Need more budo

So everyday I monitor the situation of the kenpo world through Facebook.

(Even though none of us really like Facebook, it still is the best place, or maybe even the only place, to connect with others in the vast world of kenpo.)

And little by little, since the recent unpleasantness began, it seems like the true colors of some are starting to show.

Sadly, I have been quite shocked by some of the higher belts of the kenpo world.

Some of the language they use, a lot of it quite foul, and some of their attitudes are astonishing. I'm sure Mr. Parker would not be happy with many of these people he trained in the past.

I guess you could say bushido isn't very present in their thoughts or actions.

I don't throw the word "bushido" around much. I sometimes chuckle when I hear martial artists go on and on about "bushido" and the "samurai code" because I know we are living in modern times and not that of ancient Japan.

But it does have at least a certain place in our training and the way we live our lives, especially after we start down that kenpo path we are all on.

Here is a quick explanation of what bushido is.

The Bushido Code: An Overview

Bushido, which means "way of the warrior," refers to a complex set of Japanese values stressing honor and loyalty to country and family above all else. These values began to develop very informally as early as the ninth century among the samurai warrior class, as various ideas circulated about the characteristics of an ideal warrior.

Having evolved over many centuries, these warrior values began to become more standardized as a code during the Tokugawa Shogunate, an era of samurai rule in Japan that began at the turn of the 17th century. In the late 1860s, civil war ended the nearly 300-year shogunate, bringing about the Meiji imperial restoration and a new era of modernization. Yet the deep-rooted influence of Bushido on Japanese culture persisted.

A principal value running Bushido was a strict hierarchy that emphasized obedience to authority. It called for warriors to fight to the death in battle to preserve the honor of their family or overlord, and in the face of imminent failure or disgrace, ritualistic suicide (seppuku) was required.

Off the battlefield, Bushido required warriors to exhibit a strict sense of honor and self-control at all times. They were to maintain a benevolent yet detached attitude toward life; caring for the earth and other people without developing passions that could cloud their judgment. This ethos bears deep traces of dominant religious ideas of the time, including Confucian ideals of proper social relations and Zen-Buddhist teachings about meditation and reincarnation.
 
Over time, the basic tenets of Bushido have been variously altered, transposed, and recycled within Japanese society, but a general emphasis on loyalty to country and family, and a downplaying of individualism have remained characteristic.

In the 20th century, Bushido concepts were expressed both through the educational system and by propagandists to fuel Japanese nationalism, as the country pursued its international ambitions and also grappled with the powerful forces of Western individualism. With its endorsement of sacrificial death, Bushido also worked as a motivation for Japanese pilots to take on kamikaze missions during World War II.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/sugihara/readings/bushido.html

I will say I have been impressed with some of the kenpo legends. Some have shown their maturity and their true colors, they seem like stand-up men.

I won't name names but others have really shown a dark side I didn't expect to be there.

Maybe I could say it best this way, may we always keep in mind who we are and how we need to conduct ourselves. Apply the "bushido code" to your lives as much as you can. We could all stand to be a little more humble, a little more understanding, a little less combative.

I think I am safe in saying Mr. Parker would surely appreciate it.