One Eternal Round Martial Arts Lesson - Protect Vital Area With Bounds of Protection Without Wasted Energy

The martial arts are a great tool of personal discipline, fitness and purpose.  As an instructor it is my pleasure to publish yet another lesson.  All teachings are purposely expand into life lessons for today's dark and tumultuous times.  Taekwondo is my chosen field of martial arts.  The art of hand and foot has been a mainstay foundation.  This lesson covers your expended energy.  Learning and mastering energy can be critical in not only personal physical protection but also alleviating life burdens we place on ourselves.

As you can see in this riveting high quality picture there is a transparent rectangular box.  This box represents the maximum area that you need to concentrate on to protect your vital parts.  This means that for most any high blocks, low blocks and middle blocks your hands should almost never rest beyond these boundaries.  When your motion is complete you should be well within this area.

The reasoning behind this defined area is maximizing the best use of energy.  All motion, and even thought, uses energy.  In regards to thought, it is prudent to exercise and produce a pristine quality of cognitive abilities with focus as a foremost priority.  By doing so you will be using your energies in a direction of your own well being and protection instead of wandering your thoughts in diverse paths.  Thinking about the movie last night or what dinner will be tonight is a wasteful use of your brain power in situations of choice affecting your life.

There are obvious reasons in the realm of personal physical protection.  It is natural to those new or untrained to overextend or overly exaggerate a block technique.  This often lands your hands in areas way outside the focus of a vital organ, knee, elbow or joint.  Extending a block just 6" beyond what is needful exacerbates the strain of early fatigue by a factor of 10.  This can be critical in your happiness at the end of the trial!

Disciplining the mind and body to focus your energies to stay within the Bounds of Protection is among the best lessons to learn.  There are facets of life that can benefit from this lesson.  Logical thinking will direct your choices toward end results for your long term benefit.  These choices will inherently create lasting happiness to you and those around you.  This is the doctrine of energy.  Correct personal choices will have a positive affect in the long term.  This affect will always have a cascading wake that multiplies in ways you cannot know or dream of.

The martial arts is much less fighting than it is learning how best to positively influence the world around you.

A disciplined thinking will also help prevent you from taking on too many activities or responsibilities.  Excess tasks divide your attention and inevitably lead to unwise decisions and mental confusion.  Things that should have priority focus and undivided attention will now have a fraction of that.

Learn the Bounds of Protection.  This area of energy expenditure should represent not only personal physical protection, but also illustrates a focused boundary of life energy - your choices.

Shall We Carry the Cross of Jesus at Easter

Easter is upon us and many eyes are upon Jesus Christ whether for good or ill.  This meridian in time goes hand-in-hand with Christmas.  Whether Christian or not Christmas is traditionally celebrated toward the end of December, though the birth of the Christ Jesus was in the Springtime.  Nonetheless, they are both epic and pivotal moments in the progress and salvation of not only the earth itself, but also every single life form that has ever lived, is living or will yet live upon it.

Many events took place especially in the last week leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  From nearby Bethany to Jerusalem where there is the preparation for the Passover and the Last Supper, the Mount of Olives by way of Cedron Valley, the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, the betrayal of Judas Iscariot, the trials of Jesus and eventually His condemnation.  Yet, to the Christian world it is His triumph.

My mind of late has been brought to those steps Jesus took as he tarried with the cross.  That old tree proved most agonizing as his strength waned on that dusty trail.  Taking advantage of his distraught spirit at the sight of the suffering of Jesus, the people compelled Simon of Cyrene to lift up the cross after Jesus and assist to that place where the Savior would commend His spirit unto the Father.  This small reference is found in the Book of Matthew 27:32.

The entire life and ministry of Jesus Christ is an unmeasured volume collection of lessons for all of us to learn.  So what can be learned from this small reference to Simon?  What measure of hope can be gleaned from this profound visual in our minds?  The judgement on Jesus left Him without dignity in the eyes of the people in those final hours.  Yet, the accusers left a mark that in many ways sums up the ministry of Jesus.  Though their motives may differ from what history is wanting us to learn, the act of one man lifting the burden, the yoke, of another and tarrying with them is a hallmark act of compassion and service that can set mankind in a favorable setting with the Father and the Son.

Vicarious work is an eternal doctrine!  Jesus Christ, Himself, authored vicarious work for those unable to do so for themselves.  It was only He, who was able and authorized to bear the sins of the world.  It was only He, who was sustained to be that bridgework between man and the presence of the Father.  Yes, we can do things for others IF they are willing to receive it by their own choice.
His Sacred Name Video
Simon teaches us that though the scene may be gruesome and unsavory, the heart and spirit can supersede, and true compassion and brotherly love can set in to transform the occasion into a living paradise.  How often do we see our fellow man in various levels of peril and seek to commune with their spirit in service?  There are opportunities to serve everyday.  In fact we are blessed we almost moment-to-moment opportunities.

Therein lies the disclaimer of Jesus when we stand before Him.  We cannot blame the guy on the right or say our plight in life was worse than the guy on the left.  Our minds will be opened and our lives will be like seas of glass.  Then will our pride be stripped away so as to see the countless opportunities we've been given to progress and to help and uplift our fellow man.  Just as Simon did in the final hours of Jesus.  Just as Jesus did for all of us.
John the Beloved Witness of Resurrection
Yes, Simon was recordably compelled to lift up the cross.  Yet, in relation to our lives are we not compelled of the Spirit to lift up the yoke of our fellow brethren and sisters, our fellow sons and daughters of God?  History tells us that when a civilization is considered righteous is when through the Laws of Consecration man dedicated their time, talents, means and even compassion to the work of God.  Through this all man may be happy and learn to live and grow together as one.

At this Easter may we learn the lesson from the small but profound passage of Simon of Cyrene.  Let selfless service abound in your homes, communities and the world around you.

Parable of the Scarlet Young Hypocrite

Living with the follies of our youth can be heart-wrenching on a daily basis.  As adults we continue to make mistakes yet many of us often try to pin down the genesis of our weaknesses.  Oftentimes these can be traced to our youth.  This brings me to the parable of the scarlet young hypocrite.  This post will be boring because it is so common.  It is a human carnal weakness right out of the textbook of "How to Be a Weak Human."  Let me explain.

There are many things I'd like to pass on to my children and all who'd be interested in hearing my own lessons learned.  Among them includes a story of hypocrisy.  Not to worry - it is a short story.

I was probably an eighth grader but no older than Freshman age in school.  I was probably 15 or so.  There was this Mexican kid that moved in to town with his mother.  I was an incredibly dangerous introvert at that time.  Not to others but dangerous to myself in a self destructive sort of way.  Like many I was a nice kid at heart but my fears led me to reach out in seemingly "fearless" directions.  It was all to elevate myself in the eyes of others - at any cost.  Anyhow, we'll refer to this Mexican kid as Jacob.  I was in silent search for friendship and it was apparent that Jacob was in need of friendship.  In the most sincere of intent I interacted with Jacob.

Jacob had an extremely meek heart.  He was kind and considerate and brutally honest.  I've always had empathy toward those who had a difficult time fitting in or making friends.  I saw Jacob as one of these.  In my accelerated age I really don't remember much about Jacob save it be one instance.  Though it paints me scarlet as can be, it is also the one blessing Jacob gave to me.  His example helped set up the rest of my life.

On his first day at school we somehow got off to a good start and struck a conversation.  I helped him find certain classrooms and within a couple days he had invited me to his place for a snack.  Looking back I'm surprised I agreed.  Being such an introvert I can scarcely fathom going to someone's house let alone having a conversation with them.  Anyhow I went and even got to meet his mother.

Within a couple more days that old serpent started working on this weak sow - me.  There were a couple of guys that were talking trash about this young man Jacob.  Admiring their social status I passingly joined in and made a light-hearted remark as well.  At the time I was unaware that Jacob himself was within earshot of all that transpired.

That very day after school I decided to meet up with Jacob and so approached him on his way home.  Regardless of my friendly remarks he ignored me and kept walking.  This is where the seeming friend, Satan, cowardly flees your side and leaves you naked as a jaybird.  Knowing my own folly I began making comments at him in an effort to make him feel bad about making me feel bad for not answering me.  Yeah, it's a very "high schoolish" way of putting it but that's where it was.

That was the stripping down part.  I was struggling to build up walls of pride with blocks that didn't exist.  I had nothing.  Shortly thereafter Jacob stopped and spoke to me as he looked me in the eye.  This is where the dagger pierces the heart and the blood therefrom paints the "H" for hypocrite.  He questioned me if I was his friend and that he heard all that happened at school including my rude comment and behavior.  Adding salt to injury he made it known to me that he was just wanting a friend and now feels he couldn't trust or consider me a friend.  No, he didn't cry that I saw but it was very apparent that he was hurt and disappointed with me.  I knew I had nothing but I couldn't even save face enough to say "sorry."  I turned and walked away.

When I knew I had no phantom bullets left, that was the stage where a man parades the scarlet letter that cannot be hid.  Utter shame and remorse entered my soul leaving nothing to nurture happiness.

The lesson of the story is a simple one yet one of the hardest to master.  Be true to yourself!  Be true to who you are.  Be true to the values and principles that you proclaim to adhere to.  Honesty, integrity, perseverance, courtesy and an indomitable spirit are all foundational qualities.  All else means nothing and will only serve to destroy if you stray into realms of compromising them.  The more you compromise the easier it is to compromise.  Eventually, the more we compromise and take the path of least resistance we'll find ourselves utterly without any wholesome values whatsoever.

When that happens it will take a miracle for one to look inward and ask "How did I allow this?"  Instead, the process of regularly compromising your foundation creates a panic "victim" reaction that gets pushed often.  This button causes you to look outward for blame.  You'll question outside influences made you do such and such when the reality is your own weakness and your freedom to choose did this.

I am not happy with what I did to Jacob.  To this day there is shame felt.  To this day I want to change the past.  However, we cannot change the past but we can mold our future.  With the callous in our hands bearing the toils of experience we can shape the path before us.  I hurt Jacob but that lesson can prevent hurting countless others and, in fact, produce happiness through my choices based on my experience.

A building in Scotland bears this inscription: What E-er Thou Art, Act Well Thy Part
I would encourage pondering these words and consider them when choices are made.