They don't make em like they used to
written by Steve Contes
Can we
attain the extraordinary skills that legends are made of?
Huang Fei Hung - Museum, Foshan,
China Chen Fake -
Chen Jiagou, China
Where are
all the great Masters of yesteryears? The heroes in which we draw are
inspirations from. The heroes that have influenced filmmakers from Hollywood to
Hong Kong. Heroes that have been portrayed by modern day kung fu stars such
Bruce Lee, Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen and so on goes the prestigious list.
With all the advancement and greater
understanding with in the sciences of training, technology, kinesiology and
nutrition you’d think we could produce super-human Martial Artists.
Nutrition
alone has made us bigger, faster and stronger than before. Just watch the
Olympics and see how all other areas of athleticism continue to advance and ask
yourself, why not Kung Fu or other traditional martial arts. As a matter of
fact why does it appear that the newer generations of Masters are lacking some
of the legendary skills now only spoken about. Could it be that they are just
that, legends that may have been born out of mere remnants of the truth, but
have grown larger than life over time and strayed away from accurate
assessments of martial skills.
Perhaps it
is also perception and the desire of each individual to believe that their
teachers are the best around and their teacher’s teachers were the stuff of
legends. Will our perception of our own teachers become embellished regarding
the legitimate skills they possess?
Has our life
so full of conveniences and so called advantages turned against us, making us
softer and weaker (physically, mentally, and spiritually)?
Have we lost
contact with the spiritual and mental side of training?
Are we not
in need of some of the martial skills that were once necessary for our personal
survival?
How does
discipline fit in to the formula and why is it often lacking?
I will
examine this issue from these different angles.
Perhaps the
answer to our topic lies in a combination of our Perception, Lifestyle,
Necessity, the potentially missing aspect of our Spirituality and conceivably the
most neglected ingredient discipline.
Perception
Here is but a brief look at
perception. To cover the subject in depth would provide enough material to fill
volumes
With
the utmost respect I refer to the explanation below.
Perception
as explained by Dr. Francis
Colavita (Emeritus Associate Professor
of Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, where he taught for more than 40
years) extracted from The Great Courses Web Site :
Click Here for site
Though the physical world we occupy may
be identical, the reality we experience—the
perceptions created when our brains combine the input from our senses with past
encounters with those same inputs—is very different. And this is true not only
from one person to another, but within the same individual, as well. For our
various sensory systems can be altered over time, their acuity changing in
response to aging or injury, life experiences, evolving personalities, and
other factors.
Through my
professional experience as a private detective I have had the opportunity to investigate
hundreds of cases which have included taking statements from witnesses that
witnessed the same incident. It is more often than not that statements differ
from slightly to totally. I have also
gone back and updated statements from original witnesses (after a year to
sometimes even five or ten) that are quite different from what they thought and
definitively stated when their memory was fresher. From one of my earlier careers as a bouncer in my hometown I had witnessed this same phenomenon. It has affected stories about altercations
(personally involving me) at the clubs that I worked. (Certainly
stories that in reality I could never live up to) So we can consider the
valid point expressed above as a possible answer to not intentionally
exaggerating or explaining what someone may have seen or even more indirectly
heard. We can also consider the fact that our memories and perception of events
in our own life change over time. Sit
down with a sibling or old friend and discuss in detail an event that you both
shared, you will likely have many differences.
Even events
that two or more people observe at the same time may appear to be quite
different from each other and more importantly so than the reality and
surrounding facts of the event itself. Ask two sports fans watching the same
game that favor opposing teams to describe a possible foul or penalty during
the game or if there were any reasons why their team won or lost. (Keep in mind they both just witnessed the
same event on the same screen and then cautiously step back.) You may have
just fueled a great debate or worse. What we actually see, hear, smell, taste,
or touch and remember have many influences often leading to many inaccuracies. People
also blur the boundaries of what is subjective and what is objective. That is
why most people believe they have the cutest kid, know the best mechanic, and
have the smartest friends or the dumbest, and that no other mom can cook like
their own. What student of the Martial
Arts has not at least mildly inflated stories or experiences related to what
they have witnessed regarding their teachers or training?
This is
certainly a contributing factor to the topic of trying to discover why I
believe they don’t make them like they used to. However this does not alter the fact that I
personally believe that some great masters did indeed exist and a smaller
subset even possessed extraordinary skills.
It would be
hard to argue that the conveniences we experience today and perhaps take for
granted were not part of the lifestyle of our grandparents nor are they part of
the lives of many living under third world or less modern conditions. Unfortunately
we have also picked up many negative elements related to such conveniences
including stress and often an overall decline in personal health from this so
called “good life”.
This also
included their martial skills. A very
basic example: It stands to reason that an individual who walks at least few
miles to and from work daily (often
carrying the needed tools) regardless of sub zero or extremely hot
temperatures will not only be physically healthier but develop a more
disciplined mind to complete what needs to be done. A few more examples would
be the person who rides their bicycle to work under the same conditions but even
a greater distance. Or the laborers commonly observed on road or construction
crews using simple tools to accomplish great physical feats from digging to
moving heavy objects. (Tasks that one
would think should never be attempted without the assistance of modern
machinery.)
I am not
implying that individuals here in the States are not capable of the same, but
what I am stating is that here it is a rarity while in China it is considered
ordinary.
I personally
used my bike (while living in China for three
years) as my main mode of transportation which included riding my two
children one in the back and one seated in front of me to and from school
daily. A second round trip was made daily with my niece on the back seat to a different
school several miles from our home. This had to be done on a Mon-Fri schedule,
rain, snow or shine, freezing or extremely hot. Prior to this daily ritual
which started about 7:00am was my own daily trip to the park for a 90 min
Taiji/exercise workout and my stop on the way back home to pick up fresh milk for
our family breakfast. Of course each day I also transported myself to work and
did the food shopping with the help of my wife and her bicycle. (Two
bikes were needed to carry back the groceries daily because we only had a very
small refrigerator)
Bike for Transportation is not limited to times of favorable weather.
triple baskets carry more groceries
What was born of these new found necessities
was a healthier/stronger body with a more disciplined approach to the chores at
hand fueled by freshly picked vegetables and fruits and a better appreciation
of everything we ate or drank. This is
but a fraction of what others did and still must do daily. For me personally, I grew to prefer this
method of living to any other I have experienced before or since. Consider the
levels of both physical and mental challenges to the people of this particular
small city and you can understand why they might excel in all their other
endeavors such as Kung Fu or for that matter anything else. Back this scenario
up another hundred years and consider the discipline needed to face the extreme
challenges daily just to put food on the table and you can begin to consider
lifestyle as a major player in the life of a Kung Fu master.
Necessity / Survival
Now let’s
dig a little deeper to another aspect of lifestyle that is part of our
primordial instinct, survival. Kung Fu was born of necessity in order to
protect oneself, family or a skill needed for occupations dealing with
protecting others and their belongings. Many Masters were employed as
bodyguards and escorts in an era where their lives were on the line or
challenged on a regular basis. Others were great military men or royal guards
for emperors and their families. It was also realized by these individuals that
while death was always near their skills were the only armor keeping them
alive. Kung Fu was not practiced as a
method for an individual to get in to shape on par with today’s other
activities such as jogging or swimming, tennis or racquet ball. Classes were
not scheduled two to three times a week as an after work / after school
activity. Kung Fu was a necessity of life and the closer they came to
perfection the increased chances for survival. Life was often dedicated to
training. You can’t find much more incentive for developing Mastery of your
Martial Art than that.
I will
mildly compare and contrast the life of a professional fighter. During their
career they are dedicated to perfecting the physical and mental skills of their
craft. No other priority in life can dominate if he or she is to achieve that
goal. However the most important factor removed from the equation is they are
not fighting for their lives nor are they defending their families or any other
individuals.
Secondly I
will relate the above to the modern elite soldier. Although the soldier trains their
skills to survive as did many of the Martial arts Legends before him, they rely on modern technology and advanced weapon
systems as opposed to focusing on hand to hand combat, wielding swords or other hand held (self-powered)
weapons.
Spiritual/Mental
Perhaps the
deepest desire was beyond the physical attributes attained by the ordinary
Martial Artist. It may well be the never ending search for spiritual
enlightenment. For many Masters the physical paths followed were only a prelude
to the environment necessary to begin the journey to true Spiritual
Enlightenment. This being the most difficult objective of all was far beyond
just the extraordinary physical skills some had already come to possess be it
from training, lifestyle, necessity or a combination of. However when spiritual
enlightenment was achieved the elements of clarity and sensitivity were also
realized. This may be why the Master appears to know his opponents’ attacks
before they are launched or physically visible enhancing the ability to defend
and counter. Another key element to the consummate master is the removal of
fear. Now enlightened and no longer living in trepidation of death the Martial
artist was transformed in to true master. His physical skills were elevated to
an extremely high level; perhaps the stuff legends are made of and his exploits
will continue to echo through the generations.
Discipline
Of course none
of the above mentioned needed to reach mastery as a Martial Artist could be
attained without extreme discipline. The greater the degree of personal
discipline is directly related to the degree of personal proficiency in
anything we aspire to do or be. Could Masters today reach the same level of
skills as those that came before them? I answer with an emphatic YES! Will they
or for that matter will you? That I
cannot answer, only you know if you will.
Hopefully
better understanding of the above can lead us to some of the extraordinary
skills we as martial artists only dream about.
Please send me your comments or opinions regarding this article.
