In the Eyes of the World

In one of my recent posts, I mentioned Paulo Coelho, a bestselling author whose books have touched the lives of millions. He accomplishes this through a blend of narrative and spiritual depth. His stories are not simply stories - they are messages to his readers which reflect his own process of questioning and insight.

Recently, I picked up a copy of The Witch of Portobello, one of Coelho's more recent novels, and enjoyed it so much that I asked my high school students to study it. The novel begins in an interesting fashion: the main character is already dead, and the story is told from multiple points of view by the people who knew her. There are people who loved her, hated her, admired her, misunderstood her, and so on. Every time the narrator shifts, the reader is given a different view of the main character's life.

After reading it, I admit to indulging in a quasi-adolescent moment when I began to consider how other people in my life must view me. I say 'quasi-adolescent' because while my younger self was concerned with such things in order to seek acceptance with others, this time I reflected as a person who has accepted himself and was curious. Now that I am embarking on this UBBT/Live journey, I've revisited this train of thought because this project is not a private matter. It is highly visible and, in a manner of speaking, the eyes of the world are on us to see what martial artists are capable of.

It should be known that the people in this program don't do it for financial gain. Sure, they will be able to market themselves in their communities and benefit from their participation, but the kind of sincere effort which is required to participate in the UBBT is not the kind of work that a dollar-centric person would seek.

Similarly, this is not a program for glory hogs. The people who complete this program will certainly become more confident and feel more empowered because of their involvement and the personal sacrifices that they make; however, this is hardly a vehicle for the ego. Anyone can make a YouTube video and show it to the public as a means of self-gratification. Fewer would try to record themselves doing something positive for the world, if only to say, "We're helping out. Join us."

It may result in rank advancement for a select few who achieve remarkable results, but this isn't a platform for automatic advancement. It's earned through the same time-honored way that rank should be earned: hard work, scaled in difficulty to a level which is both rank-appropriate and takes the complete individual into account.

This program may also see its share of failure, but when you are pushing the envelope, failure is a part of success. Mistakes are a part of the game, as are challenges and setbacks.

I hope that what the world sees from this program is more than the results, but what our efforts and intentions represent. Long after this program is over, I hope that those people who followed our journey, those who participated along with us, and those who received some of the benefits of the program can all look back and say the same thing: that we made a difference.