Actions have consequences

Don’t pretend; do. Don’t talk; do. Don’t think; do! 

An actor acts as a character who can do the thing that the actor likely in most cases cannot actually do. Their job is to act. Pretending is their “doing”. They are pretending to be the people who actually do whatever it is that the character can and does do. Everyone could have an actor playing their role. 

In real life, you might put on an act for this or that reason. It should be a good one. if that's the case. No one likes a pretender. 

Real life “is”. You have to “be”. Don’t act; do!

A Study of Master Gichin Funakoshi's Ryukyu Kenpo Karate: Page 10 - Kusanku [Dai]

A Study of Master Gichin Funakoshi's Ryukyu Kenpo Karate: Page 8 - Pin'an [Shodan]

A Study of Master Gichin Funakoshi's Ryukyu Kenpo Karate: Page 6 - The Value of Karate

Okinawan karate is a comprehensive system of physical development and education. Master Funakoshi wrote in his 1925 Rentan Goshin Karate Jutsu that an important aspect of karate is the concentration of power. Hence, it develops the entire body like that of an athlete. It does not take too long to notice results, but three or four years are required to become properly, initially, trained, physically and mentally. Master Funakoshi noted in Rentan Goshin Karate Jutsu that even a very short period of training will develop an individual to be distinct from the general populace. At the time Japan was still militaristic, so it was a good time to promote military teachings. Using karate's selling points to complete affect made sense and worked. Just like the creation of sport-karate served a purpose at the time, despite a definite lack of essential need for such an initiative. And changing the characters for "kara-te" from "Chinese-hands" to "empty-hands" also was somewhat culturally and linguistically required at the time, while now it is not. It is true that if karate, for example, were to be implemented in schools around the world we could see greater peace. However, it only works if discipline is fundamental in those schools and their respective societies, and these days modernism (not so-called "Westernisation") has succeeded in diluting cultures to the point of generic behaviour and appearance, as well as the abolition of discipline and respect. This is not solely a problem found in the public generally, but one that is fostered in homes and schools. So, despite karate teaching discipline and enabling the opportunity to change and grow into a better human being, the real benefits cannot be obtained in an improper environment. It is just like an organism attempting to grow. 

While Master Funakoshi mentioned, as is of course true, that karate does not require any special equipment, he himself used some training equipment such as the chiishi, makiwara, tetsu-geta and bo, as depicted in photos of the master. Karate can be dangerous, but it is supposed to be practised in a civil and cautious manner so as to reduce the risk of injury. Hence, it is not dangerous if correctly conducted. Furthermore, it is true that anyone of any age can engage in karate kenpo training, and that it benefits a person's health and life-expectancy. Many people who practised karate diligently lived long and healthy lives, into their 80s and 90s. Perhaps hard, daily training in such a method is a key to long life. Although, diet, habits and prudence are equally important. Karate is more than just exercise, and even the physical element is not ordinary or comparable with another form of physically working out. 

Specifically, Master Funakoshi discussed, among others, Masters Asato and Shishu (Itosu) in his 1925 text, Rentan Goshin Karate Jutsu. Funakoshi noted that Master Shishu reached 85 years old and Master Asato made it to 80. The significance of this is that there is some contention amongst researchers as to when Masters Asato and Shishu were born and when they passed. I have even questioned the alleged facts. Master Funakoshi wrote in Karate-Do: Ichiro that he sent letters to his teachers Asato and Itosu to ask them for their guidance on embarking on a difficult road of popularising karate in mainland-Japan from the 1920s. If that is indeed what he did, when exactly did he do so, and when did the two men actually pass, as it would seem that they must have done so a little before 1925 at the most? Apparently Master Itosu died in 1915, and this seems to be recorded as correct fact. Who knows what Master Funakoshi meant when he wrote that he contacted his teachers after 1915?. 

Master Funakoshi himself believed strongly in educating the mind through using the brush or the pen to balance training with the sword or hands. He taught that a person should seek knowledge, enriching themselves through reading and writing and all matters of intellect. Okinawan boxing also, of course, comprises scientific studies, including biology, chemistry and physics. Okinawan-style boxers study anatomy and the principles of movement and the way of things in the most detail, while medicine and diet are also studied, though not necessarily to as great a degree by comparison. That being said, often Chinese boxers would learn medicine intricately. I believe that you should study all three sciences with effort. As he noted in Karate-Do: Ichiro, Master Funakoshi passed the examination for entry into medical school, but only could not attend because of political pressure surrounding the topknot. 

Some people today choose to arm themselves with guns or knives. Regarding firearms, this is particularly relevant in countries in which the law permits such weapons to be acquired and held by any member of the public. Bladed weapons may be more prevalent, naturally, largely for criminals, in countries not allowing legal gun-ownership. It is my view that only the military should carry weapons. No one else should even feel the need to arm themselves. We, as a species, cannot move toward a truly educated and advanced future if we do not seek and achieve peace amongst all of humankind, regardless of gender, race, religion etc. Arming ourselves suggests fear and aggression. This is not the way. 

Karate is not a method of fighting without weapons. However, while it is not, from a defence perspective, solely reliant on the empty hands, it is, most importantly, about developing your character so that you do not have a taste for conflict. Though, you must also become capable, should an unfortunate situation of life-or-death arise. It is about improving yourself physically and mentally. If practised diligently, it forges a strong and healthy body and mind, and an intelligent outlook. It fosters awareness, physically and psychologically. Applying techniques found within its myriad of formal exercises is not just what is seen externally (omote), but is also about the unseen (ura); to apply yourself in life. Teachers are constantly telling students to apply themselves. That is how anything gets done. We live for a short time, regardless of how many years in the end. Inaction will only result in a pointless existence, whatever the time-span. Kenpo also teaches us to be careful and non-violent within our actions. It is not, however, a matter of following certain doctrines or beliefs. There is no uniform, there are no ranks or titles, there is no particular place to study, and certainly no one and nothing to bow down to or worship. It is simply about being a good, peaceful person. Of course, there are usually actual weapons included in the training, which Master Funakoshi taught in addition to his empty-handed methods of defence, before the Pacific War. If desired or required, however, just as at various points during the history of karate kenpo, a practitioner could not use any weapons and purely practise unarmed techniques. In terms of international peace, it would be better if societies allowed this to be a safe reality, without the need for preparation for any eventuality such as defending against armed assailants. 

Spirit is the third aspect of the trio known as the three battles of mind, body and spirit, called sanchin in the Okinawan pronunciation of the Mandarin sanzhan. It does not matter if you practise a sanchin kata. The idea of this teaching lives within all kata / quan. Spirit does not refer to some esoteric spiritual philosophy. At least, not necessarily. It is really about mindset in the sense of determination, and about physical energy and breath ("chii" in Okinawan, "qi" in Mandarin, and "ki" in Japanese). Hence, it links the mind and body as if it were in fact the essence of ourselves. But this, too, is not a matter of philosophical indoctrination. These sorts of "boxing" methods offer profound teachings for humans in the pursuit of bettering ourselves and finding understanding. An important gesture in Chinese and Okinawan boxing is the action of placing your left palm over your right hand or fist. Originating in Chinese culture, it signifies peace; a lack of desire to fight, despite whatever skill you may have acquired to that end. You must stop fighting, not provoke it. Someone without knowledge of old Chinese culture may call this very message a doctrine. But they are missing the point. There is no doctrine. The meaning of the gesture is simply the right way to behave, and not in the sense of what a certain group deems to be "correct". The pursuit of peace is genuinely moral.

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