Before you Jump

If you were told that there was a pool of money you could jump into and keep whatever you could grab, I would hope that you would look into the pool before springing off the high dive. When it comes to offers these days it seems that more of us are becoming savvy enough to look before we leap. However when it comes to tales of woe and doom, whether its the latest "end of days" prediction, the newest super germ, a strange crime spree, political strategy, or dietary advisory, we suddenly morph into the fictional Chicken Little and his friends, sending everyone into a panic before we fact check.

Nowadays, it comes through email, text, social media, and yes sometimes just plain old word of mouth, the claims all seem serious and well researched, but often a simple check of a variety of sites on the Internet will help point you in the right direction - please note that I said several sites. If you get refuting evidence from only one source your no better off than when you started.

Recently, a friend of mine, stated that she was no longer drinking cold water with her meals, "because it's bad for you". I'd never heard of this, but knowing that there might be some new research, I merely decided to check it out before discussing it further. There are several references floating around the web and emails that espouse this new finding or that new finding on the subject of consuming cold water after a meal, the more outlandish ones are those that purport that it will cause cancer, or that it masks cardiac symptoms.

While I'll admit that my dentist scolds me for crunching on ice cubes, I couldn't fathom how the consumption of one of the most important building blocks of the human body could be dangerous. A simple quick check of the website, "Snopes.com" helps point you in a general direction of true, false or a little of both. I recommend this as your first step because, these are people who live to debunk or prove myths. (and trust me there are almost as many that they verify and validate as those they discredit) After finding that this "new research" has been circulating for the last six years or more, in various incarnations, I decided to continue my search to other related and credible health and diet expert sources. There are more positive affirmations to consume water in any form over any sort of warnings, additionally there is verifiable research and study on how consuming cold or ice water helps the body burn more calories (since calories are a measure of how much energy must be used to raise the temperature of water.)

The purpose of this article is not to address any one particular myth, but rather speak to the need of people to "Trust but Verify" before they spread the news. Listen with your ears and eyes open to catch all the details and your brain operating, to break it down and gauge your reaction. Certainly, if someone tells me that they just heard that there's a recall on all chicken on the area, I'm probably going to put down my sandwich until I have time to investigate. Starting with them, where did they hear it? What did they hear? Based on their answers I may resume my lunch or I may grab my smart phone or turn on the TV to see of there's corroborating accounts.

Why do we do this? Simple, we want to be the first to "break the news". Why? Certainly every person has their own motivation but more often than not it makes us the "person in the know" and ironically, it generally involves a topic we're not an expert in, so we like to have the inside scoop. Recently, while on a trip with my daughters, I was reading an account on the breeding of myths - Facebook - that said the great actor Morgan Freeman had died. I was so shocked, I immediately turned to my eldest and said "Hey, Morgan Freeman died"... being the savvy person I've taught her to be she said, "OMG (yes she actually said O-M-G) where'd you hear that?" as I began to tell her that I saw it on Faceb.... I suddenly stopped and said "hold on" and went on to do a web search for "Morgan Freeman Dead" and quickly found out that there was an unfounded rumer floating around of the actor's passing and that it had been quickly squashed (but not quick enough) by his agent and publicist. Needless to say I sheepishly recanted my erroneous statement and kicked myself for violating my own rule.

It was President Ronald Reagan who was given credit for coining the phrase "Trust but Verify" when he discussed the apparent good will of the Soviet Union in their offer of disarmament. It was a lofty dream but he knew that the nation couldn't get giddy on their offer and we had to check the veracity or every offer they made. This holds true today. I know you think it sounds pessimistic, but anyone who knows me will tell you that I'm the fartherest thing from a pessimist... but I'm not blindly optimistic... I'm hopeful and I trust the human spirit to want to do the right thing, but I also trust the human psyche to protect itself and conceal the truth when it serves their interests.

The fact is that with many claims they ebb and flow like the ocean tide.. today its good, tomorrow its bad, the day after its a miracle, and the day after that is a disaster... Thing of the things that we've been told to do or not do, eat and not eat in our life times... Its simple folks... If it has positive benefits it will probably also have negative ones.. everything in moderation... Food, Media, Technology, Excercise...

Look before you leap make sure that its water in the pool and not broken glass.

Sources:

"Does drinking ice water burn calories?"  21 January 2008.  HowStuffWorks.com. 26 November 2012
Snopes.com - Medical Myths Drinking Cold Water
"Ronald Reagan." BrainyQuote.com. Xplore Inc, 2012. 26 November 2012. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/r/ronaldreag147717.html
Morgan Freeman Death Hoax Dismissed by His Representative

Makisupa

When I wake up after a good night’s sleep to the sound of birds gently chirping outside my bedroom window, while a soft breeze blows the freshest air in as the sun begins to brighten the sky I am at one of my happiest moments. Then I see my beautiful wife and wonderful daughters, I know that I couldn’t be happier.  But then life comes crashing in and the ever pressing march of tasks, duties, and other responsibilities presses me back to a point where my happiness is stretched to its limits.

Ever been there? Most days, You say?  What happens next?

We let the pressures of our lives continue to push us until we have to release that pressure and often in the way of channeling it into someone else, and more often than not – our family receives the bulk of our grief and in turn it is sent right back to us in a cycle of continues pressure and stress with the people just a short while ago were the very definition of our happiness.

Where did our happiness go? Most of us will accuse others of stealing it from us, but the fact is that we simply discard it. It reminds me of the cop show when the officers get their fresh hot donuts and coffee, and then immediately receive a dispatch and proceed to dump everything in pursuit of their duty. But most of us aren’t cops and our emergencies are rarely that critical, besides who ever said you couldn’t enjoy your donut along the way.

Years ago a student of mine introduced me to the term makisupa,  which, as she told me; ‘Happy for no reason – you know no matter what’s going on choose to be happy and act that way.’  And that’s the definition I carry with me. (now I’m not a complete ignoramus, I do know and realize that this term is also used to refer to drug use and some other negative connotations) Sure the more common usage means to “act stupid” for no reason, but when you think about it, you often “act stupid” when you want to have fun.  It’s all about a frame of mind and choosing it.

All too often we allow outside influences affect us, and we then choose to be unhappy about it. That’s not to say that when your child pulls in the driveway with a brand new dent in the back of your car, that you need to be happy  about the circumstance. Instead what I’m saying is to not allow it to rob you of your happiness or worse choose to say or do things that in the heat of the moment you will may regret. Choose to hold on to your happiness, solve the problem, teach the lesson, maintain your relationship and realize that things are just things and that this moment in time is just a sliver of your existence.

The biggest regrets in my life have never been about the things I’ve lost, but rather the people I’ve lost due to make the wrong relational choices, and the opportunities I’ve lost for being to ticked off to take advantage of them.  Additionally, you are one part of the butterfly effect… you can either continue to build the storm or you can stop flapping your wings and let it subside.

Don’t get me wrong there are times for all of us that things get so bad, and they seem to just pile on and push us down further and further, fight your way out from under it, but all the while hold on to your happiness and know that God has built you to be tough enough for this challenge too… Choose to be Happy for No Reason at all, and when you have trouble remembering it… Act stupid for no reason… it’ll remind you…

A Traveler's Guide to the Kingdom

Book Review – A Travel’s Guide to the Kingdom by James Emery White

You sit rapt in a story of history and intrigue and far-away places that you’ve never seen that we wrought with significance that you never realized existed. Now a great fictional story teller can paint imagery in your mind that make you feel you’re there and a great inspirational writer can stir feelings in you that make you want to pack your bags and head out on a mission.  What if you put those two together; What impact would it have on your life?

I have unashamedly been a fan of James White’s writings for years now, but admittedly they have grown more and more – shall we say – advanced in their context, vocabulary and ideology, that I’ve had a difficult time recommending them to all but the most stalwart of theological and philosophical readers. But in his newest book, A Traveler’s Guide to the Kingdom – Journeying through the Christian Life, White takes us on an expedition to the many places around the world that he’s visited and felt significant impact on the many take-aways we as Christians (and seekers) should be experiencing.

White, takes us to places like Oxford England to visit the Eagle and Child Pub where CS Lewis became one of the most prolific Christian writers of the modern era;  to Johannesburg South Africa to experience the Apartheid museum and the lessons of what Community can and should be;  to the Horrors of the mid-twentieth century Europe with a visit to the Boom Ten House in Haarlem Holland, where a young woman  named Corrie followed the greater Will of God and helped Jews escape the Nazis; and finally to Dachau Germany, where so many less fortunate were unable to escape the horror.

Each chapter begins which a virtual walk through of the environment of the locale, I could see the dark wood and smell the age and liquor of the Eagle & Child; I envisioned myself entering the small meditation rooms of the Iona Abby and the cells of the Monastery.  I could see the stained glass of Chartes and hear the voice of Billy Graham, and I felt the cold abandonment and stark fear for those who fled and faced death at the hands of the SS and Gestapo. His simple colorful style in describing architecture as well as the experience of arriving in the wrong town, made a connection and rivaled even the best travel guides Frommer’s or Fodor’s has to offer.  Moreover it drew me in and gave me a more personal connection to the messages.

I would recommend this particular book to anyone who already calls themselves a Christian, but it still leaves an open door and a welcoming hand to the spiritual seeker.

Ulterior Motives

What’s so wrong with Ulterior Motives?

We hear it mentioned so often, that he or she has done great work or has been a great help, but they have ulterior motives. Perhaps we may have even been accused of it ourselves.

So do we have ulterior motives and what makes them so bad?

The online edition of the Merriam Webster Dictionary[1] defines ulterior as being “Further” or “more distant”  or “to go beyond what is openly said”. 

Of course motive is the driving force behind our actions and deeds, the “why” to our “what” and “how”.

So plainly an ulterior motive is a reason for our actions that goes beyond or further than what one sees on the surface. I know that as a manager it is sometimes beneficial to lay out the entire plan of a project to the team that is working on it, and at other times it’s more prudent to simply allow each member be concerned exclusively with his or her portion of it. Possibly because the complexity of the plan could affect the details of the needed tasks or sometimes it’s a matter of simplicity. I have ulterior motives behind the tasks I’m assigning my teams.

As a martial arts instructor, I will most often teach a student a particular technique or set of techniques which they will later put together with others to form a drill, a kata, or a combat scenario set. By keeping them focused on those single skill sets, they are able to develop strong and sound techniques, conversely if I show them the end result, a student will often jump to the conclusion of the set and ignore the skills involved to build it. This results in poor mechanics and an increased risk of injury and failure, both of which can be fatal to a burgeoning martial arts training career.

In each of these cases are the people involved interested in seeing the bigger picture? Certainly.  Do the ulterior motives affect the outcome of the task or project? Well, that is where the concept of ulterior motives takes a turn to the gray. Often people who feel that something is being kept from them, will then harbor a sense of betrayal, which can lead to poor results or complete mutiny. So, there should be an open environment where everyone involved shares in the global plan and no one should be ignored.

OK, so right about now you’re probably saying, “Those aren’t ulterior motives. Ulterior motives are when my kids clean the house so that we’ll say yes to taking them to a movie, or my spouse fixes my favorite meal because they want to go away with their friends for the weekend. It’s when my neighbor volunteers at the soup kitchen so she can network with the bank executive that volunteers there, who is there so that he can curry favor with the regional president for doing community service.”  Well you’re right also, those are ulterior motives, and they’re certainly not specifically altruistic, but it doesn’t innately make them wrong or evil does it?  Think about it.

The house got cleaned – would you have preferred it cluttered an messy?

You got your favorite meal – you did need to eat right?

The poor and homeless are being fed – did you want them not to?

Sometimes in out tirades of self-righteous indignation of people not telling us “everything” we overlook the greater good.  You can’t necessarily change the motive for what brought the person to where they are, but if that motive results in a positive action, is it not also possible that the activity and sincere gratitude of the recipients who may have been “duped” by the ulterior motives, might not spark a deeper selfless interest in that service.

Certainly, there are times when the ulterior motive is inherently fraudulent with the only purpose being personal gain at the expense of another and these must certainly be labeled as the evil that they are. However, in this jaded society, I think for the greater good we might be able to give most people the benefit of the doubt and realize that if something good comes of it, what does it matter why they did it, and if they keep doing it, perhaps just maybe God will move them to a place of genuine servitude towards His kingdom.  Understand that we all have motives and some are more obvious than others sometimes even to ourselves.

[1] www.Merriam-Webster.com http://www.merriam-webster.com/info/copyright.htm

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Abuse

As many of you know, I've been engrossed in a new project that is taking a great deal of my time, but one that is with God's blessing going to take our dojo to new and amazing heights.

While I've prepared several Blog posts in advance this recent edition of Church and Culture, by my Pastor James E White at Mecklenburg Commnity Church, spoke to me at a time when I had the message I wanted to share and I'm fortunate to have it come to me when I needed it. It's addresses an issue that is far to prevalent in our society day - Relational/Domestic Abuse. 

Church & Culture Blog | Church and Culture

Please feel free to leave comments on their page or ours.

If you or someone you know are being abused. The time to act is NOW. Don't wait for it to get better - Don't wait for it to get worse.  There are a number of services available to help women and their families out from under abusive relationships.

http://www.womenthrive.org/

http://www.safehorizon.org/ 800.621.HOPE (4673)

www.unitedfamilyservices.org/domesticviolenceservices.html

It's Always Too Soon to Quit

Once a simple mantra of my karate class with Grandmaster Castanza, it has slowly and inextricably become a part of my everyday life.  This however didn’t start in the dojo, it began as part of my upbringing.

 My Dad, having grown up during the great depression had learned, as so many people at that time had, that nothing should be taken for granted; Make everything you have count and make it last as long as you can. Never give up on something because it was too hard or might require too much work, you didn’t have that luxury.  



During the Great Depression of the 1930's Families were
were forced into lives of meager livings and were often
forced to be separated in order to find work.



 During the depression, the US was fully buried under its blanket of isolationism, which eventually got torn from our grasp as we were thrust into WW2 and along with that came rationing as our natural resources were collected by the government for the war effort. Our men and boys shipped overseas to either the European or Asian theater to fight an enemy as they fought off the cobwebs of the last 2 decades.  However, the servicemen at that time, knew that there was only one way to return – In victory. As the George Cohan song said, “…And we won't come back till it's over, over there”.  (Though this song was written for the previous generation fighting WW1) it still rang true for this generation of Americans, they had not yet truly known a time of peace, and everything that they had was through hard-work and fighting for it.

In one of the best known speeches Sir Winston Churchill left us with these immortal words, “We shall go on to the end … we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength …whatever the cost may be … we shall never surrender”

Forty years after the armistice in Europe and Japan, I walked into my first dojo and was once again introduced to this concept. However, this time it related to me and my personal goals, for one of the first times in my life I actually had goals, up until then it was just work.



Late Grandmaster Gary Castanza



This catch phrase of Grandmaster Castanza, initially rose from a comment he made during his very first and very public Rape Prevention and Self Defense classes. To bring a point to his comments regarding the need to fight back – not just resist – and to keep fighting back until the attack was completely eliminated, emphasizing that  when your life is on the line, “…its always too soon to quit..”  This quickly became adopted at one of the tenants of our dojo encompassing not only the need to fight back, but the necessity to keep training even when we no longer feel the motivation. To keep going for the sake of our goals even when they seem as far away today as they were yesterday.  Get up out of your seat, gi up and workout. When your body is ready to give in, push it just a little further remember that the difference between a brave man and a coward is that the brave man goes just one second longer… He (or she) sticks with it when others around them quit.



Thomas Edison inventor of the light bulb
and movie projector



A common story shared about perseverance is that of Thomas Edison, and it was said the he tried and failed with more than 10,000 variations of filaments before he perfected the right one for the first light bulb. Had he quit after his first hundred or even thousand failings we may still be lighting candles to bring light to the darkness, and all that following in the stream of technology that might have been delayed or never even explored without the aid of artificial incandescent light; such as the movie projector, and thus your favorite movies and a major part of American culture would have been lost.

When I first started training in the mid 80’s the statistics said only 1 in 4 new students will make it to yellow belt. Only 1 in 10 of them will last to Advanced (green or blue) and only one in 100 of them will make it to black belt.  If Statistics are accurate then or now and an average of 1,000,000 people start the martial arts for the first time each year only 250 will make it to black belt or 2.5 out of every 10,000. If you make it to black belt you’re 1 in 4000 that step out of their comfort zone to train and don’t quit before its “over, over there.”   

A poem hung in our dojo back in the day which now also hangs proudly in my dojo today often referred to as the "Don't Quit" poem, you may research the beadth of the poem on your own, but the final stanza drives home the message:

Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

- Author unknown

Keep this in mind before you give up on your dreams. Talk to a mentor – if you don’t have one, find one. They’re important people on our paths of life. It’s always too soon to quit.

Schrödinger’s Punch



Erwin Schrodinger



The acclaimed physicist Erwin Schrödinger put forth a theory in 1935 which has become commonly known as Schrödinger’s Cat, which describes the paradox of existence. How all things in the physical realm are able to exist in two states at once.  While the validity of this experiment and its resulting theory may have been the cause of much debate, its application is much more relevant in the world of martial arts.

When a punch leaves its position in the guard or from the hip, depending on your practices, it has both the elements of being a strike as well as a block (or deflection for those purists). It travels outward at our opponent and its existence or purpose is dependent on the intended and final target.

While this hypothesis, can be applied to any strike, I’ll simplify the concept by using chudan uke or a middle block and its interpretation of being either a defensive deflection against the opponent’s strike,  while at the same time it has the potential of being an uraken uchi or back fist to the opponent’s head, ribs, or even the arm itself; the latter being the epitome of this hypothesis, where the block is the strike. The contact point of the block is the same as the target point of the strike.

While an entire book could be written with these examples and variety of strikes from the upper body and lower body, that will be left for future development. Prayerfully, I get the chance to attack that project before a better person beats me to it.

So ultimately, by the law of validation by transference (OK, so its not a law– its been 20+ years since my last physics class, but a really good way of validating theory) By being able to apply the theory to a wide variety of models and circumstances, one moves incredibly close to proving theory. In this case we transfer the theory from the proven model of the strike/block to our existence as Martial Artists and Peaceful People. It is often a point of contention that the martial arts produce individuals who seek to inflict violence on others, while proclaiming that they are striving for peace. Certainly  there are individuals who corrupt the nature of the arts in this way by intentionally choosing to target other people, and actually picking fights or inviting attacks.  However, if a poll is conducted of experienced martial artists you will discover that the greater majority of martial artists have never needed to utilize their since beginning their training.

A punch isn’t by its nature a violent act, guns don’t kill people, my word processer doesn’t misspell words, and the martial arts don’t create violent people. It’s the free will of the individual to use their resources for good purposes or evil purposes, but not merely by chance or circumstance, but by the intent of their spirit and mind.  We are violent monks prepared to unleash the amazing power of destruction or compassion, based solely on our choices.