The world has indeed turned insane.
SUN TZU WOULD NOT BE IMPRESSED … at all. In fact, he would be shocked that after 2500 years some world leaders are still in Kindergarten mode relative to their understanding of combat. They are blinder than the blindest bat.
The first goal of combat is to win, always. There are no positives in defeat, especially if a country’s entire culture and way of life are in jeopardy of being annihilated.
It is tragic to witness what is happening in Ukraine. Regardless of the outcome, which we pray is positive for the Ukrainian people, i.e. keeping their independence and sovereignty, there are many lessons this needless and brutal attempted Russian takeover can teach us. Following are just a few.
This world is truly a cauldron of evil.
How lovely would it be to think this world is a beautiful place? It is not. If it were a beautiful place, peace would reign universally, which it obviously doesn’t. The world is not “Barbie Doll Land.” It is, as Mirabai clearly states, “a cauldron of evil.” One must therefore be cognizant of this reality and act accordingly.
Valentines Day, 14 February 2022, was a sweetheart moment in time for Shaw Shahriari, aka “Wind.” Why? Because he received his Kiado-Ryu Purple Belt ranking! So … a well-deserved CONGRATULATIONS to you, Wind!
Shaw “Wind” Shahriari: Purple Belt Test—14 February 2022.
Shaw loves kata. He’s very good and if there were open (all comers) karate tournaments today his precise form would have won him many championships at the Orange and Purple Belt levels. He’s very powerful and meticulous in his execution. Wind heralds from another martial art system which has helped him in his rapid ascent up the KIA ladder.
From The Black Belt Book of Life: Secrets of a Martial Arts Master.
Perfect Masters throughout time,
in all of their addresses,
state that in pursuit of truth
Concentration Coalesces
If you don’t concentrate, you’ll end up on your rear.
To be able to concentrate for a considerable time is essential to difficult achievement.
The stages of the Noble Path are: Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Behavior, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration.
From The Black Belt Book of Life: Secrets of a Martial Arts Master.
Humility is the highest form of strength;
Arrogance the highest form of weakness.
As a silo sits vacant of fodder,
A Black Belt Without Humility
Is Like A Well Without Water.
We come nearest to the great when we are great in humility.
To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them.
Without a doubt, the current global pandemic and its manifestations—physical, mental, financial, familial, educational, social and tyrannical have, sadly, spawned depression in a large swath of the world’s population. Understandable. The question arises, “How can people manage this pandemic without depression?” Martial Arts training, especially that of the Karate Institute of America™ (KIA) and the Kiado-Ryu™ system of martial arts, offers the following thoughts.
The first chapter of The Black Belt Book of Life: Secrets of a Martial Arts Master is entitled, “Martial Arts Is Life.” In other words, there is nothing in life that cannot be addressed that is not an aspect of martial arts, even pandemics.