Saturday, January 20, 2007

i train, therefore i am satisfied

any 詠春拳 enthusiast that has searched the internet to further their love and understanding of the art has undoubtedly stumbled upon many civilized discussions on the virtues and areas of improvement of various masters' and grandmasters' interpretations and development of 詠春拳. (italics denote words of sarcasm)

particularly visible examples are unavoidable on YouTube where, as the cliché goes, everybody's a critic. the disappointing thing is that the true criticism is outweighed by outright slandering. i am all for freedom of speech, but it grows tiring reading the same things over and over again. it would be nice to read about the differences in approach other styles have, and perhaps learn something from one another. the only common thread i see is that there is a lot of hatred and bad history. perhaps the blame falls largely on our instructors, who perpetuate the politics of the past.

so here is the challenge i present to all who claim to study 詠春拳. the challenge is not a combatitive one, but an individual one. to reflect on one's self. why not follow the principles of 詠春拳; to flow and react--and not to be preoccupied by the forceful resistance of the negative energies of your perceived opponents and yourself?

we all would like to believe (to varying degrees) that our style is "the best." but arguing about it on the internet is a war that can never be won, so why waste so much energy and time trying to convince others to your point of view? unless perhaps, subconsciously, it's not others that you are trying to convince.

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