Wanting

It is better to be left wanting more than to have to much. This can be true for many thing in life. Think about your favorite food, If you have too much even the most tasty thing in the world becomes sour in you mouth. This is also true with relationships, if your around someone long enough, even if they are the love of you life or a parent. The relationship starts to go sour. A little time a part can do a world of good. For example, when I lived with my father, one of the greatest persons I know, we would argue all the time. Now that we do not live together, things are great between us. I value our time together, I am sad when we part and I look forward to seeing him again.

Wisdom

How is wisdom gained? How does one become wise? Wisdom is, in my opinion, is the proper application of knowledge and the shedding of ignorance. The first step is acquiring knowledge. Start by looking at your own life. Find out if your living the unexamined life. Then look at your own beliefs and see if you have fallen victim of Pascal's wager. Do you believe what others  around  you believe just because it has always been believed? Look into long held truths and see if they really are truths. In doing so, you will learn to ask the right questions, better questions. Question a multitude of people with different beliefs and backgrounds and learn form there experiences, good and bad. But there is danger here, be careful. Some people will say something profound and appear to be wise, but to say something without understanding the deeper meaning is like not knowing at all. Those who truly desire freedom will not accept any solution, they will do their own research. Find their own truth. They will not follow the orders of others. Once you have gained knowledge you then look within yourself and find the answers to your questions. Then you can help others break the chains of Plato's cave.

Accountability

Should someone be held accountable for their actions that are not socially acceptable to today’s standards, but were acceptable in the time during the time when they were committed? Should the Nazi guard be convicted of crimes today, that were committed during his service to the Nazi party in WWII? Should we still hold in high regard the founding fathers who were slave owners? Should we celebrate Columbus Day who slaughtered thousands of Native Americans for greed and profit? In my opinion the answer is no. Even if the act was socially acceptable back then it was still wrong. For example, if you have been born into a household that owns slaves and treats them harshly. And you are taught by your parents that, this is the way you treat slaves. I feel that this does not excuse you from the act of harshly treating slaves, when you become an adult and capable of making your own decisions and choices. To not use critical thinking skills and just hide behind what is, or is not a crime or what is, or is not lawful is letting the judicial system of the time make the choice for you. And so you become the slave.

Absolute Truth

Is there absolute truth? I cannot say no because by saying that there is no absolute truth is stating a truth. However, I believe that truth is relative to the time we live in. And to the individual. For example, in ancient times they used to think that the world is flat. Through science and understanding we have found out that this is false. And if I believe something strongly enough it becomes truth to me. To many people today belief and truth are the same. In my opinion they are not.

If a tree fell in a forest...

There is that age old philosophical question, "If a tree fell in the forest and no one was there to hear it did it really fall?" This is kind of a rudimentary question. Because what you are really asking is the effect of sound waves on human organs. But if you look a little deeper you will find yourself asking, "Without us does the forest exist? or the universe?" or a little further, "Is intelligence a prerequisite for existence?" Well what is intelligence? In the case for a forest to exist, you need trees and for trees to exits, you need a ecosystem. Animals, is not animals a example of intelligence? But animals and insects survive on instinct. Is instinct the same a intelligence? In my opinion instinct is action without thought. And intelligence in action with thought. In that light, no intelligence is not prerequisite for existence. Then again, if we as human are not there who really cares.

A gift from the Dao

To live your life in accordance with bushido (chivalry, martial virtues) you will receive an intangible gift from the Dao.

A gift that cannot be

 bought with any amount of gold.

A gift that cannot be

 stolen with any amount of stealth.

A gift that cannot be

acquired with any amount of might.

And once received, cannot be taken from you with any amount of force.

But can only be given-up willingly.

How do you live a life in accordance with martial virtues?

What is this gift?

What do you do with it once you receive it?

The unexamined life

The unexamined life is not worth living.

                                                                    -Socrates

What is the unexamined life?

 In my opinion, it is living your life through or being obsessed with reality TV, sports teams or day time soaps.  Never really doing anything yourselves. And what we do is only for shallow material gain. Not making time to seek knowledge or spiritual enlightenment.

Doing what has been done because it always has been done.  Not ever finding truth for yourself. The foolish take the advice of the grey because they are grey.

What is worth?

In my opinion, worth is cost, cost is time, time is life. A wasted life is the cost of living an unexamined life.

Are we living in a civilization?

  Are we civilized?

We have advanced so far in the way of transportation, information sharing, and communication. Yet we still cannot settle our differences through communication.

In the past 100 years we have seen not only the invention of atomic weapons, but also, as a human race, have used them on each other. In August 1946, the United States dropped atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki killing hundreds of thousands of people.
It still boils down to the biggest and the strongest. Prime examples would be the Firebombing of Dresden and the Massacre of Nanking. So I ask again, are we civilized?

Many times we may think that, "that’s not my time, it’s different now." Well, what of the Massacre of My Lai? Committed by regular, home grown, U.S. American soldiers in the Vietnam War. Or Tiananmen square in 1989? Or of the terrorist attacks of Sept.11? Or of the current civil unrest in Tibet and Thailand?

There is a saying “That if we do not learn from the mistakes of the past we are doomed to repeat them.” In my opinion, we as a human race are repeating them. In our country, we travel to the other side of the globe to invade other countries, spend billions of dollars, lose thousands of American lives, and thousands of Middle Eastern civilian casualties. Why do that while we have poverty right here in America? Starving people, families living in tent cities, poverty. Where is the good will toward men? At this, the so called "height of civilization"?

Some argue that only a minority of humans are living uncivilized, while the majority of humankind is living civilized. By this definition you could say that we are living in a civilization. Or is "civilization" based on the comforts that we have, such as T.V.’s, running water, electricity, etc?

Honor

                                              Honor

When you think of honor what do you think of? Do you think of a figure in history? William Wallace? King Leonidas? The dictionary defines the word honor as fairness, honesty, high respect, or dignity. The Greek the word arete means excellence. It means courage and strength in the face of adversity.
But what is it today? Some would say that it is unselfish giving to those who do not have. Humility. Those who uphold truth.

 “He has honor if he holds himself to an ideal of conduct though it is inconvenient, unprofitable, or dangerous to do so.” – Walter Lippmann


What is honor to me? A quote come to mind of a unknown author, "Chivalry is the flower of humanity." Honor is an uncompromising code of ethics that cannot be bought or sold for material gain.

David J. West wrote:

This blood and honor
the way of the warrior
my reverence found

moderation

When planting a tree seed too much water will not do, your seed will drown .On the other hand
depriving the seed of water it will only wither and die.  It cannot survive.

Moderation is the key.

 The same is true with martial arts training. Over training will only result in injury or becoming burnt-out.
Whereas under training will cause a cessation of martial skill development.

 Again moderation.

 The Buddha taught that; both excess and asceticism, neither is the path of the way.
 Only through moderation will we gain enlightenment.

Teach a man to fish

“Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.”
                                                                                                                                       -Lao Tzu

Using a gun in a self-defense situation is the best form of defense. But, what the Ghost Dance fighters and the fighters of the Boxer Rebellion taught us is that no skin, through training or belief, is impervious to bullets.

What happens when the bullets run out?
Or when you cannot get to a gun?

Learning unarmed self-defense and situational awareness through a martial art has benefits that can last a lifetime.

Good martial artist

What do you think it means to be a good martial artist?
I think that it is more than just being a skilled fighter. I think its living by a higher code of ethics.  One of the best marital artist I know is a peaceful tai chi  practitioner. Who in our discusssions enphasis meeting force with peace. And it is best to win a fight without throwing a single punch.

Conscience

I had given a friend of mine some advice today on conscience. He said, " I have grown to hate my conscience! In this cynical world there s just no place for it. I have found that it's not only my greatest strength but also my greatest weakness!" I replied, "I think that conscience is a good asset that great people have. Too many people chose not to follow their conscience and that is a contributing factor for the state of our civilization. Follow your conscience and you cant go wrong."  Also I threw in a quote, " Never do anything against conscience even if the state demands it."
Albert Einstein
I told my girlfriend this and she suggested that I create a blog so here I am.... blogging.