This past Thursday I attended my brother's convocation. He has been going to MacEwan University for the last several years and just received a degree in Computing Science. There were several speeches throughout the evening, but a statement from one speech stuck with me and got me thinking. Of course I am paraphrasing, "Write your plans out in pencil, because you never actually know where life is going to take you."
This made me think about all of the recent talk about intent and how it should be ever-changing. If you set a plan for decades from now, you will end up "erasing" your plan and changing it a billion times as the years go by. I might be someone who looks too far into the future. I sometimes try to make plans without actually knowing all the variables. How could you when you look years ahead?
I think the idea is to make shorter term plans, so you can be more immediately focused on them. You might find that the plan you intend to fulfill will change less often. I think I understand the idea of changing your intent more frequently. Being fully aware of what you are doing right at this very moment is almost more important than any plans you can make.
Sunday, 25 June 2017
Sunday, 18 June 2017
Extremism
Extremism is defined as: "a tendency or disposition to go to extremes or an instance of going to extremes, especially in political matters"
There is a big problem with extremists and how they are created. The damage they cause is tremendous, for multiple parties. The up front victims of extremism are obvious, innocents being killed, just because they believe in this religion or that.What is not so obvious is extremists create a bad image for others of the same race or religion, creating a stigma against them and making it more difficult for other people to accept them without prejudice. They all get painted with the same brush; treated unfairly and ridiculed for something they had no part in.
The solution is always seen as, "We need to fight these extremists. Take them out so they cannot do any more damage" The flaw with this is we are not dealing with the cause, only reacting to the product. I am not saying they are right to do what they are doing. However, if there is to be something done, it should be done well before people feel they need to resort to such acts.
We need to ask ourselves why anyone would want to go to such extremes. Forget any preconceived views of a particular race, I have heard enough talk about how one race is more prone to violence than the next. It is complete garbage. We are ALL human. We are ALL capable of great accomplishments and horrible atrocities. These people are desperate, but why? Why do people need to die or kill to get their point across if we have this incredible network of global communication? People need to reach out, for help and to help. This needs to happen!
Extremism has no place. People should not wait until the problems they face become so dire that they feel it is necessary. It needs to be solved gradually, address the problems sooner to avoid mass conflict. We as a race have the capability to create anything we want. We can accomplish anything if we simply put aside our pride and greed and help each other, even if we don't like them or agree with them. We need to do this! Not only to survive, but thrive and progress....
Take care everyone.
There is a big problem with extremists and how they are created. The damage they cause is tremendous, for multiple parties. The up front victims of extremism are obvious, innocents being killed, just because they believe in this religion or that.What is not so obvious is extremists create a bad image for others of the same race or religion, creating a stigma against them and making it more difficult for other people to accept them without prejudice. They all get painted with the same brush; treated unfairly and ridiculed for something they had no part in.
The solution is always seen as, "We need to fight these extremists. Take them out so they cannot do any more damage" The flaw with this is we are not dealing with the cause, only reacting to the product. I am not saying they are right to do what they are doing. However, if there is to be something done, it should be done well before people feel they need to resort to such acts.
We need to ask ourselves why anyone would want to go to such extremes. Forget any preconceived views of a particular race, I have heard enough talk about how one race is more prone to violence than the next. It is complete garbage. We are ALL human. We are ALL capable of great accomplishments and horrible atrocities. These people are desperate, but why? Why do people need to die or kill to get their point across if we have this incredible network of global communication? People need to reach out, for help and to help. This needs to happen!
Extremism has no place. People should not wait until the problems they face become so dire that they feel it is necessary. It needs to be solved gradually, address the problems sooner to avoid mass conflict. We as a race have the capability to create anything we want. We can accomplish anything if we simply put aside our pride and greed and help each other, even if we don't like them or agree with them. We need to do this! Not only to survive, but thrive and progress....
Take care everyone.
Sunday, 11 June 2017
A different Angle
A couple of weeks ago I was, for one reason or another, not seeing any progress being made in my kung fu these past few months. A big part of it, (something I know is wrong) is the fact that I was concentrating on the curriculum. I noted all that I need to learn, looked at how long I have been at this level and did the math to estimate when I would progress further in rank. I attempted to analyze every possible reason why I was "progressing too slow" for my liking.
I figured I was stretching myself too thin with everything I am attempting to accomplish with my kung fu. I decided this year to utilize the requirements of the I Ho Chuan to learn two Wu Dang forms, one weapon form and one hand form from Sifu Beckett. This took my attention away from Kempo. I was starting to feel like I might not be up for the challenge, that it was slowing down my progress.
There is a serious problem with this way of thinking. This is not a mathematical equation, there is no absolute. After listening to a different way of looking at it, I realized that it is not the specifics that are important when progressing, but the concepts. If you try to cling on to specifics, you will always be attached to them. You lose the ability to improvise and grow from one experience to another.
Although some of the movements and stances are slightly different from Kempo, learning this other style of kung fu through its forms has allowed me to begin fixing problems with my technique I didn't even know I had. I just needed to approach it from a different angle.
Even though my attention has shifted slightly and my "curricular progress" has seemed to slow down, my kung fu skill level has improved greatly. I have a much better appreciation for where I am in my training. It's about what I'm learning, not where I am in relation to everyone around me. The curriculum is a tool to aid me in my journey, it is not the journey itself.
Take care everyone.
I figured I was stretching myself too thin with everything I am attempting to accomplish with my kung fu. I decided this year to utilize the requirements of the I Ho Chuan to learn two Wu Dang forms, one weapon form and one hand form from Sifu Beckett. This took my attention away from Kempo. I was starting to feel like I might not be up for the challenge, that it was slowing down my progress.
There is a serious problem with this way of thinking. This is not a mathematical equation, there is no absolute. After listening to a different way of looking at it, I realized that it is not the specifics that are important when progressing, but the concepts. If you try to cling on to specifics, you will always be attached to them. You lose the ability to improvise and grow from one experience to another.
Although some of the movements and stances are slightly different from Kempo, learning this other style of kung fu through its forms has allowed me to begin fixing problems with my technique I didn't even know I had. I just needed to approach it from a different angle.
Even though my attention has shifted slightly and my "curricular progress" has seemed to slow down, my kung fu skill level has improved greatly. I have a much better appreciation for where I am in my training. It's about what I'm learning, not where I am in relation to everyone around me. The curriculum is a tool to aid me in my journey, it is not the journey itself.
Take care everyone.
Sunday, 4 June 2017
Lions and Drumming
The Farmer's Day parade was a rousing success. We had a good amount of people out to help construct the float and there was a good turn out to represent the kwoon during the festivities. The float looked good, so good the judges deemed it the best commercial float of the parade! Great job people!
I have been missing being part of the lion dances. It is one of my favorite activities to partake in with the team. The parade gave me ample chance to get some real lion time in. It may not have been a dance, but it was still a great opportunity to practice my skills. I have been looking at expanding my skill set with different parts of the dance, lately I have been practicing the drumming patterns. I seem to be catching on fairly quickly, but there is still much to learn, kind of like learning kung fu. It is interesting learning what it is like on the other side of the production. I hope with time and practice I will get a chance to drum a dance.
I have been missing being part of the lion dances. It is one of my favorite activities to partake in with the team. The parade gave me ample chance to get some real lion time in. It may not have been a dance, but it was still a great opportunity to practice my skills. I have been looking at expanding my skill set with different parts of the dance, lately I have been practicing the drumming patterns. I seem to be catching on fairly quickly, but there is still much to learn, kind of like learning kung fu. It is interesting learning what it is like on the other side of the production. I hope with time and practice I will get a chance to drum a dance.
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