The universe is a dichotomy, when you come right down to brass tacks. The concept of dichotomy is that everything has two side. Down and up, left and right, and so on into the realm of less than concrete ideas.
The crux of war versus peace is readily seen within the Martial Arts. And, in studying the martial arts dichotomies are on every...side. Dichotomies which head right into the soul and heart of the discipline, and even put our very existence up to question.
The newbie signs up for a course of instruction and is, in a very short while, consumed by the dichotomy of freestyle v form. Does he elect to study techniques designed for the battlefield and death and destruction, or does he study the abstract perfectionism of forms?
Underneath this simple question of dichotomy is the question of destruction v control. Does the student practice techniques of destruction, which are quick and easy to learn, but perhaps not in keeping with the philosophy of the human soul, or does he practice techniques of control, which are more difficult to work on the street? The answer will dictate what kind of a human being he will end up being, and which way he goes in life.
Then there is sport v art. Should he practice the martial arts for the abstract of art, and be willing to wait perhaps decades for its benefits, or should he practice the martial arts for athleticism and a strong body, and then risk that body in contest? Again, the answer will dictate the very worth of his life, and his direction as a human being.
Really, we are talking mind v matter. Is the body the container of the spirit, or is man an animal? Should he study in hopes of living a wild and exciting journey, and that is the point of it all, or should he study to illuminate the spirit within, and that is the point of it all?
Really, man is making significant decisions in just considering these simple questions. With no sense of direction, and in a murky fog, he is choosing to go up or down. For what is the worth of the human being, and who is to direct us in this question of wrong and right in the human soul...but ourselves?
Woe. Wrong or right, we choose. We are unique, and right or wrong, it is a choice to be valued.
The crux of war versus peace is readily seen within the Martial Arts. And, in studying the martial arts dichotomies are on every...side. Dichotomies which head right into the soul and heart of the discipline, and even put our very existence up to question.
The newbie signs up for a course of instruction and is, in a very short while, consumed by the dichotomy of freestyle v form. Does he elect to study techniques designed for the battlefield and death and destruction, or does he study the abstract perfectionism of forms?
Underneath this simple question of dichotomy is the question of destruction v control. Does the student practice techniques of destruction, which are quick and easy to learn, but perhaps not in keeping with the philosophy of the human soul, or does he practice techniques of control, which are more difficult to work on the street? The answer will dictate what kind of a human being he will end up being, and which way he goes in life.
Then there is sport v art. Should he practice the martial arts for the abstract of art, and be willing to wait perhaps decades for its benefits, or should he practice the martial arts for athleticism and a strong body, and then risk that body in contest? Again, the answer will dictate the very worth of his life, and his direction as a human being.
Really, we are talking mind v matter. Is the body the container of the spirit, or is man an animal? Should he study in hopes of living a wild and exciting journey, and that is the point of it all, or should he study to illuminate the spirit within, and that is the point of it all?
Really, man is making significant decisions in just considering these simple questions. With no sense of direction, and in a murky fog, he is choosing to go up or down. For what is the worth of the human being, and who is to direct us in this question of wrong and right in the human soul...but ourselves?
Woe. Wrong or right, we choose. We are unique, and right or wrong, it is a choice to be valued.
About the Author:
Al Case has examined the martial arts for forty+ plus years. Examine the Dichotomy of him at Monster Martial Arts.
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