Martial Arts: A Journey of Many Lifetimes

Transcription

Passed down from generation to generation, hundreds of styles of martial arts exist today and are practiced by hundreds of thousands worldwide.

Each style has it's own strengths and individuality created by its founder and each style means something slightly different to each of its practitioners. Over time the style is shaped by infamous metaphorical river of time and the passage from one practitioner to the next. Styles ebb and flow and take on characteristics of each person choosing to pass it on to the next generation of martial artists.

To understand the current state of a style and why it has the elements that it has, look into the faces of its disciples and read tales of their experiences. Why did they move to certain places? What was their reason for studying particular styles of martial arts? Was it self-preservation, fame, the quest for knowledge? Who did they train with? How did it shape their lives?

To me, martial arts is an embodiment of mankind's greatest efforts. The effort to survive, the effort to be strong, to be individual, to be insightful, to understand each element of the world around us and use that knowledge in an effort to have a meaningful existence and to live at peace with ourselves and one another.

To me, martial arts is not just a way of life, but the natural way of mankind.