Category: Buddhism & Philosophy

Those Who Forget The Past Are Condemned…

Look, shit happens! I apologize for being so blunt, but life is short, and we all make mistakes. Sometimes these mistakes are born of stupidity and bad decisions, sometimes they are a result of life in general and are unavoidable.

It’s okay to make mistakes; this is how we grow and learn. But that’s the key element: to learn from it. Otherwise, we’re condemned to repeat the same mistakes, as the old saying goes.

Paulo Coelho once said, “Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time.” I rather prefer to think that any mistake that happened once is going to happen again, unless you have an adequate response to prevent it from happening again.

It’s one thing for a mistake to happen, regardless of the source, but if you don’t do something about it, then shame on you. One needs to protect oneself from having the same mistakes happen again. Especially if an outside source is the cause of whatever issue may have caused you strife. ☯

You Gotta Break In The Sneakers

Last night, I had a special opportunity during karate class that hasn’t happened in years.  I had the chance to train with a new student on his very first night of karate.  You would likely ask, “What’s the big deal?”

There’s something special about training with someone when they’ve walked into a karate class for the first time.  Everyone has a different reason for joining the martial arts.  Some do it for exercise, some are looking to learn the art and some have a seriously deluded idea about what martial arts actually is!

But regardless of the reason, there’s a palpable anxiety that people have when they train in karate for the first time.  The mysterious movements, the unknown techniques and the awkward attempts at trying to follow along.  I got to train with a young man tonight who came in with the hopeful gaze of someone looking to learn the martial arts.

He struggled throughout the stretching and the warm-up portion.  Once we started working in pairs, he got some pointers from a few different students and we eventually got to working together.  As his frustration grew while trying to learn some techniques we were working on, I compared his training to buying a new pair of sneakers:

“At some point, you’ve chosen new sneakers, right? Well, even when you find a pair that fit you just right and look good, you have to break them in.  They’re brand new, and the first number of times you wear them, your feet will adjust and shape them to your specific steps and the needs of your feet.  Karate is very much the same.  You have to break it in.  The first few times you do it, it’ll be a bit awkward and it’ll take some time to adjust. But once you do, it’ll feel comfortable. Just like a decent pair of sneakers…”

The class ended with the young man ready to come back the following week.  It’s just one of those things…  When you start learning something new, you have to be prepared to work at it and get used to it before you decide whether it’s for you or not.  You gotta break in the sneakers… ☯

We’re Only Human

We all get old, eventually.  It’s one of those few uncontrollable aspects of life that none of us can escape.  We can, however help to alleviate what happens as we age.  Most of this involves having good eating and fitness habits and staying away from the nasty things that can potentially bring our existence to an end.

Don’t get me wrong, I have no illusions of being “old” per se, but some age is often felt rather than gained.  I have to admit that in recent years, my blocks have gotten a bit slower, my techniques a little sloppier and my ability to get up and go has got up and gone (Yes, I just referenced an earlier blog post of mine!)

The shirt I just got yesterday

It really doesn’t take a great deal…  A few too many break days, skipping meals or lack of sleep and your health can easily start to fall off the rails as you get older.  This is especially true for Type 1 Diabetics who depend on a proper balance to keep things in check.  And balance really is the key!

Start by getting proper rest.  The average adult requires between 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night.  As long as you’re getting it all at once (unlike me, who occasionally cluster naps) it should go a long way to helping you rejuvenate yourself.  Many of your body’s systems are working at resetting and/or resting while you do. This is one of the reasons why you shouldn’t eat heavily before bed.

And while we’re talking about food, make sure you’re getting your three meals a day and that they’re properly balanced with vegetables and proteins to help with muscle repair and growth.  It’s okay to have some cheat days now and again, as long as you don’t go overboard.

Last but not least, get some damn exercise.  Even when you’re sore, tired and just plain fed up… it gets exponentially worse if you just sit back and do nothing.  You have to keep moving.  Movement is life.  Even if you just start by doing some light stretches first thing in the morning, it’ll help to get the blood flowing, make you more alert and start your day off properly.

All of these points become increasingly important as you collect more birthdays. Muscles become less flexible, joints are less limber and if you don’t keep up with everything, you may find yourself seizing up. ☯

You Chose Poorly…

Free will is a hell of a thing.  By its very definition, we misinterpret free will as something we have complete control over.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  In fact, our free will allows us to make choices, discern right from wrong and choose the path on which we walk.  But that doesn’t mean that these choices are always in our best favor.

Over the years, one of the things I’ve noticed is that people usually don’t acknowledge the destructive nature they have on their own lives.  Often causing their own suffering, they make choices and do things that anyone watching from a distance can easily see as wrong or improper. But we rarely ever realize that on our own.

Free will allows us to act at our own discretion.  However, our discretion is not always in our own best interest or the interest of those around us.  That’s something I’ve learned the hard way, especially in my line of work.

Choice can be difficult, especially when you leave yourself without options

I’ve often written that opinion and advice are simply that, and a person is free to accept or reject that opinion and advice at their leisure.  But as intelligent beings, we must acknowledge that opinion and advice must be at the very least heard if not accepted.  This is because it’s often the only way to genuinely realize that we may be on the wrong path.

Then again, someone else’s opinion or advice may be incorrect as well.  After all, we’re all different and one person’s perspective may not be the same as ours.  The important thing to remember is simply this: if the choice you make causing damage or suffering in another, it’s wrong.  If the choice you make causes damage or suffering within your own life, it’s wrong.  And last but certainly not least, if you make a choice or cause an action that you KNOW to be wrong and you do it anyway, it’s definitely wrong.

It’s often difficult to see beyond our own immediate wants and needs, and sometimes the prospect of screwing someone else over (for lack of a better term) to meet our goals may seem appealing and even ideal.  But I can promise that all things eventually come out in the wash.  And if you’ve done wrong, that wrong will be exposed. So do right.  Be honest.  Be true. You’ll be amazed at the feeling of freedom you get from always being honest and doing right.  And you’ll come to find how much easier and less complicated it is.  Choice is never easy.  Hey, it’s not meant to be.  But knowing what the end results will be should be a no brainer. ☯

“Sight” Is More Than Just What You See…

The room is dark, impossibly dark.  The only light comes from a small 40-Watt black light that almost causes my white karate gi to glow in the gloom…  My eyes can’t adjust and I can’t see a thing.  There are audible creaks in the floorboards, telling me that I am not alone in the room.  I sit still, trying to let my ears, nose and skin “feel” the room.  My legs are braced and my hands are posted. I close my eyes, since I can’t see anything anyway.

Then I feel it: an almost imperceptible movement of air against my skin…  I instinctively block, but I’ve miscalculated.  Something strikes at my calves and I fall to the floor.  I roll out of the way before the strike I know is coming drops down on my chest.  I turn and post in the direction of the attack but nothing reaches my ears but silence. Then, something strikes my head. Suddenly there is too much light as all I can see are stars fluttering in the darkness.  I can feel my body twist around as my head snaps from the punch…

Once again, my other senses try to fill in the gaps of information caused by the darkness; a light movement of the air and a rustling of sanforized cotton coming towards me.  I block and feel the strike of another person’s limb against my arm. Without through, I grip the opposing limb and throw out a focused front kick that impacts against something that feels like concrete.

“Enough.”  The lights come on and I’m temporarily blinded by the sudden change.  I see my Sensei standing there in a dark, black gi, removing a black face mask that covers everything but his eyes.  My head is ringing from the punch he delivered and I’m grateful that the lesson is over, despite the impression it left…

That was a sparring match I had with Sensei almost twenty years ago.  Most of us are limited by the visible light we see around us. We rarely consider that the world exists, whether the light bounces off of it or not.  This means that the world can still be perceived if we’re willing to open our other senses to it.

No, I’m not gifted with some mystical skill and I wouldn’t bet sure money I’d win a fight, fought in total darkness.  But because of the light that surrounds us, we often take our other senses for granted. There is so much of the world that can be opened to us if we acknowledge our other senses; our hearing, sense of touch, sense of smell…

Don’t forget that the world doesn’t exist because of the physical light that allows us to see it.  If you open yourselves up to the other possibilities, you’ll be surprised at what you may have been missing. ☯

Footprints In The Sand…

Something that most people don’t know about me is that I was raised on the Catholic faith. My mother studied to become a nun (once again, SUPER happy she didn’t pursue that route) and my family and household were rife with references to the Catholic Church.  It influenced me throughout my childhood, considering I attended elementary school before Canada had a firm separation of church and state. We even had missionaries in our family and I would donate some of my belongings every year to impoverished countries at the behest of these family members.

Although the years that followed would see me steer away from the Catholic Church and organized religion as a whole, some aspects of my theological studies remained with me.  And as I’ve always believed, true knowledge can be found in most religions and applied to all.  One of these examples is the story known as “Footprints”.  Although who the author of this “poem” was is still debated, it carries a powerful message. Here’s the poem:

One night I dreamed a dream

I was walking along the beach with my Lord.

Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.

For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,

One belonging to me and one to my Lord.

When the last scene of my life shot before me,

I looked back at the footprints in the sand.

There was only one set of footprints.

I realized that this was the lowest and saddest times of my life.

This always bothered me and I questioned the Lord about my dilemma.

“Lord, you told me when I decided to follow You,

You would walk and talk with me all the way.

But I’m aware that during the most troublesome times of my life,

There is only one set of footprints.

I just don’t understand why, when I need You most, You leave me.”

He whispered “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you,

Never, ever, during your trials and testings

When you saw only one set of footprints,It was then that I carried you.”

I believe we find knowledge and truth in the places we least expect them.  When I first heard this poem, I was about 8 years old. I had been diagnosed as a Type 1 Diabetic four years prior, I was in poor health and had already suffered several Diabetic comas.  My life was in jeopardy and insulin resistance posed a real threat to my continued existence.

I couldn’t conceive of life and a future at that point, but as I look back at everything I’ve suffered through I realize that I’ve left a significant number of footprints in the sand, myself.  If one were to tell me I’d be where I am now, ten years ago, I likely would have laughed in their faces.

The thing about sand is that although it’s solid matter, it holds nothing permanently. Eventually, those footprints melt away and life goes on.  So ask yourself: who will remember your footprints?  What impact have you had and what difference have you made in the world that your footprints should be cemented in the minds of others?  The answer you find may shock and/or inspire you…

Not everyone has religious beliefs. And that’s okay. We live in a modern world where science has been able to prove (or disprove) most things written in religious texts. But that doesn’t make some of their lessons any less timely or important. The impact we make on this world has the opportunity to either remain in the memory of others of fade away with the washing of the sand. the choice is yours. ☯

All About The Books, But…

It’s been a quiet few days and all things considered, it’s good to take a step back and let your mind cool and relax a bit.  This is not the easiest task in the world with a newborn and a destructive 4-year old in the house.  But one of my very favorite hobbies just happens to be reading.

I’ve tried not to limit myself in regards to what medium I use when I read.  I have an e-reader, my laptop, my smart phone and I share a collection of several hundred books (likely close to a thousand if not more) with my wife.  Our books cover just about every genre imaginable to some extent or another.

But the book I want to talk about in this post is James Clavell’s Shogun.  Written in 1975, it’s the story of a Dutch ship that gets lost during a sea storm, only to land in feudal Japan.  The English pilot, John Blackthorne, ends up befriending many of the samurai and daimyos and becomes a trusted advisor to one of the local Regents who retains him as a trusted advisor.

Cover of the 1st Edition, which is the one I originally read.

The book is quite lengthy and I read it for the first time in the mid-90’s.  When I eventually made my way to Japan and subsequently Okinawa, I had the opportunity to really appreciate how accurately the book portrayed some of the Japanese culture and how many similarities Clavell included in the novel.  The novel is about 1200 pages long, but if you’re looking for a solid read, I would highly recommend it.  I’ve read it three times since first picking it up, and the rich story allows for something new to be noticed every time I read it.

The book was made into a television miniseries that was a little over 9 hours long, in 1980.  I didn’t discover it until years after the first time I read the book.  I’ve always been a touch leery about movies based on books, considering how much they usually shave away from the full story of the book. But the television series covered just about everything as accurately as possible.  It was impressive, considering the lack of special effects and such in the early 80’s.  They also released a 2-hour feature length movie, but if you’ve seen the mini series, the movie pretty much sucked.  They cut out so many important details it no longer resembled the actual book.

I focus on this book because the story covers many aspects of life that I hold dear.  This includes aspects of Buddhism, martial arts and Bushido’s code.  But whatever genre of book you enjoy, reading helps to reduce stress, has a calming effect and can even lower blood pressure and help you sleep better.  Not least of which is the fact that it allows a person to stretch their imagination and explore worlds that would otherwise be impossible. ☯

Bear Beats Battlestar Galactica…

Bears have an important place in human history.  Powerful, authoritative animals, they have been the subject of mythology and legend in many cultures throughout the centuries and are featured in many diverse ways.  For example, bears can even be found in astronomy.  Ursa Major is considered the “Bear Constellation”.  The bear has, at times been feared as a significant opponent and there are legends of defeating a bear as a symbolism for overcoming significant adversity.

For those of you who may not be as big a nerd as myself, Battlestar Galacticais a science fiction show that came out in the late 1970’s.  The show basically involved a group of surviving humans on a lone ship (the Galactica) trying to overcome incredible odds to maintain their way of life.  It only ran for two seasons, but it amassed a significant cult following that inspired a reboot in 2004.

I’m going somewhere with this, trust me…  I feel like I’ve been battling a huge, angry bear for the past two years. This bear is bigger, stronger and has more resources than me.  And it seems as though no matter how hard I push, the bear seems intent on breaking me. Much like the crew of the Galactica, I often feel like I’m throwing in my last ditch effort in order to maintain my way of life.

Okay, maybe this is a bit of a stretch to get a message across… but it’s an important message.  We all face overwhelming odds at some point in our lives.  After all, life is hard!  It kind of has to be, right?  If life were smooth and easy, what would be the point without some kind of challenge? But despite the severity or depth of the challenges we face, the important is to keep fighting.  As long as you can still draw breath, you can still fight.  And as long as you can still fight, there will always be a chance of overcoming those odds.

No matter the odds you face, don’t ever give up.  Although the saying goes, “Nice guys finish last” we get there eventually, right?  That’s the important part.  Take of yourself, your health and your family and don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. ☯

Go With The Flow

Energy is a strange thing.  We can’t see it, under most circumstances.  We fail to acknowledge its presence and some even doubt its existence. But everything is made of energy. From the eraser on your pencil to the very core of your physical being, it’s all energy!

George Mattson, a karate practitioner from the United States, once wrote, “A workout should be like a painting.  Each one has a characteristic of its own.”  The meaning behind this is that a classroom workout is much like a painting as well.  Each and every student is a separate characteristic of the class as a whole and lends one more piece to the workout.

Each and every student in the class affects the overall tone of the workout.  Think about it; have you ever participated in a class where the instructor was less than motivated?  Maybe he or she had a low, baritone voice with no enthusiasm behind it…  You can easily guess how motivating THAT would be to the students.

The same can be said about the students themselves.  If every student doesn’t put forth their best effort, they drag on the overall energy of the class.  The top students will no doubt put forth their best effort and potentially raise the bar, if you will.  But it’s up to each and every student to put in his or her maximum effort.

We all have bad days.  Some days we may be feeling ill, tired or simply lack the motivation to give it our all. This leaves us with two options: dig deep to find the energy needed to get through the night’s training, or take a break and stay home.  There’s no shame in that.  Everyone needs a break on occasion, so long as it doesn’t become extended or start interfering with your overall progress. ☯

A Decade Of Blood, Sweat and Literal Tears…

Yesterday was an important milestone for me:  I celebrated ten years in my chosen career.  I chose to celebrate the same way as I have for the past ten years.  I did one shot of Fireball for every year of service!  The burning sensation reminds me of the pain I’ve endured.  The warmth of the alcohol reminds me of the benefits of peace.  The headache I get the next day generally reminds me of the occasional cost of that peace and the existence of suffering in this world!

And yes, before anyone gets in on me about the amount of alcohol that involves, I’m quite aware.  And in my defense, it wasn’t a big deal for the first few years!  But now that I’ve reached ten years, I’ll admit that it’s becoming a bit more difficult to keep up the tradition and I may soon need to find a different way of celebrating.  Especially since Fireball has a fair amount of carbohydrates per shot, so blood sugar control becomes a bit convoluted throughout the evening.

What made yesterday all the more difficult is that I celebrated by myself.  Since the birth of my son Alexander, my wife can’t partake since she’s nursing him.  I guess the only silver lining is that I likely won’t have to take eleven shots next year as this may likely be the last year I will have such a celebration…

I remember when I started this career.  I had a lot of hopes and aspirations for the future and the good that I could do.  I woke up every morning grateful for the work I did and went to bed every night grateful that I had survived another day. I can say with firm honesty that I’ve met some amazing people and seen some incredible (and sometimes ridiculous) things.  It’s been quite a ride.

As I nurse the headache I woke up with and take my first steps in my eleventh year of service, I consider it all bittersweet.  The career I committed my life to may be coming to an end because of someone else’s lies and destructive nature.  But the mindset, the mentality and the hard lessons I’ve learned over the past decade will stay with me for the rest of my life.  The values and discipline I developed will remain and hopefully be passed on to my sons.  It will be difficult to let go.

I have no regrets.  I can’t. Every event that has come to pass has brought me to the here and now.  And I would not be the person I am today without each and every single one of those events, good or bad.  And even if it sounds like a conceit, I like the person I’ve become.  I’m pretty awesome.  Since starting on this journey, I’ve become a role model, teacher, mentor, husband and father.  I have already gained a lifetime of wealth in only a decade.  Imagine if I could continue for another decade?  Who knows what good I might accomplish. Unfortunately, this won’t be so. Such is life.

I guess if someone were sitting next to me as I toasted last night, they would hear me toast the lives I’ve saved, regret the lives I couldn’t reach in time and weep for the lives I won’t be there to help in the future.  Such is the way of the protector and one such as I.  

I will begin another chapter.  Life won’t allow me to do otherwise.  Perhaps the next chapter will be filled with as much as this one has been.  Who knows?  Only time will tell, but I promise that I will continue to share the adventures as they come.  There are always stories to tell… ☯