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| From Training Slideshow |
Well what a year 2009 turned out to be. Just about everybody I know had one calamity or another. However watching those people overcome hardship through adaption, invention and solidarity has really opened my eyes to the potential of every moment.
Looking back at this blog I realize just how many twists and turns I have been making in order to get from one end of the year to the other. Ideas I wanted to share reflected much of what was on my mind at any given time as I tried to bring together my training, my personal life and indeed my outlook on the world. Certainly over the years I have fallen into the trap that the whole world seems to be in, that of a fragmented life. A work life, a family life, a study life, a healthy life and ofcourse an online life!
All of these things working against each other at times while I, instead of creatively blending the segments together, was simply ploughing onwards. Eyes forward but down and not really looking where I was going and what was happening. I think that is a great lesson not just for me but for the leaders of our nations. The motto 'Keep Going!' or 'Gambatte!' of the martial arts is a great and potent one, but, sometimes you have to make sure you are persevering for the correct reasons, that you are not the fuse that is slowly heading towards a waiting bomb.
Yesterday we had our last Neshaminy Dojo class of 2009. I was hoping to review most of what we did since we started training in May. Not a chance. Even at the first technique there was more ideas coming to light. It just never ends. I know that deep down I will never perfect my techniques to some infallible point, but I think truthfully I have avoided that reality in fear that it may somehow put me off my training. It's is certainly a well documented difference between the contemporary east and west. In the west we often think about the destination or objective, in the east (we are told) they think more of the journey or process to get there. Perhaps there is a way to enjoy each milestone and also the road between, something to explore in 2010 perhaps.
Another thing I think about as the year draws to a close is the people that made last year a survivable one. People who although they may not be able to fix all the world's ills do their small or large part. Without these individuals the world may not fall completely apart overnight, but the needless suffering and danger they prevent makes them part of a family we all want. Some of these people have died to protect life, others have merely spent 30 mins to hear someone's problems. What goes around comes around or so they say. Let 2010 be a year of kindness, understanding, diligence and progress.
