Cogitate (koj-i-tat')

To Cogitate: to think deeply or intently, to ponder about.


Some people are born smart, but how about smart thinkers?


Turns out smart thinking or "cogitating" is a practiced skill. Much like practicing a sport, painting or your martial arts. You get better by simply doing. If we keep the mind active like we keep our bodies active we stay sharper longer but we need to work on the method of how we think.


You've heard the phrase "think outside the box". What does that really mean?


You may have even heard the analogy " the brain is like a grassy field".


We make a path in the field, the more frequently it is travelled, the path begins to get deeper and a rut starts to form. The brain will develop these same ruts (frequently travelled paths) if we allow it to. It becomes difficult to view the world from a different perspective.


Another common term is "negative self talk". This again, over years, can be the rut our brain synapses fall into. It becomes the path of least resistance and our knee jerk reaction to a situation can be the same time and time again. Worst case scenario, falling into a regular state of depression. The mind cannot help but travel down this path, it is too deeply ingrained.


However, I digress, we can keep our minds challenged. We can control the way we respond to situations in a positive way or a subjective way. We can make critical and pressured decisions by using all the tools available to us.


To be capable of cogitation we must allow ourselves the time to do so. Time gives us the ability to look at all the factors that can influence our decision and our actions. Sometimes we make the mistake of answering or acting too quickly because our Egos drive us to do so.


Another important tool is Listening.
Seems silly, we all listen, every day, don't we?


Actually, no.

Too often we perceive we are listening to a conversation while in actual fact we are formulating our thoughts as the person is speaking to us. We run the risk of missing their point of view and fully empathizing with their thoughts.
As a matter of fact, I can count 3 times yesterday when I should have listened more intently. Once with my son, later that day to a coworker about a project and then during class with Sifu Brinker. All 3 were victim to my preformulated points I felt compelled to express above all other comments! Sometimes we come away from a conversation and realize we forgot to listen because we were too concerned about what we wanted to say. (I 'll apologize to you Sifu, the others don't read the blogs, actually one doesn't read at all!)


Now I am no great cogitator...heck I only learnt the word two weeks ago on a course I was on.(I think I just like to say the word cogitate) but in all seriousness I do believe it is important to take the time to listen, look at the larger scope of our dilemas and problems and afford ourselves the time and opportunity to make the best decisions, choices and actions for ourselves and those that we will touch and affect with those decisions.

JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta, Canada

Food Octane

I have been living in a hotel long enough now. Last week I was sick for 4 days. I was able to make it to class but other than that I felt like all I could do was sleep and eat soup.

Its actually been a blessing in disguise. I have had my head in the sand about a particular issue for too long now. When you are sick you have lots of time to think and I have been thinking about my health and how really fragile a persons health is.

I have forgotten the fundamentals. We are all biological machines. The difference between chugging along and humming along comes down to the basics. Rest, Fuel and Oxygen.We need a premium fuel to perform at our best. Pretty simple and I have always taken pride in the fact that I shop for healthy foods and try to cook healthy meals.

Eating out and shopping from one small grocery store for the past three weeks has been a wake up call for me.

There is a buzz about the latest documentary "Food Inc." , It was playing on the airplane and I have read an article in the Time magazine about the "Agricultural Industry" and surfed the Internet regarding the nutrition quality of food. I have had a gut feeling about the lack of nutrition in our raw foods for a while but I have chosen to ignore the issue. Why? Simply because it means more work on my part.

For years I have gone grocery shopping, sticking to the outside aisles where all the raw or fresh food is kept. I refrain from purchasing processed or canned food. I read the labels, where is the food imported from, where did the oranges come from, where did the bread get baked, etc,etc.

Due diligence right. Healthy shopper, right?

I have been duped, like so many trying to make the right choices, Corporate greed takes over and the food in your basket is just a empty image of what it used to be.

I know the effort to shop more diligently is worth the end result. Ultimately it is the consumers dollar that will make the change that is needed.

So, I need to take the time and research the food I purchase, look more closely at the sources and the processes.

On a more interesting note, I was watching the news last week and they were doing a feature on urban gardening and how its starting to spread rapidly. Its not just a hobby. There are areas in inner city districts deemed as "drought zones" meaning you have to travel outside an excessive radius within the city to find a retail outlet that supplies raw foods. The fast food is highly accessible unlike the grocery stores. The people are making a stand and taking control of their neighborhoods with the "garden projects" and making sure to involve the youth in the initiative.

The Food issues need to change. Once again the consumer is manipulated. This time ignorance is not bliss. Education and a demand for change is in order. It starts right now for me.

JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta, Canada

Stay at Home Parents

I have thought all year about the Living Hero Concept. Who are my Living Heros. The word "Hero" puts a serious amount of pressure on someone and there are alot of high profile people you could choose from.

For me, the number One Living Hero, has to be the parents that choose to stay home with their children as opposed to using a daycare.

Now, before alot of folks get defensive, I know some people are in situations where they have no choice and I am no hero myself, I worked out of the house and part time when my son was born and did that for over 4 years, my husband and I have now switched roles.

But, thats not what I am talking about. I know a few young families where they have decided to have one of them stay home full time while the other works. They are not the Norm.

I often think times must have been simpler back in the 50's. You got married, husband worked, had some kids, the wife stayed home and thats just the way it was. That was the female role.

Nowadays, its complicated, a "stay at home mom", to most of society, seems to carry little in terms of respect.

You have to get out there and run up the corporate ladder, find a job in a male dominated trade, become a lawyer or a doctor. All these roles carry an automatic level of prestige and respect.

Stay at home mom or dad just goes against the grain.

So, when I meet someone who truly has decided to stay home and raise their own children, they are the ones that are heros in my eyes, because I know they have looked at the big picture, they have shunned societies pressure to "make something of yourself" or keep a level of financial status in hopes of raising a decent human being. They have made the ultimate sacrifice. Make no mistake, it is sacrifice, you give up your freedom, your individuality and the time you could spend on yourself is few and far between.

I recognize how tough it is for a stay at home parent to re-enter the work force. Things change swiftly in a global economy and technology even swifter. After years at home it can be a hard sell to put yourself back in the game. I am not as courageous as those, I kept my foot in the door, so to speak and I feel guilty because of it. I think I will always regret not staying home full time. Hind site is 20/20 and the 4 or 5 years before they go to school really flys by. I truly missed out.
With any sacrifice there is usually reward as the end result. It is that sacrifice I admire and it warms my heart.
So hats off to those Moms and Dads who have made the choice to stay at home. Its the right thing to do in my mind.

JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta, Canada

Kingston, Ontario

On the road again, this time its Kingston, Ontario. I have managed to get myself settled in and have found a gym, a grocery store and the waterfront pathway. Time to get creative and find a way to train while I'm here for 3 weeks.

The most interesting thing so far was the cab ride into town.

The cabbie is a long time resident and within the 20 minutes I was with him, he gave me some of the rich history of the town, such as...

It was slated to be the capital of Canada, especially since John A. Macdonald resided here, however, at the time us Canucks were not on such friendly terms with those American types to the south, so clever as we were, we decided to pick a lesser accessible location like Toronto...I mean Ottawa!

Fort Henry was built here just to make sure those Americans didn't get any ideas!

On a more dark and serious side, Kingston is also home to Canada's most notorious penitentiary. Kingston Pen was opened in 1835 and can hold around 500 inmates, each having their own cell. Its where the "worst of the worst " come. The ones who can not function in the usual incarcerated populous.

Infamous inmates date back to the Black Donnellys, Mr. James Donnelly was a resident in the 1800s and more recently housed Clifford Olsen and presently Paul Bernardo. According to the cabbie, Bernardo still stays in solitary confinement for 23 hrs a day with little to no contact.

Unfortunately, his ex-wife, as we all know, was released but seems to have gone on with her life with a new husband, child and living in Europe.

He left me with this, simply because in his mind, we as Canadians seem to forget or want to forget the injustice that is inflicted upon the innocent. If anything good can come from the past is that we remember. We need to remember to prevent history from repeating itself. So that being said, he admits he is still angry about the botched conviction but says he tells the same story to all his fares simply because we should not forget.

Whether you agree with him or not, he is right about keeping the past in your rear view mirror or how else do we change what is ahead.

Asking for Help

People needing people.

I've always coiled away from the concept. You need to be independent, be a rock, figure it out for yourself, research the facts and make your own judgement.

That works fine when you have enough time in the day to accomplish everything you need to do and learn everything you need to know.

The past couple of weeks have been very hectic and mentally exhausting and I found myself asking for help and accepting help.
Turns out it wasn't such a bad thing and I am the wiser for it.

I am not sure what keeps people from leaning on each other.
Probably the urge to feel completely independent, in control at all times. Perhaps its the philosophy... if you what something done right you have to do it yourself...maybe its pride and ego, or sometimes a person feels if others help them they will have people looking for favours from them down the road.
I actually used to work with a guy like that, he never asked or wanted help because, and I quote, "it shows weakness...then others will expect you to help them".
Selfish and short sited view of the world if you ask me.
Anyways, I digress, I believe its important to be self sufficient and be as independent as you can be but also recognize the value of the people around you.
Martial arts is meant to develop the individual. You spend alot of time inside your head figuring things out and only you can make yourself practice,ponder and improve.
That being said, the martial arts organization is meant to provide the individual with guidance through interaction as a group.
Here lies a great resource when we decide to lean on each other.
I'll be the first to admit, I know I am far from perfect and efficient but I also have a hard time asking for any help, inside and outside of the kwoon.
I cut my resources and my potential in half by not stepping out of preconceived notion of myself as one who can handle it all.
Delegating to others, trusting others, accepting guidance and help from others is part of a balanced life.
We are social creatures, we can only excel and thrive when we trust in one another.

Trust is a precious commodity, sometimes given away too freely sometimes never given at all.
But thats another blog all together!

JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta, Canada

8 weeks! Really!

Sifu Brinker gave us a reminder last night, we are running out of time. I have to admit the year has flown by and its hard to believe 2010 is only 8 weeks away.I will have to add up my numbers in my UBBT log and see where I am at.

Round numbers in my head at the moment are 46,000 push ups 40000 abs, 3/4 of the way for mileage and way down on the repetition for a form (just over 200), weight lifting is on par at 3 times a week,sparring and grappling is down as well, however, with the odd Wednesday night practices I feel there is a marked improvement.

I've kept a fairly accurate log for most of the year but there has been weeks where I did not fill it out until the weekend.

In the beginning, opening the log to add numbers was a driving factor, a huge motivator to accomplish something everyday. As the year went on, this gradually changed. Logging is not that important to me(however necessary as part of the UBBT and a useful tool to accomplish specific goals).
What has happened is an ingrained lifestyle change, I look for opportunities everyday to step out of the "norm" , commit acts of kindness, use 30 seconds of meditation to make calm decisions when panic and stress are pressuring down.
The day is not right if I cannot physically exert my self through some kind of training. No logging required, its who I've become.

Pretty cool...

but I have a little time left to crack down and finish big.




On a lighter note, today is Halloween, I can't help but be excited because my son is! He loves giving out the candy at the door almost as much as dressing up as a dinosaur and collecting his own candy.


Its just plain fun!

JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta, Canada

Sparring

Last night I started thinking back when I first started sparring. I recall the panic stricken feeling in my stomach when the Sifu yelled "GEAR UP".

It took a while, probably around blue belt before I began to realize my approach to sparring was all wrong.

First, we spar to hone our skills in case self defense becomes an unfortunate but necessary issue. In order to have a chance at defending ourselves successfully we need to practice the possible scenarios that may befall us, when I recognized this , this is the time I changed my perspective on sparring and on my sparring partners.

The most important asset to our training is our peers and earning the trust of our peers. We accomplish this through communication both verbally and with body language. When you trust the person you spar with the doors will open wide up.

You become more relaxed or should I say focused on learning something new as opposed to just trying to get through the next 30 minutes of "free sparring". As a good chess player setting up for new strategies, this can only be accomplished through hours of practice with a variety of opponents.

So, talk to each other, let your partner know what level you are at and something you would like to work on during your time together. Leave your Ego at the door but bring some self-confidence. Be aware of your partners disposition, check in on them occasionally as you spar to make sure they are not becoming withdrawn by your possible over aggression.

The key, is to develop a pillar foundation of trust within your school and sparring mates. This is more self serving then one can realize as it only leads to improvement in your own quest to become the best martial artist that you can be.

JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta, Canada