We Are Not Prepared

Last night, I attended an event featuring Project Soul: a collaborative effort between sport karate competitors, martial arts tricking crews, bboy dancers, hip-hop dance teams and performance artists, and spoken word performers. The event was held in conjunction with the AMAPA Finals, a local martial arts circuit.

Despite a few logistical challenges (typical for a first-time event from a first-time promoter, featuring local talent) I thought it was fascinating and has a lot of potential for future shows. My students really enjoyed themselves too. I am very proud of their open-mindedness and willingness to have fun and be exposed to different forms of talent in the world.

Unfortunately, I think that the artistry of the evening was lost on much of the martial arts crowd, whose appreciation seemed limited to whichever tribe they belonged to. Very sad.

When will we, as a group, open our eyes and see beyond the ends of our noses?

Could you not hear yourself, Ms. Tournament Rulebook In One Hand and Promoter's Cell Phone on Speed Dial in the Other Hand, or were you too busy badmouthing the event organizers and missed videotaping your son's first grand championship performance entirely?

Did you not hear yourself, Mr. Holier-Than-Thou Traditionalists, espousing the death of the martial arts from your self-imposed exile, despite the fact that you came and paid money to see this so-called mockery of the arts fully aware of what you came to see?

Perhaps not.

Perhaps in your dogmatism, you failed to see the amazing talent on the floor that night. You, who preaches 'positive mental attitude', 'discipline', and 'respect', yet searches for the first justifiable reason to toss those virtues aside in favor of your ego...or worse yet, your sheeple mind-as-extension-of-your-master's-narrow-views. You, who swear to 'love and support your son more than your own interests', yet were too obsessed with how the performers were inconveniencing you to pay attention to your son's triumph and decided to complain nearly nonstop for almost four hours straight.

That's right. I heard you. And I am ashamed for you, because you don't feel it yourselves.

In fairness, there were some issues with some of the audience members whose interests were outside of the martial arts, mostly regarding etiquette related to 'not blocking the view of everyone in the first 12 rows of the bleachers'; however, given that martial artists tend to consider themselves to be spiritually evolved, I am hardest on ourselves for failing to meet our own standards.

We know how to be better and we failed to act in accordance with our practice.

Perhaps this post is an apology, on behalf of those who cannot see past their own noses, to the visionaries who tried to unite people through adding our art to theirs...and sharing their art with ours.

It is our fault that we were not prepared.

Please don't be frustrated with us.

Someday we will be ready.