The other day I bought a record album off the Internet for the first time (look at me… “record album”!). It wasn’t too hard; within thirty seconds I had a fresh digitally downloaded copy of Johnny Adams sings Doc Pomus.
The other day I had a parent ask me, “How much longer until my kid gets a black belt?” These two instances are very different and yet identical. The commonality is immediacy. A generation ago that would have been unthinkable. Well, to be honest, in my youthful ignorance and impatient attitude I did ask once…, but, oooohh. I didn’t do that again. It was just not done.
But today I have to handle those sorts of , “When is my next test?” questions differently than my instructor did back then. The reason is that most people buy a song off the web just like I did the other day. They used a fast pass to pay the toll on the bridge, not stopping, just whizzing by. They used a bus pass they renewed off the web. Heck, nobody waits in line for concert tickets anymore. So in a world where many needs are almost met instantly, why would the martial arts be any different?
The difference is this. To buy a really good musical instrument, say, a guitar, you go shopping. You need to go feel it; you might do some research, but the purchase of an expensive musical instrument takes time and actual physical contact. It is something you can’t get on the web or with a fast pass for tolls. You have to spend time and feel the art. And just like a good musician meld with the great instrument. you need to meld yourself with the techniques of your art.
The one thing that can’t be compressed and e-mailed is the dojo floor.
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The breed that feels is a dying breed, if it was ever the majority in the first place.
People don't like to take their time anymore, I doubt if anyone could really 'feel' the instrunment the way you have described; no, they just tend to play at it.
Conditioned to follow the fad, hopefully this is not the case, but if it is then the majority of society has ADHD en mass.
Times are changing and things are becoming more and more unconscious, that is, if they were not unconscious to begin with.
Creatures of habit do not know patience, this takes conscious effort.
Not particularly true of everyone, but I have noticed it in the younger crowd.
Maybe I am just noticing something that was always there, something they will outgrow.
I have noticed Schools in my area seeking to mass produce black belts in just a few months worth of operation.
Then you get these cocky kids, or even cocky adults, who try to get someone's goat and end up getting the crap kicked out of them.
All because they put their confidence in some piece of cloth that will fall apart in a few years, or collect dust as some kind of trophy used to stroke the ego every once in a while.
I was one of those people, so it is not a new thing; I challenged tests all the time, but once I hit brown belt I stopped, trained for three to four years, then tested again.
How long does it take to get to black belt? I remember a story about this written by Rev. Kensho Furuya.
10 years! Furuya said, but what if I work extra hard? The guy asked, then in that case 20 years! Furuya replied.
You don't see this anymore and, sadly, you can tell by the quality, by the feel, or lack-there-of.
A dying breed. I don't mind hobbyists, they are refreshing, and I am a hobbyist half the time. Have you ever seen a train hobbyist work? Their attention to detail is an art and science rolled into one! They often work harder than professional conductors!
"just tend to play at it." well said.
How long does it take to get to black belt? Well I got one in 1984 after six years – just following the syllabus. After a break I started training again (as white belt) in 1999 – I'm only 1st kyu but I've learnt so much more. It ain't the destination – you've got to stop from time to time, check what you're doing on your journey, and from time to time check out the view.
I think you could look at the whole asking "when is my next test" or "how long to my black belt" in a more positive light or the fast pace that the internet has given our life.
I think the student that ask when is the next step is, is taking a forward thinking ownership role in their education. In times past people where content to just fallow blindly. Today kids compare, evaluate & use critical thinking at a younger age then generations past. In the past kids asking how, what,when & where was a sign of immaturity, today that kid is looking for data points to start their Google search.There is a big change going on in how kids think & see the world. There are more & more grade school kids looking into their collage options,it is foolish on our part to think kids somehow can't handle being told what it really takes to get a black belt. Just lay out the how & why for them & where to look for the data to back it up.They will take it from there.
just another quick way to look at the internet. an old famous line attached to the introduction of mass produced colt revolvers in the old west is "God made man but the colt made them equal" today you could say the equivalent about the internet something like "higher education may have brought wisdom & deep understanding to the select few, the internet freely gives it to everyone"
I can understand that viewpoint, I can attest to it as many of my kids didn't really care much for belts, they just wanted to learn.
Mainly because I did not bring belts up and I did not make a big deal out of testing; I always centered on a few details per month and even tried to make it fun.
The amount of material they learned was not very large, but the depths to which they learned it was far beyond what many instructors in town expect from their children's classes.
One instructor even told me they had a separate cirriculum for children and a separate ranking system because Goju was too complicated for them to learn.
For me, that was a challenge, because if something is too complicated for a child to learn and too hard for an old man to perform then it has no value for me.
However, when belts get brought up it is usually more about the ego than critical thinking.
The 'to covet' the black belt is a program in our modern society brought on by generations of martial arts action movies and sports.
When the question is asked it often has nothing to do with learning to any sort of depth.
Did you always ask your grade school teacher when you were going to graduate?
Of course not, that was often the furthest thing from your mind as you were constantly busied with learning and playing, playing moreso than learning for some, unfortunately.
It is the same today. Kids are kids.
They tend to do better when their minds are engaged and guided.
Erik –
Fascinating and completely valid. I like the points.
^^ 謝謝你的分享，祝你生活永遠多彩多姿！........................................