the goal of Quality

It seems the measure of success has shifted or maybe we have added another criteria to the definition of success.
Success in our society (North America) is measured by money and power, from what I see, we also measure our success by how busy we are.
It starts by trying to accomplish as much as you can, keeping yourself moving from one task to the next. We even start our children down this busy schedule plan by bringing them from one activity to the next.( Soccer, swimming music lessons,hockey ).I think we have been duped into believing more must be better.
If I am really busy, my family is busy every night, we have commitments every weekend then we must be accomplishing something , I must be doing the right thing??
Maybe, but I feel at some point we start losing the battle,our ability to put quality into everything we do starts to diminish. It is very easy for my life to become a numbers game. A giant “to do” list. Full of deadlines and tasks and too many goals. Even if my goals are with the right intent to better my world, my family, my community, I feel too much can have the opposite effect.
I start to compromise the quality that goes into each goal, task, word and thought. Time is not flexible, I cannot change time. I can only change what is a priority in my life and if I want the most out of my priorities I need to assess the amount of time each priority requires to be absolute in my efforts. If being a person of substance and depth is a priority for myself everything I do must have quality to it. No more ridiculous lists. I have to change them into realistic, obtainable priorities, some of which will take a lifetime to see through but I think I am OK with that.
I was reading an article, the author( Leo Babauta) put forward a thought which made me stop and think. He wrote something to this effect “…what if we truly believed our lives were perfect, no need to lose weight, no need for bigger muscles, no need to run faster, look prettier, no need for a bigger house, car, no need for more stuff and merchandise…life was perfect. If we could for a moment enjoy what we were and what we had the stress of trying to do more would disappear, we could just enjoy the “right now” and peace would at last be ours. We could spend more time helping others instead of trying to make ourselves better. If we decided to accomplish something more it would only be a bonus to our already perfect lives…we were good enough right now…”
Interesting, the author was trying to put forward the concept of quality in your life and the ability to enjoy the present as opposed to always focusing on what you have to do next. I think a person needs to stop living to serve the goals but have the goals serve the person.

JC Msterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta, Canada

The Colour Blue

This week I had the pleasure of watching some students receive their Blue belt. They worked hard for it and I am happy for them.

The blue belt rank has and always will me something extra to me. For me, it is when I realized I was in a martial arts school.

Where was I before that...coasting. I admit it. I was telling a student last night how I admired this group because I could tell they practiced and put thought into their curriculum.

I, on the other hand, don't recall much before my Blue belt. I was good at memorizing and got by on just that. It was Blue belt when my eyes were opened to my own potential. I attended every class just to make up for lost time and lack of understanding of what I was really doing or even answer what I was trying to achieve.

Of course everyones journey through the coloured belts is different but for me,the Blue Belt was always the one where the rubber hit the pavement.

My only thoughts to offer, don't wait until your Blue belt to really apply yourself but if that's not the case then there is no time better than now.

JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta, Canada

I have been reading a book about Zen. Actually it’s a comic book series, this one is called “Zen for Beginners” and I think this is my third attempt to read through the whole thing.(I would have never made it through University).

Anyways, one chapter had a piece in it that spoke to me. Essentially the message was as follows:
“Human Distortion of reality arise from 3 main habits

1.) Greed 2.) Anger 3.) Ignorance”
Further to that, “All beings are inherently enlightened, we just don’t know it. Only our own confusion veils us from our natural wisdom and goodness”
Pretty powerful stuff when you sit and think about it.

So why the “Zen”, at first it was just pure curiosity. Different religions and philosophies have always intrigued me but now I find I need a reminder and a source of stability to ground me and I need this everyday. I’m not saying a book on Zen is the answer but the more sources I have to keep me on the rails the better.
I find myself in a position of witnessing corruption both on a local level and a political federal level. Far more complex than I could have imagined. Truth and right conduct become mangled and distorted for the gain of a few while the perception of integrity is displayed to the majority.
Indifference and looking the other way is easy. Becoming desensitised is a way of coping with the stress of inaction or action.
I have faith in myself by way of keeping my mind, body and spirit in tact with that I can make the right decisions.

Sorry, if this resembles a babbling mess but it helps me deal with myself.
Where is a Zen Master when you need one!

JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta, Canada

The Mighty Hamstring

My hamstrings have been giving me trouble for a few weeks now. Usually a tight muscle is worked out and back to normal for me in a short time. No doubt aging is a factor but should not be something that slows you down, you just need to approach things differently.

Preventative maintenance is key to keeping yourself off the injured list. Reality is, not many people take the time for muscle maintenance, ironically the older you get the more important this is but the older you get the less spare time you seem to have.

A muscle like the hamstring( which in fact is a combination of muscle groups that attach from the hip to the knee) is like an elastic band at the back of your leg. If its tight it will shorten the range or extension and prevent you from throwing high or effective kicks.

First, stretching. Don't skip the stretching. Not only does it warm up muscles but it tells you if something isn't quite right. You can have any injury and not know it for days until you make that one movement that says"ouch". You don't want to discover that in the middle of a full out committed kick..tends to be more than just "ouch" at that point!

Second, dynamic movement, kicks. Want to improve the height of the kick. After warming up and stretching the hamstring, start throwing the kicks that will stretch the hamstring further.(Cyclone, high roundhouse, dragons whip, etc.)

Third, try and fit in a massage session every 4 to 6 weeks.

Sadly, not enough people visit a massage therapist until something is bothering them or into the realm of injury. Time is always a factor for people and unfortunately so is our health care system.We seem to throw millions of dollars into reactive health care and little to no priority is given to preventive maintenance when it comes to our health.

Coverage for massage therapy ranges from none to a required doctors note to give you a token few visits for the year. I think we would be far better off to invest more of our dollars into the "before" instead of the "after".

In the meantime I have discovered the use of the foam roller to try and soften and work the knots out of my hamstring (see picture below). Another handy gadget that is not too expensive.

You can even watch a movie while spending some time on your muscles and not feel so guilty. Oh, and its really hard to eat popcorn while rolling on your hamstrings!

JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta, Canada

We Don't Forget but Sometimes we Don't Reflect

Color Third Reich Photos LIFE

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These photos have been floating around lately. They were apparently lost for decades and just lately released. The photographer worked for the LIFE magazine at the time.The color photos make you feel like you are there, unlike the grainy black and whites we are used to viewing in documentaries and history books. I look at some of these photos and I am amazed by the power of one individual. I would think , at the time, the masses of people believed he was the hope and leadership they were looking for. Its fascinating yet quite disturbing, I ask the question to myself , do we learn from our past?

JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta, Canada

A Righteous Warrior

Discipline is the greatest gift you can give yourself, with it, you can achieve anything..but what happens when life wont let you exercise your discipline as much as you had set out to. Are we not the masters of our own destiny, warriors of our own world and creators of our own path, striving for the pinnacle of perfection?
Tell that to your runny nosed, dirty pants 5 year old. You are Mom and you have to put that righteous stuff on hold until you get me a snack!
Its tough being a parent and trying to achieve anything in the day, never mind your life, community and globe.
We have many Moms at the school, both colored belts and black belts. I see the sacrifices they give of themselves both by attending class and practicing and by not attending class and not practicing.
As a mom, you are feeling guilty when you spend time on yourself(training) and when you don't train its usually because the family came first.
Now, I'm not saying Dads don't sacrifice, I'm only speaking from my experience and from the Moms I know in the kwoon. (Dads are another blog).

My thoughts over the years have come to this conclusion, you have to include the little ones. They wont leave you alone for very long, so don't fight it.
Kung Fu should be on your mind every day. Not just the curriculum but how do I do better at everything I do, say, feel and think.
But don't neglect your physical training just because you cant make it to class or you have no time to your self.
Get down and do push ups between reading books and crafts. Soon the little thing or things are intrigued by what you are doing and usually start to join in. Heck, get them to lay on your back and really get a good work out. Do your sit ups while they soak the bathroom walls during their bath time, its only water. Throw out some round house kicks while cooking supper and don't forget to sit in a horse stance while everyone brushes their teeth. It helps if you keep a daily log so it becomes a daily challenge for yourself and you start to feel the sense of accomplishment even if you couldn't get to class. The kids will begin to think this is all normal and then they start to expect it and sometimes tell you when you are cheating!
Don't stop training, be creative, find a way and make it to class when its possible.

So to the Moms, you are a righteous warrior!...Especially to little eyes.

JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta, Canada

Observations for the Week

Observation 1)
I have to make a definite effort to incorporate more stretching into my training. Both dynamic stretching(high kicks) and static stretching(floor work)Age is without a doubt a huge factor with the lose of flexibility. I lift weights on a regular basis as well, this strengthens the muscles but also contracts or shortens them ,if you will. This tends to work against the goal of increasing your flexibility but with the right balance you can have both.

Observation 2)
Surrounded by negative cranky people for a long duration without a daily break can make you miserable and cranky right back. The key is to recognize yourself falling into this state. Best way to fix it is be the opposite. Usually, and with a bit of luck others start to realize they are in a funk too.
Or, they find your pleasantness utterly annoying!

JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta, Canada