martial Arts Mind Experiment. Can I take the guidance of a couple of leaders in their field to rewrite my mind? Yes, and here is the process.

First off, I have a heart rate monitor, a Blood O2 monitor, and a brain wave monitor – this will make sense in a moment. It is not as cut and dried as one would want. The results are getting blocked with/by some other things.

NSNG

Shortly after I started the Wim Hof Method, I started the NSNG diet (No sugar, no grain). See Vinnie Tortorich, I didn’t sign up with him I just followed his rules. As a result, I dropped 35 lbs.

Resting heart rate is 60, down ten points from the last doctor. visit ½ years ago. I do not recall the numbers on the blood pressure but I recall the doctor. commenting that was, “Very good for my age.” I’ll take it.

The Breathing

When I do the breathing, I have started to watch my Oxygen level (O2) and heart rate. The O2 starts high, and of course, decreases over the breath-holding. I have noticed when the breath reflex kicks in the O2 has dropped to about 62-68%.

This drop can be overcome. But as the heart rate increase starts it becomes challenging. This reaction is the body responding to the need for breath. And, or it is me reacting to the reaction of the lowering O2. How to measure the impact of the physiological response and my mind? The jury is still out; my goal is to receive the reflex and maintain a normal heart beat. But immutable physics tells me the lower the O2, the more the heart will beat to meet the body’s need for O2.

The heart rate is an inverse bell curve, high during preparation and high at conclusion. The heart rate lowing during the majority of the training. The upturn in heart rate begins as the stress of lower O2 takes effect.

Wim Hof & Brain Waves

Brain waves begin in Beta during this training, and shift to high Beta. The brain waves go no further, no matter the level of relaxation I use. I had suspected I would shift to Alpha, doesn’t happen. It may shift elsewhere but my assumption of Alpha has not proved out.

Another point of interest is Wim Hof has you do several variations on this theme. Hot shower, cold shower, hot shower. After finishing his home course and have taken it in a different direction. I start with a hot shower, then go to a cold shower. I used no breathing preparation I set my brain to feel as if I had prepared with the Wim Hof method. After about 1 week -/+ I was able to control the cold shock response.

Cold Water

I know the cold water is coming so that changes the equation. The brain has learned the cold blast is not terminal and has lowered the reaction. Of course, this raises some other questions and possible methods. Some more research and experimentation are warranted. The upper temperature of the warm water I don’t know. The lower level of the cold water is 40 F or so this winter, a little higher in the summer.

If Wim Hof teaches this, I don’t know it seemed a path to go down on my part. I need to know if though Exposure Therapy I can gain control the sympathetic system. Exposure Therapy is what it sounds like, a little exposure increasing over time. This therapy is most often used to address anxiety, panic and fears. I went straight after the panic center.

The event I am seeking is the moment of transition, from hot to cold. The transition and duration are abrupt and small. If I can nip it in the bud, as Barney Fife would say, I win. I have tested the process for 1 minute, not more than that as I am focused on the transition. I am interested in suppressing the cold shock response.

Times above 1 minute without core temp dropping is possible. Maintaining core temperature over time as has been demonstrated by better. And a different goal than what seek.

I have yet to find a way to measure core temp. I suspect I know, but…yeah. I don’t need that martial arts mind experiment.

Summary

Summary. Wim Hof is responsible for this experiment. I took it and challenged myself using Hof’s encouragement, via video, and the one time I trained with him and 100+ folks in Vancouver Canada. I was creating my own martial arts mind experiment.

Exposure Therapy works, you can rewire your brain. Hof’s methods have withstood medial scrutiny and work. The combination brings good results. No fear of the cold water, low response to the temperature change and a better handle on how to control the sympathetic system in my body.

A few other post you may find interesting or helpful

Let’s Connect

KRIS WILDER

November 17, 2020December 25, 2020

Organization Changes Everything

Organization changes everything and improvement is often unmeasured, it can’t be seen. That means it’s how I feel about my progress and the feeling is often worthless. Bear with me as I lean into aphorisms, and truisms to emphasize my point. The first one and we all know it, “What doesn’t get measured, doesn’t get done.” This phrase is about creating accountability.

External and Internal Accountability

Creating accountability on an external level and an internal level. We become transparent to our employer or superior. Being accountable to a superior is much easier than being accountable to self. How many times have you said, “That’ll do,” and let something slide that you would not let slide for your employer?

Look at it this way, you get out of bed five days a week to get to work on time, but you sleep in on the weekends. This is not to say you shouldn’t indulge yourself on occasion. It is to point out you are likely to be more accountable to others, than yourself. You are not the driver of your life.

Feelings Are Not Measurable

Just having a feeling about how you doing is not successful. We have bathroom scales to check our waistline. Products come in dimensions or weights. Weather measurements take on many forms. Every one of these forms of measure makes sense. These measurements are necessary and they are all external.

We are not as diligent at the measurements that are our own. The internal measurement. How many things do you eat daily without measurement?

Your improvements need anchoring in the discipline. One form of self-accountability is a review of your actions because self-organization changes everything.

The popular system of Get Things Done makes you take on a daily review of the process. This review process has accountability to self and others.

This principle goes from the business world to the spiritual world. The Daily Examen by the Jesuits is an organizational method as well. You can check out The Daily Examen here.

The Smead Company based out of Hastings Minnesota is built around organizational products and how to use those products.

We thirst for the organization. The popularity of Marie Kondo, a Japanese organizational consultant, is an example of the level at which we desire structure. She has an empire built around clarity of personal space.

We Sorely Want Organization

We desire organization. Organization removes chaos. With lower levels of chaos, we can perform better in our work and our personal lives. We have the opportunity for growth, change, and improvement. The most difficult of those changes is being accountable to one’s self by one’s self is the beginning of the order.

There is no one best way, there are structures and recommendations galore. It is about finding a system that will provide the methods of action for you. You can scour the web, asks friends, find a program that gets the job done for you. Keep in mind you goal and your understanding organization changes everything.

Remember no system will operate unless you commit to it. It is a machine and you are the driver.

Some other information you may find helpful

Let’s Connect

KRIS WILDER

November 16, 2020December 25, 2020

The Big 3 Martial Arts Rituals

The big 3 Martial Arts rituals are made for Martial Arts Practitioners. But, with some adjustments, you can see how these three principles can be used in other places in life. This is not about specific ways to solve a problem it is about three ways to see behaviors.

These three things are being taken away from you. Three items that are a need within human existence.

The need for adornment, ritual, and art.

Adornment

Human beings have adorned themselves as far back as modern man can trace human existence. Neanderthals created adornment. Neanderthals, who existed some 40,000 years ago felt the need to decorate themselves.

Martial Arts has adornment. We need to add elements, a belt or a patch, the design is to signal the participants, to say, “This is a different experience.” This is different than the one that they engage in the majority of the time. And for us, the Martial Artist, this is a deep aspect of the ritual.

Ritual

Rhythm and ritual are soothing to a child. Ask parents and they can tell you about disruption. An interruption in a child’s ritual will result in disruptive behavior.

Adults are not too far removed from this behavior and it can be observed if one turns their vision to see. Often the moments are simple. It may sound like, “This is not how I take my coffee.” “This seems to be an odd way to prepare, insert a food here.”

The idea of a tour bus for a musical group is to bring a facsimile of home with them, a home away from home. Ritual is important.

Rituals are always creating a comfort level. Comfort reduces stress. No biological life is designed for a consistent state of alert or stress. Most life is calculated for rest. Being in a state of agitation is the opposite of rest. Rituals build assurances into the day that allows for a lower ambient state of alertness.

Yes, an anathema to the martial artist we train to, “Always be aware.” A wild state of watchfulness is not a good way to live. The majority of us don’t live in a world of Hypervigilance, we live in ritual.

Art

Art takes on many arrangements. In its simplest form, art is a way artist show control. An understanding of the environment. Without art we are naked. Naked to the fact we have little control over the elements and the acts of nature.

Exchanging blows with each other. Challenging each other. Working on the bag. Every one of these acts plus others you can list. All these are part of the art, the martial arts.

At its very best art fails to capture the true nature of the subject. Art at best gives a version of the truth seen through the artist’s eyes. Art is art. And art is necessary.

Ornamentation, pattern, and expression are other words to help shape the Big 3 Martial Arts Rituals.

Martial arts provide a direct answer to these three basic needs. Adornment, ritual, and art. And now it is up to us to seize these back from the times in which we live.

Here is a 13 minute, History of Ideas – Rituals explainer video from, The School of Life.

Want more? Here are a few other post you may find of interest.

Let’s Connect

KRIS WILDER