Martial Thoughts

I came across this old Nike Commercial that has an awesome message.  Everyone should watch this daily!

This message is especially important for kids to learn, to often we put the emphasis on winning, succeeding and forget to remember that failure is the first step toward success.

By Charles Swindoll

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company … a church … a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.

The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude … I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you … we are in charge of our Attitudes.

I thought this was worth posting given the current confusion that seems to be holding America hostage…

With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.
– Steven Weinberg, quoted in The New York Times, April 20, 1999

At first glance this seems to make sense, but the more I ponder this quote, the more apparent is becomes that it is a total load of horse5#!7.  It amazes me how intelligent people can say some of the stupidest things…and believe them.  That does not mean that my views are beyond question as I am sure some will assert.  But this statement relies on facts that are not present or demonstrable.  First the above statement predisposes people to either do good or evil things, hence the “good” people do good things and those “evil” people doing evil things.  Hmmm if this is true than we should be able to determine who is good and who is evil, perhaps with the help of Santa Clause, and then round them up and eradicate them from society.  Then you would only have good people doing good things!  Is that realistic?  No, it isn’t very realistic, the good people would probably view this type of behavior as evil…no?  In reality, the evil people left unchecked will consume the good people until the evil people far outnumber the good people leaving the good people helpless for perpetual victimization. A good person is one defined as someone who is “good to other people”.  While an evil person is “somebody whose selfishness and perceived inhumanity or vicious behavior terrifies and disgusts people”!  But in this world without religion would people be inclined to do good?  If so why?  Without religion you would be much more prone to only be concerned with your own needs and desires.  By definition this would make you a candidate to be labeled an evil person.  This has to lead to the understanding that Steven Weinberg’s “without religion” is incorrect.  Since he knows religion exists this quote must en a dig at religion indicating that only through religion can good people do evil things.  There is that presumption that we can discern good people from evil but let’s let that slide for now.

Examining with his caveat, good people do evil things when religion is involved, we should first define religion.  For simplicity let’s leave God out of this for right now.  So this argument stands first we should define religion: “A set of beliefs and practices, often centered upon specific supernatural and moral claims about reality, the cosmos …”  The “often centered upon” text means we do NOT need a God to have a religion so we can continue.  If we look at this from a non-God centric view we again will quickly see that evil will most likely win over good since the tendency will be toward selfish goals.  Notice I am not putting a time line on how long this transition will take.  Giving the “good” people the benefit of the doubt and assuming we start with more good than evil people the outcome will eventually lead to evil people being the norm.  This shift will occur because the secular religion is subject to the whim of it’s parishioners, what feels good today may not tomorrow and hence lead to a morally acceptable shift over time.  This happens even with God centered religion involved so there is no reason to feel secular religion would fair any better.  Some will argue that Godless does not always equate to selfish and I will agree with the “not always” part, however, this is an exception not the norm.  Want proof?  Look at divorce, fidelity rates, drug use, pick your poison.

What if we put God into the mix?  From Steven Weinberg’s view this would provide the excuse for good people to do evil things.  I am sure he would site the Crusades or the Spanish Inquisition among his reasons for such a statement since we all know that the only atrocities in the world were motivated by religious teachings!  Religion is to often used as an excuse of those without any for the problems of the world.  There is a term for that, self-justification.  Since religion is practiced by humans who are imperfect there will always be wolves in sheep’s clothing leading the flocks of the world to do wrong.  The real problem is not with the religion but with the complacent and sheeple that follow blindly when diverting from the teachings of the religion.  There again the real problem is that people often do not even understand their own religion much less what is acceptable.  This is further exacerbated by the current culture of personal morality where people feel they can select which aspects of a religion they accept or deny to follow.  If you don;t like the rules, simply change them!  Christianity is perhaps the best example of this problem.  In reality religion leads people to more selfless acts if a person truly believes and is part of a peaceful religion.  Interestingly I would say that he only got the last part wrong, meaning ‘for evil people to do good things, that takes religion’!

With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for evil people to do good things, that takes religion.
– Sensei Mitch, February 4, 2009

“Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway” –  John Wayne

I have a magnet with this quote on the Refrigerator and it is probably the most useful quote I’ve ever heard.  As men, that is what we do when we have to.  John Wayne was/is a great role model, to bad their aren’t more men in Hollywood, by that I mean on screen and off!

Do you have real Courage?

So you want to get in shape?  The Martial Arts are perhaps one of the best forms of exercise for a fitness program.  If done correctly a typical workout incorporates every muscle group in your body.   But the most important reason the Martial Arts is one of the best forms of exercise is because it is FUN!!  Enjoying your exercise routine helps you stick with it and attain your personal goals.  Additionally practicing the Martial Arts increases your self-confidence and improves your self-confidence.  You feel better physically and mentally.

Regardless of your age a Martial Arts will benefit your overall fitness.  A complete Martial Arts training program includes:

• Cardiovascular Training
  • with sparring, and repetitive drills;
• Resistance and Strength Training
  • with weights, dynamic tension, and partner drills
• Flexibility Training
  • with breathing and stretching practices.
• Balance/Stability Training
  • with all elements

All of these factors coupled with a balanced diet provides a well rounded fitness program.

Now that you understand better why the Martial Arts make for a great fitness program, what should you look for in your Martial Arts program?  Every Martial Arts program should include some fitness and conditioning exercises and drills.  If your focus is using the Martial Arts to get in shape then there are some things you want to specifically look for:

• Beginning Warm-up and Stretching (Cardio/Dynamic tension/flexibility/balance)
• Repetitive Form or Fighting Drills (Dynamic tension/Cardio)
• Partner and Bag Work (Strength/Cardio/Balance)
• Sparring (Serious Cardio)
• Cool-down and stretching exercises (flexibility)

Remember that this list is a guide as every program can approach training differently.  The one challenge in Martial Arts training is typically the Cardiovascular training component.  Your Martial Arts training will give you a total body workout but will it provide an adequate Cardiovascular workout?  There are thee basic types of Cardiovascular workouts:

• Long and Easy;
  • 30-60 min
• Moderate
  • 30-45 min
• Short and Hard
  • 10-30 min

Most drills and exercises in Martial Arts training are a great source of Short and Hard Cardio workouts.  Short and Hard Cardio workouts offer the largest increase in metabolism, increased Cardio health and respiratory output (the ability to not get winded!).   When looking at your Martial Arts program you do need to make sure that it includes at least one set of 10-30 minutes of sustained activity to achieve the benefits of a short and hard Cardio workout.   Sparring, kick drills, combination drills and bag work are all great Short and Hard Cardio activities to look for in your program.

Unlike many exercise programs the majority of your Martial Arts training requires little more then a few feet of space.  If you do have the room and the money, having your own heavy bag is a nice training tool to have.

You are now well on your way to getting into shape, all you have to do now is start training!  Like everything in life things go better if you plan ahead and take it slow.  A serious fitness program requires you to workout at least 3-5 days a week, but never more then 6 days a week.  If you are just starting out or haven’t workout in a while ease into your workout to avoid discouraging yourself and injury.  Here is a suggested workout schedule* to guide your progress towards a complete Martial Arts fitness program:

Starting Month 1-3:
- Martial Arts class 1-2 days a week: [1 hour]
- Additional Strength Training (warm-up exercises) 1-2 days a week: [10 min - 20 min]
- Additional Cardio Training (bag work, jump rope, etc.) 1 day a week: [10 min – 20 min]
- [Total Weekly Time Commitment: 1 hr 20 min to 3 hrs]

Starting Month 4-5:
- Martial Arts class 1-3 days a week: [1-2 hours]
- Additional Strength Training (warm-up exercises) 1-2 days a week: [20 min - 45 min]
- Additional Cardio Training (bag work, jump rope, etc.) 1 day a week: [20 min – 30 min]
- [Total Weekly Time Commitment: 1 hr 40 min to 8 hrs]

Starting between Months 6+:
- Martial Arts class 2-3 days a week: [1-3 hours]
- Additional Strength Training (warm-up exercises) 1-2 days a week: [30 min - 1 hour]
- Additional Cardio Training (bag work, jump rope, etc.) 1 day a week: [30 min - 1 hour]
- [Total Weekly Time Commitment: 3 hr to 12 hrs]

Even just working out 2 days a week will greatly improve your fitness level.  The best part about all of this, ITS FUN!

*Remember to always consult your Doctor before beginning any new exercise program.

“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsel or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands of those who feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you. May posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.”
– Samuel Adams

As Martial Artists this quote should have special meaning to us because our practice of the Martial Arts pays tribute to those who developed the arts in order to defend themselves from unjust servitude. Yes I know that is a broad interpretation but it is the spirit of the Martial Arts that I am speaking to, the spirit to be free despite the outward bent of society.

I am reading Give Us This Day - The Classic Memoir of the Bataan Death March for many reasons but mostly because I grew up knowing one of these men and what little he told me had a great impact on my life. In reading this book I am discovering something about myself as well, especially the things I take for granted like my freedom.
The following passage really struck a cord with me as we to often tend to blame God for our problems. The following passage takes place a few days before the American soldiers were forced to surrender…

We had lain the whole day in the foxhole, fearing to raise our heads. The fury of death raged above us and as the night drew on, we huddled together. I could hear a man in one of the foxholes near us praying.‘Oh God, don’t let me die. Take care of me. Don’t let me die, God. Please God, don’t let me die.’

Side by side, Rass and I listened to the man’s words. We were used to our own prayers, seldom audible, but prayers nevertheless and fervent. Rass spoke up, speculating.

‘You know Sid, I don’t believe I’ve ever heard you come right out and pray to live. I know that you want to live, but I have never heard you ask God to let you live.’

‘No, Rass, I never have asked God to let me live, and I’ll tell you why.’ I looked over at his puzzled face in the faint light. ‘When I was a little boy, at home in Watonga, there was a hardware store that was giving away a little red car. You got tickets on this car with every so many purchases at this store. I have never seen a little car like that since. It had bicycle tyres and it was big enough for three kids to ride in it. It had a real gasoline engine, like a washing machine engine, I guess, because it went “pop, pop, pop.”‘

‘Dad and Mother saved up the tickets they got. I never in my life wanted anything like I wanted that little red car. For a month before the drawing I didn’t think a bad thought. All day long I kept thinking, if I’m real good, God will let me have that car. I’d pray every night for an hour down on my knees beside the bed. I’d pray that I’d win that little car.

‘Oh, the dreams I had of driving around in that little red car. It’s funny, but my mother was running around forcing tonics down my throat. She was sure I was sick because I was so darn good. And as the day came closer, I was more careful for fear I might even think something bad, or do something bad, and then I wouldn’t get that car.’

‘I’d go down in the afternoons and look at it and run my hands over it and her the sound of the motor going “pop, pop, pop.” The I’d go home and pray for that car.’

‘Finally the day of the drawing came and I stood with all the other kids and their folks. My dad had the tickets all laid out. I waited as a blindfolded little girl ran her hand down in a cage and drew out a number. When the number was announced–why dammit, Rass! I didn’t get that car. One of the meanest little kids in town got that car. And he never did anything good. I felt cheated. I felt that God had cheated me, Rass, because I didn’t win that car.

‘As I got older I used to think about it. The worst thing that could have happened to me was if God had let me win that car. I learned right then that a man hasn’t got a right to ask God for little red cars, because that’s not what we’re here for. God doesn’t go around giving little boys or grown men little red cars just because they ask for them. Men get little red cars because the work.

‘Since then I’ve seen so many die. Good guys too, Rass, guys that believed in God stronger then I do. When I see those guys die, I think, well, life is a luxury. Even if it isn’t a luxury I haven’t got the right to ask God to live. I’m not going to ask him for a little red car. With all these shells bursting around me I’ve got the feeling that my life is just like that little red car.’

My mind flew back to the day the war started and the prayer I had made after seeing the wounded lying in the hospital yard. God had given me what I asked for and Rass knew about that prayer. Things in my personality too weak for my control I had begged God to help me with. But life, no. It was a tangible, precious thing that I wanted with every breath. But hadn’t better men then I died praying to live? And God is great and I knew He wept for them and suffered their pain.

‘I do ask God to give me strength to take all this, to be a better man and to help me make myself a better man. If God wants me to live, if He’s got anything He wants me to do with my life, He’ll help me do it. If He wants me to live, He’ll let me. But I’m not going to ask for any little red cars.’

In my mind, Sid demonstrates a much stronger faith then he gives himself credit for. In ever battle, in every struggle, in every pursuit, if we can understand that we are not truly in control, that we cannot be, we will be more able to cope with fear. We can only control our inner self, to try to control more then that is futile and a waste of energy. We can choose to be one of two men who falls from a boat in deep water. One man struggles and splashes about in the water in a fearful attempt to not drowned only to exhaust himself and seal his fate. The other man, relaxes and does a back float accepting his state and waiting for what comes next, rescue or land. A proper faith in God helps us to accept those things which we have no control over. Faith is a formidable force.

I highly recommend this book: Give Us This Day - The Classic Memoir of the Bataan Death March. It is told in the first person with vivid details that capture your attention and make real this period of history. If you are at all interested in history or in the Japanese culture at that time this book is a must read!

Are we headed for Martial Law in America?
Are forces being set in motion to defeat the American people from within it’s own borders?
Will ‘We the People’ have time to respond if these things happen?

I despise fear mongering so don’t take the above questions out of context. I do like to look at the facts and draw conclusions from those facts. Here I will just present the facts and leave it to you to post your conclusions as comments…

On September 30 it was announced in the Army Times that Brigade homeland tours will start Oct. 1. The 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team (BCT) has spent 35 of the last 60 months in Iraq patrolling in full battle rattle, helping restore essential services and escorting supply convoys. Now they are training for the same mission at home. Beginning October 1 for 12 months, the 1st BCT will be under the day-to-day control of U.S. Army North, the Army service component of Northern Command, as an on-call federal response force for natural or man made emergencies and disasters, including terrorist attacks. This new mission marks the first time an active unit has been given a dedicated assignment to NorthCom, a joint command established in 2002 to provide command and control for federal homeland defense efforts and coordinate defense support of civil authorities. After 1st BCT finishes its dwell-time mission, expectations are that another, as yet unnamed, active-duty brigade will take over and that the mission will be a permanent one.

Also from the article and I quote: “The 1st BCT’s soldiers also will learn how to use “the first ever nonlethal package that the Army has fielded,” 1st BCT commander Col. Roger Cloutier said, referring to crowd and traffic control equipment and nonlethal weapons designed to subdue unruly or dangerous individuals without killing them.

The package is for use only in war-zone operations, not for any domestic purpose.”…well I feel better.
Source: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/army_homeland_090708w/

And during the infamous bailout debate we heard about Martial Law on the floor of the Congress:

How secure is our Freedom and how willing is OUR government to take it away??

I went to the movies the other day and during the previews they ran a music video/commercial for the National Guard. The commercial was really just the music video of Kid Rock’s new song Warrior, the video and the song are great. While I don’t think of Kid Rock as a role model he is very talented, patriotic and understands his wealth compared to ours. He also likes to make his music available for free because as he say “I have more money then I can use!”.

There is a problem with embedding his song so until I figure that out you can play it on your system with this link Warrior. To get more information about the song and the Guard visit their official site.