by Alex Lamas
Before one engages in combat, be it for sport or in a real situation of self-defense, we must be mindful of our mental state. Fear will always be present, but courage is having fear and acting anyway. Fearlessness doesn’t truly exist, for all of us have that feeling of fear deep down inside. It’s part of being human. Some of us may feel fear on the surface while others may have it only in the subconscious. Fear will be there, but we have the power to decide if that fear will control us. The “flight or fight response” is part of our genetic code, but a disciplined mind has the power to decide. If one makes the decision to fight, the individual should be mindful of what I call My Three C’s of Fighting:
• Calm
• Cool
• Committed
Calm. You must be relaxed, uncluttered in your mind and unclouded by fear or worry. Anger is deadly—it may give you a rush of adrenalin, but it will also cause one to make mistakes in judgment. If your opponent is calm, he will have the edge of a clear mind and will be able to use your anger against you.
Cool. People who are cool are ready—ready for anything. They’re relaxed, but they are also in a state of readiness and easily adaptable to any situation. Bruce Lee once said, “Do not be tense, just be ready, not thinking but not dreaming, not being set but being flexible. It is being ‘wholly’ and quietly alive, aware and alert, ready for whatever may come.”*
Committed. Often a fight, game, or tournament is decided beforehand by the one who is the most committed. If your opponent can see the level of commitment in your eyes, he or she will most often stand down and choose to walk away. Most people really don’t want to fight, and neither should you. However, if one must make the choice to fight, then it must be a commitment; it can mean life or death. If a person is committed, then most likely the individual will be the one who walks away.
Martial combat is a complex human endeavor, and no one way is the right way and many factors will always be in play. The important thing to remember is that if you are aware of your surroundings, then most likely you can avoid any dangerous situation. I avoided several threatening encounters recently, merely because I was aware of where I was and who was around me. When the would-be assailants realized that I was ready for them, they were the ones to walk away. Most people who are mean enough to cause a person harm will do so only if they can hit the target without the individual knowing what hit them. No one wants confrontation, be they a mugger or an honest person. Only by being ready and aware can one be relatively safe. There are no guarantees, but awareness is more powerful than cautiousness. One stems from wisdom, the other is rooted in fear.
* Bruce Lee, In His Own Words, Dir. John Little, Warner Bros. 1998
Copyright © 2007 Alex Lamas, all rights reserved.
Monday, June 25, 2007
MEETING CHALLENGES
by Alex Lamas
I recently had a student who stopped showing up to class. He didn’t want to disappoint me, but I could tell that he felt the classes were a bit too challenging for him, and he was getting discouraged with his slow progress. I assured him that he wasn’t alone, that many students feel that way at the beginning (as I did), and that nobody in the school would judge his abilities. I realized that the challenge for the student wasn’t with the difficulty of the class, but rather with the difficulties the student was facing within himself.
Often in life we encounter seemingly overwhelming obstacles. We see a mountain in front of us, yet we have no idea where to begin our ascent or even if we should endeavor to try. From attending a martial arts class, to moving from one place to another, to being out of work, to experiencing a divorce, or to mourning a death in the family, these difficulties can push us to the point where we feel like the situation is utterly hopeless.
The truth is—no situation is forever, and no situation is truly out of our control. No matter what happens, life goes on, and situations are always in a state of flux whether we notice it or not. Sometimes we may have to wait for the right opportunity or meditate on what course to take. We may wind up in a class that isn’t suited to our bodies or needs, but that doesn’t mean we have to give up. We just need to find what works and commit.
The one thing I love about the martial arts class I belong to is that there are no judgments. Everyone is at a certain place in his or her development, and these individuals are perfect right where they are. You are perfect for where you are in life, and you are exactly where you need to be. I know this may not sound satisfying, but believe me, we all go through it. We all have to start at one place, and where we end is just the beginning of something else. And the cycle repeats, again and again and again. Each summit reached reveals yet another mountain to climb. Each problem solved brings about a new one to tackle. This is the learning process of life, and we often find ourselves in these situations because of past lessons that we failed to notice or address.
This is actually a very positive point of view because when we think we are done, we have new challenges to take on, to move us forward in a new direction. If we feel that we're getting stuck in one place, then there is a lesson there as well. Try a new approach or point of view (wish they could learn that in Iraq), though it is an old axiom that “when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
The answers to life’s problems don’t exist in a church, monastery, or school of any kind; the answers lay within ourselves and only ourselves. We have no one else to blame, and if we give in to blame at all, that, too, is a mistake. Get away from blame altogether and only search for the resolution. “Do not believe what your book says. Do not believe what your teachers say. Do not believe what your traditions say. Do not take anything merely because it comes to you with the authority of someone else. Make it a personal experience. Think for yourself. Be convinced, and once convinced, act.” – The Buddha speaking to his disciples
The ultimate challenge is the one within ourselves—the only situation that is permanent happens after we depart this life. And even then…who knows?
“He who conquers men has force; He who conquers himself is truly strong.” – Tao Teh Ching (33), Lao Tzu
Copyright © 2007 Alex Lamas, All rights reserved.
I recently had a student who stopped showing up to class. He didn’t want to disappoint me, but I could tell that he felt the classes were a bit too challenging for him, and he was getting discouraged with his slow progress. I assured him that he wasn’t alone, that many students feel that way at the beginning (as I did), and that nobody in the school would judge his abilities. I realized that the challenge for the student wasn’t with the difficulty of the class, but rather with the difficulties the student was facing within himself.
Often in life we encounter seemingly overwhelming obstacles. We see a mountain in front of us, yet we have no idea where to begin our ascent or even if we should endeavor to try. From attending a martial arts class, to moving from one place to another, to being out of work, to experiencing a divorce, or to mourning a death in the family, these difficulties can push us to the point where we feel like the situation is utterly hopeless.
The truth is—no situation is forever, and no situation is truly out of our control. No matter what happens, life goes on, and situations are always in a state of flux whether we notice it or not. Sometimes we may have to wait for the right opportunity or meditate on what course to take. We may wind up in a class that isn’t suited to our bodies or needs, but that doesn’t mean we have to give up. We just need to find what works and commit.
The one thing I love about the martial arts class I belong to is that there are no judgments. Everyone is at a certain place in his or her development, and these individuals are perfect right where they are. You are perfect for where you are in life, and you are exactly where you need to be. I know this may not sound satisfying, but believe me, we all go through it. We all have to start at one place, and where we end is just the beginning of something else. And the cycle repeats, again and again and again. Each summit reached reveals yet another mountain to climb. Each problem solved brings about a new one to tackle. This is the learning process of life, and we often find ourselves in these situations because of past lessons that we failed to notice or address.
This is actually a very positive point of view because when we think we are done, we have new challenges to take on, to move us forward in a new direction. If we feel that we're getting stuck in one place, then there is a lesson there as well. Try a new approach or point of view (wish they could learn that in Iraq), though it is an old axiom that “when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
The answers to life’s problems don’t exist in a church, monastery, or school of any kind; the answers lay within ourselves and only ourselves. We have no one else to blame, and if we give in to blame at all, that, too, is a mistake. Get away from blame altogether and only search for the resolution. “Do not believe what your book says. Do not believe what your teachers say. Do not believe what your traditions say. Do not take anything merely because it comes to you with the authority of someone else. Make it a personal experience. Think for yourself. Be convinced, and once convinced, act.” – The Buddha speaking to his disciples
The ultimate challenge is the one within ourselves—the only situation that is permanent happens after we depart this life. And even then…who knows?
“He who conquers men has force; He who conquers himself is truly strong.” – Tao Teh Ching (33), Lao Tzu
Copyright © 2007 Alex Lamas, All rights reserved.
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