To Create Or To Destroy?
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In every skill there exists the potential both for creation and for destruction. Doctors have advanced knowledge of human anatomy & physiology which can be used to save life, mend wounds and reduce pain. This same knowledge can be used in reverse, to increase pain, inflict wounds and of course cause death. A mechanic has the ability to diagnose vehicular faults and repair intricate systems. Once again this same knowledge can be used to initiate faults and interfere with the intended operation of the machine. In the world of computers it is not unheard of for intelligent systems designers or programmers to use their coding skills to create rapidly-spreading viruses, and it is no surprise that many successful criminals are former Officers Of The Law, and vice-versa. Knowledge of any kind can be used for good or bad.
This is not a particularly profound concept or new idea. Anyone who has such skill is inherently aware of the double-edged sword they wield, and so too are the organisations who employ such people. Society imposes controls to ensure the professional conduct of its members, and a range of penalties can be brought to bear on those who stray. Of course the concept of good or bad depends on which side of the fence you stand; A professional criminal may well consider the Police to be the evil ones.
Power Corrupts
The dedicated martial artist faces a similar duality. At face value, regular training in an art designed specifically to kill or control another person can have enormous destructive influences on ones personality, especially if one becomes very good at the art. The feeling of superiority and power may become intoxicating, leading the careless practicioner to demonstrate their abilities on less able students, thus spreading fear & intimidation. A new student who shows aptitude may well be systematically knocked back until it has been conclusively proven that he is inferior, and that no possible authority challenge will come from that quarter. This behaviour rapidly becomes self-destructive - one must be extremely aware of ones own development.
Instructors are not immune to the power drug. Some teachers feel the need to keep proving that they deserve their place at the top of the local tree. This is another self-destructive road - nobody in their right mind would keep attending a class in which pain & humiliation are the primary teaching methods. In his excellent book On Single Combat, EWTO Grandmaster Keith R.Kernspecht makes the point that '...a student who leaves class only learning that the instructor can beat them has joined the wrong school!' Yes indeed.
In the case of instructors, most often destructive behaviour is down to fear or insecurity; They are fearful of producing students who could surpass them, students who steal their so-called secrets, students who are not properly 'respectful' of their position and so on. In many cases this could be due to being taught in a similar fashion, or from not having a teacher to point out their mistakes. The students such an instructor produces will all be twisted in the same fashion, like an infected cell spewing out self-replicating virus.
Plant The Seeds
The opposite training focus is one of creation. The study of Kung-Fu plants many seeds in a student, both physically and mentally. In the right environment these seeds will blossom. Students should find that their instructor is not a tyrant to be feared (or worse, worshipped), but rather a guide and mentor helping them to learn & grow. The knowledge and abilities that kung-fu imparts allows students to explore their own boundaries and push against them. An excellent teacher is respected not simply for what he can do personally, but for what is given & shared with others. This is one important thing the Master Level represents, and something all students should aspire to.
Personal growth is not without effort & cost. In helping the seedling become an adult plant the gardener must feed & water, but also trim, cut & prune when necessary. Likewise attention must be called to the faults of the student, a process necessary & expected but difficult to perform. If approached correctly such a lesson will be understood and received in the spirit of growth - this is why one pays for tuition! If the lesson is given in a malicious, spiteful or ego-led manner the instructor will merely plant seeds of hate, anger & distrust. The intelligent teacher does not seek to force others into his own mold, instead takes each as he finds them, nurturing, trimming away dead wood, guiding each student to seek their own potential.
Your Own Focus?
So where do you stand in your training at the moment? Are you on the side of the destructive; always trying to beat your training partner, be 'harder' than the next guy, trying to prove that your techniques are superior, holding grudges if you are hit whilst training? Or perhaps you have a creative focus; striving to perfect your knowledge & movements, helping more junior students, trusting your instructor to have your own development at heart? Students, instructors & masters all follow the same road, but some people are just further ahead. Help others to follow the same path, or even improve it for later travellers. Don't be the one to place barriers in the way, or else you'll be very lonely at the journey's end.
- Author: Lee Heron
- Sources: None
