Known Unknowns
Martial Art for me has indeed been a path to life in many aspects. There was a phase where I observed the art of self defense in awe and learned with no breaks in practicing it diligently day in and day out. Then came the phase where I started learning it (as put forward by my teacher Sensei Sriram Rangan )in a way "learn what you know already", that was when we achieved our Black Belts. Many small aspects such as kicks and punches were taught in a very emphatic elegance like a "kick should be felt like a snake bite" meaning the faster you are, the better you are. The phase was not about kicks and punches but achieving perfection in what you know already, "learn what you know already"!
Then came a phase where in we started projecting Martial Art into our daily life. The speed, the concentration, the memory and the diligence was in real sense to be put into practice outside the fighting ring. "A way to life" as teacher always taught us! Those were the times when what was taught either we took too seriously in the sense of obedience but without analyzing them or other, due to the lack of experience, just heard but never thought over it. I was one of the former clan. I used to sit and think and think over again. I would say it without any shame, that I hardly understood anything, but just made sure that I remember what is told to me. May be some day I might understand.
Today, I have developed reading as a habit and after reading many things that I had noted as part of knowledge beyond fighting skill sessions I would say, I can comprehend what was taught to me. There is an old Martial Art saying, "it is not what you have, but it is what you think you have!"; how true? The true power in kicking and punching or defending is not in our outer strength, but it is the ability, the will power. Isn't the same applied to life too in terms of being pretentious or working hard to succeed? When wealth reaches deep down in our thoughts, it is indeed not the wealth but it is the feeling within about possession that makes us snobbish or powerful or egoistic or pretentious or prodigal or some times just humble enough to appreciate the situation of freedom to choose. Even during the struggle to succeed or achieve one's goal, no single step could be taken by a person unless he/she thinks that they can. A thought about within! Name any endeavor or challenge, it is always the inner voice that makes a person. The same inner voice makes the attitude(good or bad)! Philosophically speaking it is just the will power or positive attitude. In common parlance it could be just the grit and gumption to go ahead or feel oneself.
The key to success might be luck but to sustain luck or the success one has got, listening to this thought is primal. Realizing that one is lucky is humble, but as said before, "it is not what you have, but it is what you think you have!" is the real humbleness. On the hindsight, key to success might be hard work, but the same principle of thinking what you have in terms of capabilities is the real essence. That is the first step towards hard work.
I remember, Sensei used to pester me when I used to loose fight with one single counterpart of mine, my dear friend(who is a very successful pediatrician today) Nandkumar Kene and I used to feel very low in those times. Some how, I never won a fight with Nandu. He was too good compared to me. But Sensei used to encourage me against my morose looser face. He would ask,"what is it that you think, Nandu has that, you don't have?" I was speechless(those days I was ultra reserved too). Sensei would point out(of course in private) that, "he has the same number of legs and hands that you have, he learned simultaneously with you, he does the same number of push-ups as you. I see both of you as same in real sense, but still you come as a person who has inferiority complex. Why?" Again my reserved nature did not take me anywhere except in the good books of mute. Sensei would summarize that, "You start winning only if you think! That is the only weapon you should have! Your attitude!"
Today, in the larger sense of my life style and challenges that are far bigger than winning a fight with dear friend, I reminisce the same golden words of Sensei and also attach the principle of thinking, that is "it is not what you have, but it is what you think you have!" I do not know how far or how unachievable is my goal amidst many personal and worldly turmoils, but I sure feel my thinking can only change my chances of success. These are some of the unknown thoughts which we all know by second nature, but ignore due to many distractions.
Then came a phase where in we started projecting Martial Art into our daily life. The speed, the concentration, the memory and the diligence was in real sense to be put into practice outside the fighting ring. "A way to life" as teacher always taught us! Those were the times when what was taught either we took too seriously in the sense of obedience but without analyzing them or other, due to the lack of experience, just heard but never thought over it. I was one of the former clan. I used to sit and think and think over again. I would say it without any shame, that I hardly understood anything, but just made sure that I remember what is told to me. May be some day I might understand.
Today, I have developed reading as a habit and after reading many things that I had noted as part of knowledge beyond fighting skill sessions I would say, I can comprehend what was taught to me. There is an old Martial Art saying, "it is not what you have, but it is what you think you have!"; how true? The true power in kicking and punching or defending is not in our outer strength, but it is the ability, the will power. Isn't the same applied to life too in terms of being pretentious or working hard to succeed? When wealth reaches deep down in our thoughts, it is indeed not the wealth but it is the feeling within about possession that makes us snobbish or powerful or egoistic or pretentious or prodigal or some times just humble enough to appreciate the situation of freedom to choose. Even during the struggle to succeed or achieve one's goal, no single step could be taken by a person unless he/she thinks that they can. A thought about within! Name any endeavor or challenge, it is always the inner voice that makes a person. The same inner voice makes the attitude(good or bad)! Philosophically speaking it is just the will power or positive attitude. In common parlance it could be just the grit and gumption to go ahead or feel oneself.
The key to success might be luck but to sustain luck or the success one has got, listening to this thought is primal. Realizing that one is lucky is humble, but as said before, "it is not what you have, but it is what you think you have!" is the real humbleness. On the hindsight, key to success might be hard work, but the same principle of thinking what you have in terms of capabilities is the real essence. That is the first step towards hard work.
I remember, Sensei used to pester me when I used to loose fight with one single counterpart of mine, my dear friend(who is a very successful pediatrician today) Nandkumar Kene and I used to feel very low in those times. Some how, I never won a fight with Nandu. He was too good compared to me. But Sensei used to encourage me against my morose looser face. He would ask,"what is it that you think, Nandu has that, you don't have?" I was speechless(those days I was ultra reserved too). Sensei would point out(of course in private) that, "he has the same number of legs and hands that you have, he learned simultaneously with you, he does the same number of push-ups as you. I see both of you as same in real sense, but still you come as a person who has inferiority complex. Why?" Again my reserved nature did not take me anywhere except in the good books of mute. Sensei would summarize that, "You start winning only if you think! That is the only weapon you should have! Your attitude!"
Today, in the larger sense of my life style and challenges that are far bigger than winning a fight with dear friend, I reminisce the same golden words of Sensei and also attach the principle of thinking, that is "it is not what you have, but it is what you think you have!" I do not know how far or how unachievable is my goal amidst many personal and worldly turmoils, but I sure feel my thinking can only change my chances of success. These are some of the unknown thoughts which we all know by second nature, but ignore due to many distractions.
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