In all of my martial arts and military experience, I’ve met some pretty scary dudes. Men who have definitely killed people, those who have been in combat, others who have faced off against very skilled opponents. My jujutsu teacher, for example, created his own system because he didn’t feel that the traditional form he studied was equipped to handle the brutality of the street. In previous posts, I’ve mentioned my experience with the U.S. Army Ranger who taught me how much I didn’t know about dealing with a knife attack. His methods, the ones he learned in Ranger school, were vicious and conclusive. Pretty scary. I’ve met my share of tatted up thugs and criminals who wouldn’t think twice about shooting me in the face or slitting my throat to get what they want. Yeah, life is full of scary people.
There are many things I really miss about military life, but I don’t miss intelligence briefings. When you’re part of the senior staff of a medical squadron, you are privy to information all of the nasty chemical and biological agents designed to kill people. When combat units train for war, they drill in tactics and skills necessary to conquer the enemy. If you’re a medic training for chemical warfare, you learn how to set up entire decontamination zones, complete with chemical showers that feel like you’re getting cleaned with a power washer. You see first hand what bullets, bombs and anthrax can do to the human body. It’s the kind of stuff that makes you pray over your kid’s beds every night and wonder what their world is going to be like.
Personally, very personally, I feel blessed (I use that word the way it’s intended) to know God, to know there is a Christ who offers peace and rest. My faith, though tattered and broken many times, some moments hanging by a thread, affords me the peace of knowing where I am going. Some of the men closest to me, the ones I have great love and respect for have committed themselves to the stoic life. Stoicism is finding its way back into mainstream thought processes these days, probably because of all of the crazy shit that’s happening all over the world. A stoic will view everything with a type of indifference; “What is, is. I cannot change it, I can only adapt to it.” It’s certainly not a bad way to look at things. I mean, if you can let go of all of the superfluous stuff of your life and realize that it is finite, you will appreciate your days and loved ones more. As for me, I prefer to have my stoic outlook come from places like Job, Proverbs, Romans, and Revelation.
One of my favorite lines of all time comes from the movie, Rocky Balboa: “Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life.” Rocky then tells his son that what matters most is not how hard you can hit, but how hard you can get hit, and keep going. Think about that for minute. I mean, I’ve known some pretty tough people, strong and fierce men that you’d much rather have as a friend, even if you don’t like them very much. And yet, something like cancer comes along, and all that macho, “I can take anything” crap comes crashing down. Top of the stock market one day and scrounging for pennies the next. World champion today, yesterday’s hero. Senior pastor at a mega church; respected, admired, sought after…until the affair happens. Extraordinarily popular, well-loved movie star on Friday, laughing stock on Monday after the news breaks. Do you see what I’m getting at here?
Do you really want to know who the scariest person in the world is? The one who can crush your dreams, your faith, your family? The one who will destroy everything that you’ve worked so hard to create or keep you from achieving the life you dream of? Look in the mirror, pal. That’s right, it’s all on you. Sorry to disappoint. There may be demons lurking all around you, but they’re not responsible for putting the crack pipe or glass in front of you. They are not (directly) telling you that you’re stupid or making you believe that you can’t finish medical school…or start a business. The spawns of Satan are not guiding your fingers on the phone towards internet sites you prefer to keep private. Nor are they influencing you when you say mean and hurtful things to your wife or ignore your kids. The devil has a lot of power in the world, but he cannot make you do anything. You know, the hardest thing to understand about hell is this: God does not send anybody there. We go on our own. Hell is existence without God because we walk away. Trust me on that one. And remember, (this is not mine), the gates of hell are locked from the inside.
Author and paster Max Lucado recounts the time he visited the supposed tomb of Christ and he made an interesting observation. The doorway is arched, but it’s low, so you have to stoop to enter. In other words, the first step of faith is humility. We don’t take well to humility. We’d rather stand tall, pound our chest…do a Haka dance. See, we use pride to disguise our fears and doubts about life and about ourselves. Do you really want to be able to stand tall and take the hits? Start by being humble and realize you cannot do this alone.
One last thing, especially to all of our friends and students at the dojo. Everything I just said in the last paragraph…etiquette and customs matter. It’s why we wear a kekogi with no patches. It’s why we bow on and off the mat… and to each other. Start every endeavor, every action with humility and you’ll be able to face the scariest person in the world. Take a step further and acknowledge the Creator. Do that, and you can face anything. Even the guy in the mirror.
Dave Magliano
Tatsu Dojo
Jissenkan Budo
Dojo Cho
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