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KENPO COMES HOME PART 6
By Jeff Speakman

A few days later we returned to the city of Beijing and the Purple Jade Hotel, staying here alone for a couple of days before we went on to the next leg of the’ round the world trip to Europe. Early one morning I went for a walk among the beautiful gardens and nature path around the property. A time to reflect on the enormity of this experience and the end of our trip to China and the homecoming of Kenpo. Under these extraordinary circumstances my mind was free to wonder at life’s complexities and challenges. Understanding my mortality and my work to find solace in comprehension of my place in all things, I reflected upon the inherent conflicts of the world and the history of man’s inhumanity to man. If one looks at man’s history on the planet-- the genocides, mass murders, government and religious extremism, racism and a list of atrocities that unfortunately would fill this and many other articles, the concerns of our future are inescapable. Rounding the corner of the path, in the middle of this beautiful scenery, was a young Chinese woman pushing a stroller bearing her infant son. She was talking to him in her warm and reassuring voice, making him feel safe and secure in this tumultuous world waiting for him just a few years ahead. As I walked past she had stopped to pluck some purple wild flowers blooming next to the path and was teaching her son to smell them and appreciate natural beauty. How profound to come upon this now, I thought, realizing that what I was looking at is the reason we must continue forward and look to the beauty of life and try to surround ourselves with it at any and all opportunities. It is these moments of clarity in a world of confusion that so many of us live for.

I know that my approach to the martial arts is not for everyone, and that’s ok. Because, you see I just can’t find the handle on the idea that my needs or desires are as important as all those who have come before me and sacrificed to keep the spirit of the martial way throughout time. And that is all it comes down to anyway-- what you do in this life, how it benefits others and respects those who paved the way before us. As instructors put more red stripes on their black belts the responsibility to keep the way alive becomes more and more dependent on them, not less. One of my favorite Einstein quotes is “unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth”. If we don’t reflect on this something very special will be lost forever, and that will be very sad. It is to this end that I remain dedicated, and remain in pursuit finding a few like-minded people to share this obsession.

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