Sensei’s Corner: Blogging Blue Cliff TKD

So I just decided to create a blog. Why? Because for me, Tae Kwon Do (and the martial life in general) is a daily experience, one that acts itself out in every moment of my life. That, more than kicks and punches, is what has kept me going in my studies for over 20 years. And I expect that this metaphor of a warrior’s life will keep me going in the martial arts for the rest of my life.

This blog will give us all a space to consider why martial arts are so important not just for self-defense on the street, but for self-realization in all areas of life. Consider it an electronic “goal of the week” in more of a journal format. My blogging will be much less formal and will share my off-the-cuff experience with martial arts in a daily setting. Here I’ll explore how martial arts have made me a stronger person, and the places where I fall down too.

(Remember , after all, that no one is perfect and I’m not in the business of being a “guru.” We are all just humans trying to figure out this crazy messy world together. This blog is my effort to explain how the warrior ideal works itself out in my life.)

I hope the thoughts that I share are fun and useful, and also that they give you an insight into how my life, like yours, is a constantly unfolding work of art. Do we train to destroy life, or preserve it? Or perhaps both? Or neither? Why do YOU train? Why do you do any of the things you do? These are important questions. As you answer them, your training will take on a deeper significance. I don’t offer answers, and that’s an important point. I can give you my answers, but those offer no real value to YOU. Answers that you hold must be your own. I can’t tell you how to think, but maybe I can occasionally remind you TO think.

So here’s to a successful exchange of ideas, and a whole lot of fun in the martial spirit of inquiry and self-improvement.