Random Stew It seemed like a good idea at the time.

The Honesty of Martial Arts

A thousand words will not leave so deep an impression as one deed. --Henrik Ibsen

Not too long ago, I was telling someone how much I enjoyed practicing a martial art -- karate, in my case. I was caught off guard a bit when they asked me why I like karate. All kinds of stream-of-consciousness thoughts and reasons ran through my head, but what came out of my mouth was "the absolute honesty of it".

People are always talking. All day, every day, people are talking about what they're going to do, what they've already done, where they've been, and how they feel about it.

Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk.

And even though people usually have good intentions, they don't always live up to their words. Even worse are the people that dramatically overstate their claims or even just outright lie.

Let deeds match words. --Titus Maccius Plautus

In the martial arts, someone may talk a good game: listing their rank; detailing accomplishments in tournaments; displaying board breaking patches on their gi; naming famous instructors; even regalling with stories of real-life self-defense situations. But all that talk is just so much recherche vapor when you step onto the dojo floor. I'm still a rank beginner in the grand scheme of things, but once we start training -- especially if we're sparring --, I know literally within seconds whether you have skills or not. You cannot fake live techniques with a skilled opponent. You can either do it, or not.

Do, or do not. There is no 'try.' --Jedi Master Yoda