From The Karate Consciousness: From Worldly Warrior to Mystic Master.
Strength is internal power manifested in external form. As all qualities of
Divine Individuality, it flows from the center of man’s Oneness with his
Creator. It permeates all components of the life system—physical, mental,
spiritual—and is the sustaining force in the quest for perfection.
It is an absolute necessity for the student to continually increase his
strength if he is to successfully progress in the continuum. New obstacles and
challenges on the vertical growth pattern always yield an increased functional
understanding of the life force once they are surpassed, but to conquer them
demands a degree of strength equal to each task. Therefore, the goal for each
individual aspiring to mastery is to continually seek to increase the flow
from the Source because, of itself, the Source is strength and man is only as
strong as his ability to align himself with it.
CONGRATULATIONS to Shaw “Wind” Shahriari for attaining his Blue Belt ranking!
Wind is a devoted martial artist in multiple martial art systems in Iran (his
home country) and the United States. The Karate Institute of America is proud
to have him study in our Kiado-Ryu System.
Everyone has their special skills. Wind has two that are distinctive. 1) his
kicks are devastatingly powerful and 2) he is an excellent kata performer.
How wonderful it is to reunite with KIA students and friends—in this case with
Annette Carden-Dale, aka “Warrior.” It’s been a few years since our last
get-together and such events are always fun and enjoyable. “Catching Up” is
one of life’s most meaningful and endearing experiences.
Warrior began her martial arts studies at the Karate Institute of America,
circa 2006. She was, and is, a great student—always focused, exuding a
relentless spirit. She has always been an extremely hard worker, is energetic,
talented, intelligent and determined. Before her destiny called her and her
family to move out of the area, Warrior earned her Green Belt ranking, awarded
on 26 September 2008.
Let’s say you and some friends or family are out for a walk in the woods.
Accidentally, you come across a mountain lion. You throw up your hands, scream
and shout and do all you can do to frighten him so he’ll go away. However, not
having any free space in which to run away to safety, the lion backs into a
corner, frightened. Now what? You have a frightened predator who lives his
life by killing and who finds himself trapped in a corner with a bunch of
human beings who, themselves, are also frightened but who do not live their
lives by killing, generally. Obviously, this is not a safe environment for you
or the lion to be in. So what do you do?
In any field of endeavor there are always levels of expertise from beginner,
to intermediate, to advanced, to expert and beyond. Captain Lou Gacs, USMC
retired, has surpassed that level of what is “beyond” to a level of martial
arts excellence that is simply extraordinary. Without a doubt, Captain Lou
Gacs is a “Martial Artist Extraordinaire.”
It is one thing for an individual to attain a Black Belt rating in one style
of martial arts. The dedication to such an accomplishment is amazing,
especially in today’s culture where “wanting everything yesterday” is an
all-too-common mantra, and where patience, hard work and commitment have been
kicked to the curb and relegated to the age of the dinosaurs, sadly.
A fellow martial artist recently shared the following story. Pay attention if
you value your money, jewelry, even your life—especially if you’re a woman.
In the community of Newport Beach, CA, theft is increasing, just like
everywhere else in the world. A man, acting as if he was in dire trouble and
needing assistance, approached a woman in her car. The woman was wearing a
nice necklace and beautiful jewelry on her hands and wrists. Feeling sorry for
the “poor man,” the woman got out of her car to render assistance where upon
he immediately ripped the necklace off of her neck, took jewelry off her hands
and wrists and scurried away, gone in a flash!
