The home of Buddhism, Martial Arts, Diabetes and health…
Author: Shawn
I am a practitioner of the martial arts and student of the Buddhist faith. I have been a Type 1 Diabetic since I was 4 years old and have been fighting the uphill battle it includes ever since. I enjoy fitness and health and looking for new ways to improve both, as well as examining the many questions of life. Although I have no formal medical training, I have amassed a wealth of knowledge regarding health, Diabetes, martial arts as well as Buddhism and philosophy. My goal is to share this information with the world, and perhaps provide some sarcastic humour along the way. Welcome!
My evening was spent walking the streets of downtown Toronto, as I tried to find something I could use as fast-acting carbs, should I experience a low. Almost every street was lines with restaurants of every ethnicity, with the occasional smattering of a Subway or Denny’s buried in the middle. I eventually found a Circle K, which is the equivalent of a convenience store, where I overpaid for a bag of sour patch kids, a couple of energy drinks and som Slim Jim’s.
As I walked, i started to feel overwhelmed at the size, congestion and scope of the buildings around me and the population of people. Considering making my way through crowds in Regina tends to trigger PTSD symptoms, this was significantly difficult. Regina has a population of roughly 250,000 people. Toronto sits at just under 6.4 million. But I did manage to locate my venue for today’s activities and the short walk it would require. I ended my evening by grabbing a quick beer at my hotels lounge, which cost me about as much as three beers would have, in Saskatchewan. Welcome to the big city!
The meetings of the day went as well as one could expect, with my attempt at maintaining my level of consciousness by consuming copious amounts of caffeine. What do you expect from someone with diagnosed ADHD and a propensity for getting bored? The day ends out with me heading to my room and switching out my CGM sensor before it could expire. Then, I ventured out to my nearest shoppers drug mart, which was over a kilometre away.
I sweat up a storm, so I grabbed a shower before installing the new CGM sensor. Lo and behold, the battery in my pump was dying. I could have grabbed some while I was out. Instead, I had to ventured out again to grab some AA batteries. Once I had them, I was able to replenish my pump before heading back to the RCMI for supper with my brother and sister regulators.
It was an excellent meal of stories, shared stories and networking. It was nice to speak to some like minded people and and have a meal among peers. It was my first realization that this trip was worth my time. I walked back to my hotel room feeling satisfied. There are lessons to learn but I’m too exhausted to acknowledge them. Tomorrow is another day and I need to be fresh. ☯️
Most who know me on a personal level know that I tend to let my patience run pretty thin and one of my biggest pet peeves is waiting on others. It continues to amaze me how, even when I plan ahead, others individuals and services tend to run late and remain unreliable. that’s why over the years I’ve come to develop a “plan B” for anything I’m planning or assuming. It’s saved my butt more times than I can count, from a time-saving and obligation standpoint.
Today sees me travelling to Toronto, Ontario for work purposes. Without getting into the weeds regarding the reasons, my posts over the next few days will be about the journey, not so much the destination. When I booked my flights a couple of weeks ago, I had the foresight to book a pre-arranged taxi can to pick me up and bring me to the airport. I planned for an early enough pick up that would allow the transit to the airport and get me there a couple of hours prior to my flight, to deal with any unforeseen circumstances. This is me. Of course, there were unforeseen circumstances…
With my departure to Toronto scheduled to take flight at 8 am, I booked my cab to pick me up at my home at 5:30. This would allow for the 15-minute transit across the city to the airport, incorporating any issues we may encounter (construction, collisions, etc). Unfortunately, in my haste to book the cab, I missed a very important notice on their website that states pickup and drop off at the airport was currently unavailable. Fuck. Me. I only discovered this hiccup when I brought their website at 5:30 this morning to figure out why they hadn’t shown up, yet.
Realistically, some of this is on me. If I wasn’t in such a rush to schedule everything, I no doubt would have seen the notice and moved on to a different company. No harm, no foul. THIS is why I always plan for a bit of a time cushion. I called a different cab company and had a car dispatched to me location, explaining I was headed to the airport and in a hurry. I was assured a car was coming immediately. Only after I schedule second cab did I receive a phone call from, you guessed it, the original cab company o booked. To clarify, they hadn’t arrived. They were calling to see if I still NEEDED a cab. After passive-aggressively explaining I had scheduled to be picked at that very minute, I declined their services.
They gave me a surprising amount of attitude over the phone despite the fact it was their doing. But I should have guessed something was up when I didn’t get a follow-up text or email when I booked them. Luckily, the cab that did show up was quick, efficient and knew his routes so I got to the airport just minutes after 6 am, which was what I had originally planned for. Whenever I fly, a minimum of two hours is always taken prior to boarding. My reason for this is quite simple; checking through security is always a longer process for me, requiring a physical examination by virtue of my insulin pump.
The only way to start a morning
Luckily, the screening staff were on the ball and I found myself with plenty of extra time. So I treated myself to a Men’s Health magazine and can of energy drink, which cost me nearly three times the amount that I would have paid at my corner store. No wonder airports don’t want you bringing outside food and drinks! But a guy’s gotta have his caffeine, am I right? It’s always interesting to see the array of folks that wander through an airport. The differences in mood, haste and temperament make for some interesting “people watching.”
The flight was uneventful but I have to admit that I could have cycled my way to the hotel faster than the cab the brought me. I checked out where the venues will be tomorrow and did a bit of the tourist thing. I’m now chilling in my room, enjoying some air conditioning after a much-needed meal. Perhaps tonight will see me hit up the lounge or take a walk around city hall. Who knows? I’m here for three nights, so I should try to NOT be my usual self and actually enjoy the experience. ☯️
As I’ve occasionally mentioned in the past, I usually stay away from providing my opinion on SPECIFIC products or services, by virtue of my job and given the fact that my blog was never intended to be used in such a way. But once in a while, I cross something, a book, movie or other product, that I either feel deserves to be mentioned or that lends itself to a more educational piece as it relates to some of my blog’s topics, so here we are!
I’ve been no stranger to changes and transitions in recent months. What with our home being under heavy renovations (a post about that to come later) and all four of us camped out in our basement for the duration, to the heat of summer starting to strike the Prairies and having no room to workout consistently, to noticing a reduced appetite and basically having to force myself to eat in order to stay alive… That last one has been a particular thorn in my side, as finding the means and the motivation to ingest three balanced meals on a daily basis can be a challenge for someone in general, let alone a Type-1 Diabetic.
As a result, I’ve been trying a number of different things to try and nip this problem in the bud. Although I’ve been happy with some of the weight loss I’ve been seeing, losing weight as a result of not eating is never a good thing and one needs to acknowledge that some of it comes as a result of loss of muscle mass, given that my bench and weights are currently buried under a pile of my shit in the basement. For the most part, I’ve taken to gulping down a low-sugar bottle of Ensure every morning, which some of you may recognize as a meal-replacement supplement.
Ensure has always fascinated me, because I’ve noticed that if I’m actually hungry for breakfast and I drink one, I’m actually not hungry afterwards. I guess if it gives you what the body needs, the body no longer sends out hunger signals. Who knows? What am I, a doctor? The point is, it’s a handy go-to for a person who’s on the go and doesn’t necessarily have time to prepare something comprehensive, first thing in the morning. However, one cannot simply live on meal replacement shakes, alone…
Flash forward to a few days ago when, while doing some grocery shopping, I happened to fall upon some frozen “breakfast bowls” that caught my eye. Since I don’t like getting sued and don’t want to be accused of defamation of a product, I’ll keep the name of the specific brand off of here, but it’s basically a frozen tv dinner, but in breakfast form. They take less than five minutes to heat in the microwave, boast only 260 calories (approximately) each and only 17 grams of total carbohydrates. Sounds great, sign me up! I grabbed one of each: a bacon, egg and potato and a steak egg and potato. This morning, I tried the bacon, egg and potato.
There she lies… One of the first things I noticed when I finished heating it up, is the cheese included with the bowl isn’t quite as prominent as it is on the packaging. This probably shouldn’t surprise me to overly much, considering,m but disappointing nonetheless. The other immediately noticeable issue, and you can likely tell from the photo, is the potatoes still look white and raw. And guess what? They fucking were! Granted, every microwave is different but I added several minutes to makes sure the potatoes would cook and soften. Didn’t happen.
Generally speaking, since frozen meals tend to be on the more unimpressive side, they tend to try and jazz it up by seasoning a few things or adding some flavour. They really didn’t seem to do that here. The potatoes were plain and bland, the eggs were, well…eggs, and the bacon was the only thing that seemed to taste good, given that you can eat bacon as is, and it’ll still be fuckin’ bacon. I’ll die on that hill. But it was an otherwise unimpressive meal that left me wanting and disappointed that I didn’t have my Ensure, instead. How sad is that?
Now, it might seem like I’m being a tad negative with things, here. And that’s likely because I am. As with all things in life, there is a balance of good and bad in everything. So, here’s the good. The low calories are a good thing, given my reduce physical activity and the fact I sit on my rump all day at work. The 18 grams of protein it boasts is a nice addition. But as with most frozen meals, its small portion still carries 25% of my daily intake of sodium, which can be detrimental if I decided to make a habit of eating one of these on a daily basis.
One silver lining is that the amount of cabs I needed to bolus for appear to be somewhat accurate for this item and my blood sugars aren’t going haywire. It can be a nice change, when you don’t have time to prepare a hot breakfast but still want something. The only suggestion I would make is to season your meal yourself, before you eat it. A little flavour helps one to get through their day. And mind that sodium; easier isn’t always healthier and as any Type-1 Diabetic knows, sodium levels can wreak havoc. Food for thought…☯️
One of the hardest aspects of good blood sugar management is carb counting. I was introduced to carb counting in 2015 when i began pump therapy. This is a bit ironic since I was diagnosed Type-1 Diabetic in 1982 and have spent most of my adult life bragging about my tight control. I never realized just how much deeper control I could have until I started carb counting. But despite the better control, it’s still one of the hardest aspects of bolusing properly.
The reason for this is quite simple. Either nutritional labels are incorrect, my body reacts differently to certain foods and the carbs aren’t absorbed the same, or after four decades of living with my condition, there’s simply still some shit I don’t know and I’m still learning. This is where the title of today‘spost comes in. Once in a while, something will catch me by surprise and have me realizing that no matter how much I read, learn and come to discover, there’s always something more to gain.
For years, there’s been a solid trend of sweet goods that are labeled as “No Sugar Added.” This has often prompted to have people thinking they can consume an increased amount of these treats, especially those with Type-1 Diabetes. The big problem is that “No Sugar Added” is not the same thing as “Sugar free,” and there can be hidden amounts in the total carbohydrate count that people often ignore, thinking they don’t need to check. This is where due diligence needs to come into play to prevent rising blood sugars.
An example I can provide is my recent discovery of No Sugar Added gummy worms at a local supplier. My first thought was that this would be a good way for me to enjoy some gummy worms without all the excess sugar and need for bolusing. It isn’t until I checked the nutritional label that I realized there may be a problem…
If you look at the total carbohydrates, 7 worms add up to 34 grams of carbs, which is basically on par with regular gummy worms. Although they boast 0 grams of sugar, they do carry 31 grams of sugar alcohol, which is an organic compound that’s normally derived from different sugars. Although lower in calories and apparently better for your teeth, sugar alcohols are a type of carbohydrate and will have a direct effect on one’s blood sugars.
So there you have it! If you decide to try out some of these “No sugar Added” foods, be sure to check the nutritional label and compensate for the carbohydrate count included, since it may not be any less than plain, old sugared goods. I’ve been caught by this before, where I’ve indulged in some candy or chocolate items that were “No Sugar Added“ and couldn’t understand when my levels skyrocketed. It wasn’t until I learned about sugar alcohols that it made sense. The carb counting helped, too. There’s always something more to learn or new ways to improve. Stay healthy, folks! ☯️
Wow, okay… So I made it all of a little over two weeks without logging back in and checking on my blog. A shameful display of weakness, for someone who recently posted that they were stepping away from blogging and even closed down their facebook page. But in recent weeks, I’ve continued to get frequent notifications, not only of posts being read and liked but a strange things has been happening; my followership has been increasing.
Like many bloggers that I, myself, have followed, I recently made the decision to step away from writing. Back in January of this year, I took a step back as I had achieved my goal of writing 1,000 posts in a row, without missing a day. It was a reasonable achievement for myself but it left me wondering what was next, from a writing perspective. I decided I would continue to share what I knew, but on an ad hoc basis, as opposed to daily.
But one day, I sat in front of the keyboard and not only could I not come up with something pertinent to write about, the frequent and constant interruptions that prevented me from posting caused a knee-jerk reaction on my part that led to my stepping away. Given my usual compulsions, I had to jump on to check stats and I had been receiving all of these notifications. So, here I am and here we sit, once again pounding the keys in an effort to touch the world.
I guess my blog will stick around for at least a while. What the hell, right? I closed down the facebook page and I think it’ll stay closed, since the majority of my Facebook friends never bothered to follow it (even though I requested) and it wasn’t getting the traction I would have anticipated. In the interim, it will be good to see what ideas I can come up with, though the summer. Maybe I won’t have to regurgitate all my old posts. Time will tell… ☯️
Ah, the 1990’s… They gave us so much. Setting aside the fact that I graduated from high school in the 90’s (yes, I’m that old), the early 90’s also gave us the finale to a much-loved and anticipated follow-up to the original Star trek series. I’m writing, of course, of Star Trek: The Next Generation. TNG hit the airwaves in an unexpected manner, giving us the follow-up series that Trekkies never knew they needed. When the two-part finale aired, it was entitled “All good things…,” a play on the old saying that all good things must come to an end. I felt it a fitting and suitable title for today’s post as, you see, today will be MY last episode, or post, I suppose…
I started this blog all the way back in late 2019. It originally started as a means for me to keep my writing skills sharp. Writing, much like anything else, is a kept skill; one that becomes lessened or lost if one does not use it regularly. “If you don’t use it, you lose it,” may be an apt analogy. When I originally posted, my intention was for this to be a photography blog, if you can believe it. I absolutely love flower and nature photography and my first post was a gallery of various flowers I had photographed during one of my trips in New Brunswick. I’m totally not kidding! You can check it out right here. Those flowers bring back some memories…
Somehow, within a short period of time, I immersed myself in writing this blog and did the same thing I do with everything else; I gave myself goals. My first goal was to expand my own horizons and research capabilities. Through that lens, I began writing about the two things I felt I knew a reasonable bit about: martial arts and Type-1 Diabetes. Before I knew it, I threw my own faith in the ring and began writing about Buddhism, as well. The Diabetes and martial arts aspect developed into fitness & health, writing motivational or opinion pieces as well as the occasional “just because” posts that made me feel good. Somehow, since publishing that first post on February 27, 2019, I’ve managed to write 1,480 posts (not including this one) and have amassed 573 subscribers. Although not quite on part with the modern day “influencer,” and I use the term lightly, it’s not too shabby for someone who started to write on a whim and simply grew from there.
My goals were reasonably simple. On the larger scale, I wanted to share what I knew. I also wanted to keep my writing skills as sharp as a could. On a smaller scale, I wanted to write a post each day for a week. Then a month. Then a year. Then I challenged myself to go for broke and write for 1,000 straight days in a row, a goal that i achieved on December 10, 2022. I found myself asking what’s next and this was perhaps the beginning of a downward slope that would bring me to the here and now. I believe I’ve reached a point where I’ve gotten from this blog what I started out to do. I have maintained my writing skills, which are now in heavy, HEAVY use in the job I started two years ago. I’ve reached the goals and milestones I set for myself and any further or lengthier milestones would just border on the absurd at this point.
I believe I’ve shared reasonable, well-researched information to allow readers to consider possibilities and do research of their own, never professing to be a medical professional or to know better than anyone else. I’ve written on almost every fitness, health, martial arts and Diabetes-related topic I could think of, some being so obscure that it seemed almost a stretch (you can scroll through my posts to find the ones on bowel movement colours, if you need an example). Although I would have never thought it possible, I believe I tapped out my creativity. After all, I did manage to pour out 1,000 posts in a row. How much more could I possibly do?
As with all things in life, there is a balance. For all the good and the enjoyment I’ve received from writing my blog, there has been some negative. I recall getting into a heated debate in my comments section from a very unpleasant young lady who took offence to a post I wrote about meat. THAT was fun. I’ve also had a number of individuals who have unfortunately thought it was their place to question, belittle and demean some of my posts, either in the comments section or to me directly. In a sense, even those were beneficial as they often led to posts about scrolling on by or not commenting on things you don’t agree with. But all in all, it has certainly been a positive experience, one I think that I shall always remember fondly and without regret.
Writing this blog hasn’t garnered the kind of traction I had eventually come to hope for. But I know that I have reached some. And for me, that’s more than enough. My posts will be here, at least until I ultimately decide to shut the account down completely. So I take some comfort in knowing that to some extent, people can still find my posts, read my writing and come to allow their thinking to be stimulated. And for one such as I, that’s all that can be asked. I may eventually come back to my blog. Or perhaps writing here has opened the door for me to pursue something bigger. You know me, always another goal. And that’s what’s important in life; to never let yourself grow stagnant and always keep pushing forward. Stay healthy, stay hydrated and check your blood sugars frequently. Doing so will ensure that I will be here sometime in the future to continue this writing. And it will ensure you’re here to read it. Food for thought… 🙏☯️
Considering everything my brother and have gone through, medically, throughout our childhoods, it seriously surprises me that I’m not more screwed up than I am. Most of my childhood memories between the ages of four to ten involve spending long periods of time in a hospital; either for myself or waiting on my brother. That’s why the good memories often shine through the murky recesses of my brain like a bolt of godly lightning and leave a lasting impression.
When I was somewhere around the 8-year old range, the outlook on my brother’s life expectancy took a grim turn for the worst. He wasn’t expected to live into his adult years, which meant that he was eligible for a number benefits, such as programs that are similar to “Make a Wish.” Endorsed and supported by local charities back home, my brother chose to get a small, child-size four wheeler, which he rode at his leisure until he managed to fall off of it and injure himself.
My brother was asked to choose an alternative, something that wouldn’t risk bringing injury to himself or others. Luckily, a new gaming platform was released that year that would change the face of home video games… that’s right, I’m referring to the original Nintendo Entertainment System. My brother got the gaming platform, controller, the pistol and a slew of games, which included the original Super Mario Bros, Duck Hunt, Mega Man and a smattering of others. We spent hours on that thing, living it up and spending time together.
My newly-acquired gaming platform
The NES involved some of the best memories of my childhood, considering it was something we could do, even when sick or bed-ridden. I also learned increased hand/eye coordination, reflexes and an appreciation for graphic art. We moved on to Super Mario Bros. 2 and 3, and I purchased Mega Man 3, Metroid and Castlevania after my brother passes away. I eventually purchased a Game Genie, along with Mike Tyson’s Punch Out. For you young punks who have no idea what I’m talking about, your childhood sucked! But I digress…
I don’t even recall how I came to lose that gaming system. Although if I had to guess, I would presume my mother got rid of it along with the majority of my toys when I got older. For years, I’ve been trying o find emulator platforms to relive those memories. The problem with emulators is that they eventually encounter copyright issues and shut down. And as much as I would like to purchase a used platform, collectors and hipsters have basically made that all but impossible.
Reliving my childhood with Super Mario Bros. 3
That’s why it came as a big surprise to me when, last Tuesday, I was walking through a mall in Saskatoon prior to returning home from eye injections and saw what appeared to be a miniature version of the NES console. You guys have probably seen some of these advertised on occasion. In short, you have a console and the controllers and the console is integrated with 500 games, so cartridges aren’t required. There is a version of this that was released by Nintendo a couple of years ago. This one is an off-brand, but the games are properly coded and genuine. The level of excitement I felt is almost ridiculous. I could throw my money at the seller fast enough…
I got the console home and Nathan and I have been playing old games like gangbusters. It’s been a wonderful thing, reliving some of the good memories from my childhood. More than anything else, I was amazed that all the same reflexes were still there and I remembered a bunch of cheat spots and secret passages in a few different games. All in all, it was definitely worth the $75. New isn’t always better. Even if only for nostalgic purposes, the older pleasures can sometimes be the best. Food for thought…☯️
You know what really grinds my gears??? Just kidding, this won’t be that kind of post. At least not yet; I have a tendency of getting myself worked up on occasion but at the moment, I’m mostly looking to bring up a strange tendency I’ve noticed online. Since I write a blog that often focuses on karate and have subscribed through social media to a number of martial arts pages and websites, the good ol’ online AI’s have made it so that all the “suggested pages” and such usually have something to do with karate. This isn’t a bad thing, especially since it often allows me to learn about other styles, other techniques and methods and interesting subject matter. There is, however, one thing I’ve noticed that seems to nag at me; there is rarely any mention of Uechi Ryu…
I started to notice this trend some time ago when I read an article about top ten karate styles. The usual contenders were mentioned, Shotokan, Shito-Ryu and Wado-Ryu… And no list would be complete without the inclusion of Kyokushinkai, which everyone seems to think is bee’s knees of karate. Oh, I have no doubt that Kyokushinkai has its effectiveness, but I don’t believe that it is truly the “ultimate” way, considering that the proper fit of any given martial arts style is subjective to the practitioner. But when you hear about karate, the majority of the time, it will be one of the styles listed above. Which once again raises the question as to why Uechi-Ryu is rarely if ever, brought up.
For those who are less familiar with Uechi-Ryu, the style was created after its founder, Kanbun Uechi, studied under a Chinese martial artist named Shu Shiwa. Uechi studied with him for over a decade and even opened a school of his own in China. Uechi called the style “pangai-noon,” or “half-hard, half-soft.” Uechi returned to Okinawa and refused to teach ever agin, after one of his Chinese students allegedly killed one of his neighbours. It wouldn’t be until the 1920’s that Uechi would begin teaching students in Okinawa and the style was renamed in 1940 to Uechi-RyuKarate-jutsu by his students and son. When Uechi passed in 1948, his son, Kanei Uechi, took over leadership of the style and renamed it simply “Uechi-Ryu.”
My style is unique in its focus on hardening the muscle and a combination of contained, focused circular and linear movements. We don’t focus on crossing long distances as many other style do, nor do we dip and lean quite as much as other styles do. Many other styles and martial artists have claimed that Uechi-Ryu is more effective at self-defence than its more offensive counterparts. But yet, when you look up top ten most renowned karate styles or something of the like, there’s almost never any mention of Uechi-Ryu. And I find that odd…
At one point, I posed the question to Sensei and his response was that our style was subtle and traditional and because we cared nothing about competition or how many students we created, people knew less of us than they knew of other styles. Maybe that’s the case. Who knows? there’s a really good video on Jesse Enkamp’s YouTube channel that talks about the ins and outs of Uechi-Ryu karate. I’ll link the video below. ☯️
Before I even get into the actual content of my post, I have to say that Star Wars’ prequel trilogy is largely underrated. And the Emperor’s line in Episode III, when Mace Windu and senior members of the Jedi Council finally approach him and recognize him as the Dark Lord of the Sith is iconic. If I was facing a number of skilled, experienced Jedi, I might not be so bold and calm as Emperor Palpatine was. But the line was fantastic, no less. I’ve often made a case for the fact that Jedi are basically just martial artists with modern, energy-based weapons. Even their robes are reminiscent of a karate gi… But I digress… Let’s get on with the subject of today’s post…
There’s a strange phenomenon that occurs for martial artists; it happens when one begins to gain skill and experience and begins to believe that they’re actually “good.” Now that I’ve achieved the age, wisdom and experience level that I have, I understand that being “good” is simply a state of mind and that one is genuinely never done learning the martial arts, regardless of one’s rank. This is something I came to learn the hard way, with some unfortunate happenstance, which I was recently reminded of. That brings us to the here and now, where I’ve come to see that the phenomenon is still quite prevalent and exists in some way, shape or form.
When I was in my early 20’s, I reached a point that I consider to be the pinnacle of my physical skills. I had speed, skill, accuracy and knowledge. Because of these factors, I became arrogant and boastful; something that isn’t becoming of a traditional martial artist. I reached a point where, even when I taught others, it was done through the lens of someone who knew better than they. It reached a point where I became frustrated and even angered by Sensei’s continued scrutiny of my knowledge and skills. It reached an unfortunate point where I thought I knew better. It reached a point where I even skipped on classes where I felt I was being slightled.
Sensei felt this change in me, probably before I even felt it in myself. It didn’t help that his son, one of my best friends, was in the same position as I was. We had conversations about how tired we were with the repetitive training, the constant drills that we’d already mastered, etc… It got to a point where for the first time, I did something I had never done before at that stage in my life; I started to skip out on training in favour of trivial things. I shot pool with friends. I went swimming in the forest. I hung out with my girlfriend. it last almost three months before I snapped out of it and realized I needed to go back.
When I finally returned to the dojo, Sensei acted as though i had never left. It wasn’t until I managed to get him alone after a class one night, when I asked him about what had happened. he explained that he knew what I was going through and had, in fact, gone through it himself. He knew that there would have been no convincing me that I needed to go back until I realized it myself. A part of my inner ego had to be permitted to inflate and pop on its own before I would recognize that this was exactly what I was dealing with; my ego. only once I realized that I didn’t know everything, didn’t know BETTER, could I start to recognize that martial arts is not a journey one can walk alone.
And that’s the lesson… Sometimes, one has to allow oneself to become built up before one realizes the only solution is to break it all down to allow yourself to grow. As the old saying goes, it is hard to fill a cup that is already full. Ego takes up a lot of space. If one is unable to set aside one’s ego, one will never truly be able to successfully learn and progress within the martial arts. Food for thought… ☯️
I’m not one to follow mainstream media and I’m not sue this would have been covered in mainstream media, anyway. But I just became aware that two days ago on April 24th, Fumio Demura passed away at the age of 84 years old. To anyone who hasn’t followed the martial way, the name likely won’t mean much. to me, it means the death of another influential icon that inspired the path of life that has made me who I am. In fact, I only came by this information by accident… If I hadn’t been subscribed to several martial arts pages, I would have been oblivious to the incident. But hopefully, as I write about some of his details, you may come to recognize this martial arts icon that has led so many in previous decades…
During my youth, I obtained a number of Demura’s books, including “Bo: Karate Weapon of Self-dense” and “Sai: karate Weapon of Self-defense.” During the 1980’s and without even realizing it, Demura was seen on the big screen as Pat Morita’s stunt double in the Karate kid movies. Interestingly enough, Morita knew nothing of karate and had absolutely no skill, despite being cast as the teacher in those movies. Demura would stand in as the one who performed the majority of the fight scenes, including the iconic scene where the Cobra Kai students corner the protagonist outside a chain-link fence where Mister Miyagi beats the ever-loving shit out of all of them. Yeah, that was Fumio Demura…
A practitioner of Shito-Ryu Okinawan karate, Demura began studying the martial arts at the tender age of 9, only a couple of years earlier than I did, myself. He committed himself to the art, and at the age of 21 he began studying the art of Kobudo, the art of Okinawan weaponry that I came to know him through. I’ve read several of his books and learned a great deal, even from the printed page. Throughout the 1970’s Demura would come to the United States and write several books, among those, the ones I mentioned in this post. in the late 1980’s, he would be awarded his 7th dan in Shito-Ryu and would go on to obtain his 9th dan in the early 2000’s.
All of these are statistics that one can easily find anywhere online. For me, Master Demura is recognized as a a true traditionalist, a practitioner of the martial way and an inspiration to one who would dedicate their life to the martial arts. Although I never had the honour of meeting him, Master Demura had an impact on my life and even in his death, he reminds me of the shortness of one’s life and how our existence is but a flicker; and the importance of making the most of our time while in this life. He left his mark and he won’t be forgotten; even if it’s by an unknown practitioner of Uechi-Ryu in the Canadian Prairies. Rest in peace, Master Demura. We’ll take it from here… ☯️
The Blogging Buddhist 