The day—15 November 2018, Thursday. It was a Blue Belt milestone for Hannah Shamassian and the Karate Institute of America as this lovely young lady moved up another rung on the Kiado-Ryu ladder of accomplishment. Hannah is a paradox. She’s very quiet during her lessons, using few words to communicate with Mr. King. But when she does her bag work, look out! Her power is off the charts for her size, as her brother, Josh, understands full well.
He was one of the best and toughest fighters in the history of the Karate Institute of America. “He” is Guy McDonald, call sign “Hollywood.” He and Mr. King met up for lunch in October. It was awesome to reconnect after so many decades, decades that strangely seem like only a few weeks. How amazingly time flies. Yet, how wonderful it was to relive old stories and memories of a magical time gone by.
The following is an excerpt from chapter 2 of the second edition of The Karate Consciousness: From Worldly Warrior to Mystic Master, a book by Richard Andrew King. Man was not created to dominate his fellow man. He was created to live in the fullness of the Light and to radiate that Light throughout the corridors of the universe. The karate consciousness of today is not centered in the fullness of the Light—divine illumination and understanding as characterized by life, love, peace, perfection, purity, prosperity, health, harmony, strength and wisdom.
Lt. Colonel Ronald R. King is honored on Panel 27E, Line 44 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Follow the link to review his feature on The Wall of Faces and various testimonials of appreciation for his duty and service to America. http://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/28069/RONALD-R-KING Lt. Col. King’s commemoration on The Wall of Faces states he was MIA (Missing In Action). The story of his death, as told to his now-deceased wife, Margaret, by another USAF pilot who witnessed his tragic demise, was that his fighter jet, an F-105 Thunderchief, caught on fire during an airborne refueling mission.
How extremely relevant are MacArthur’s words, not just for a post WWII America, but for a 2018 America? In their own way, Thomas Jefferson, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan and others have vocalized the same sentient concern regarding the destructive potential of negative internal forces. Internal forces often exceed external forces in their destructive aspect. As powerfully as MacArthur’s words ring true in a national sense, do they not also ring true for each of us in a personal sense?
It is a simple truth but often overlooked, mostly by dudes who think too little and run their mouths too much. Great fighters are great thinkers. Non-thinkers are the defeated. All Karate Institute of America students, especially Black Belts, understand the critical nature of being an intelligent fighter. Yes, one must be tough mentally and strong physically, but the provenance of all great fighters and generals is their intelligence, i.e., their ability to think and execute.
Life throws us all kinds of curve balls. Problems pop up out of no where unexpectedly. Challenges erupt at the least opportune moment, and conflicts explode out of a clear blue sky. Such uninvited tribulations test our mettle, resolve, and will to remain calm, balanced, centered, to succeed, even survive. In managing such events, we summon various strategies, techniques, and mechanisms to solve the issue(s) at hand. We may have family members and/or friends, perhaps even a stranger, offer to help us.
The Karate Institute of America and Kiado-Ryu Martial Arts subscribe to President George Washington’s admonition that, To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace. George Washington Is this not one of the fundamental reasons why we study martial arts? Yes, the bullies of the world study martial arts, too, but they use it for aggression and subjugation of others who are neither strong enough nor capable enough to resist or repel their wicked intentions.