Blind Mans Buff

Heyo everyone, this weeks post is going to be about being aware of your surroundings, communication and putting faith and trust into others.

So yesterday was the pandemonium, one of the biggest times of the year. All the set up and take down and food amd excitement is a lot to take in, yet it's still so much fun. One of my highlights was a learning curve for me, and put me a ways out of my comfort zone. During the early stages of the day, I got to wear the Master Tigress costume, and let me tell you, it was not designed to be walking around in a hot day. The whole suit was padded and awfully warm, and I felt like I was in an oven. A really cool kung fu oven, but still an oven. But the part that really got me was the head. I don't know who designed that head, but I'm pretty sure it was made for people who were already blind, because the only hole to see out of was a little slit at the mouth, completely closed up and not even at eye level. The most you could see was an occasional glimpse of colour, such as a green patch of grass or the white siding of the kwoon, and your feet. And hence, I was guided through pandemonium by little Aviva Csillag, who kept me out of danger as best as she could with the occasional yank on my arm.

I've been attending the kwoon for around 8 years, and I'd like to think I know the area fairly well. Yet after stumbling around blind for only 5 minutes, 8 years of memorizing the kwoon diminishes down to nearly nothing. One time I thought I was by the bake sale, till I caught a quick glimpse of the cooking station and I thought "wait. Where actually am I." With my only job having to be walking around and giving kids high fives, I didn't really know where I was going. I can't count how many times I tripped on my own feet, yet I can tell you I didn't walk into a lot of things. At first, I bumped into a few things because I kept thinking I knew where I was going. But the moment I started listening to where Aviva wanted me to go, things started to get a lot easier.

Now to apply this to Kung Fu. One of the most important aspects in working with a partner is communication, and putting trust into one another. By doing this improperly the chances of someone being injured rise significantly. You need to be able to communicate with your partner your limits and your intentions. But you also need to trust them. You can't learn anything if you can't do anything. After being blind for only 15 minutes, I can hardly begin to comprehend what it's like for people who live with it permanently, with no small glimpse here or there to help them see. With that, I guess it's an adaptability thing. With time, you get better. So now I just have to blindfold myself repeatedly in preparation for next year.

Do Not Go Gentle

Heyo everyone, this week's post will be about not giving up, and to keep in pursuit of your goals, even when they seem so far out of sight.

One of my personal goals this year was to memorize a few poems, one of which is "Do Not Go Gentle into That Goodnight" by Dylan Thomas, written in 1951. In the poem, Thomas talks about how frail life truly is, and how it's something worth fighting for. Each of the stanzas respectfully highlight the importance of "not going gentle into that goodnight", but the best one in my opinion is the second to last one.
"Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight;
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
Thomas emphasizes how even when someone is on the brink of death, we still need to look for reasons to live, or a reason to be happy. Or both.

Even though I'm pretty sure its safe to say I'm a ways away from the intentional meaning of this poem, which is to continue living even on the verge of death (knock on wood) the theme of this poem can be translated over to other aspects in life. Countless times in our lives a goal will seem to be out of reach, with too much work needed to obtain it. Yet to not put any effort into it and to give up without trying, thats the same as "going gentle". If you want something, you have to fight for something. Nothing worth having comes easy.

When looking at the IHC, its easy to fall behind on your goals and reqs. And it's even easier to stay behind. To stop trying is to go gentle, and that's the wrong way to approach it. That's part of the reason why I chose to memorize this poem. It's a constant reminder to me to keep up the effort when trying to achieve something.

If anyone wants to read the full poem, here it is;

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Perception and Understanding

Heyo everyone, this week's blog is about miscommunication and making sure what you want the world to know is being perceived properly.

When working with someone, we always bow and shake their hand afterwards. This shows the respect and friendliness between the two people, and it's often accompanied by a small phrase, like "well done" or "good job". However, I also like to use "thank you." Every time I work with somebody, I always learn something new and I always improve. I find that by thanking them for what they have taught me is fairly necessary, as is thanking them for being a good partner. However, if someone says good job and you follow it up with thank you, you may seem somewhat arrogant, in my opinion. You just received a compliment, so you should compliment back, especially given the context. So, despite the sincerity I find in saying thank you, I don't think it often comes across as well as I'd like it to.

It made me realize how often and how easy it is for us to miscommunicate, and to be misinterpreted. It leads you to wonder, what the world would be like if everybody understood everyone else. Their intentions, their purposes, everything they work and fight for. I'd like to think that the world would be a more peaceful place. With everyone understanding each other, people will get along a lot easier, and with such cooperation comes a level of natural harmony. However, that's not possible. Not today. We can't understand everybody's thoughts and intentions, the motives and the driving purpose. The only thing we can understand is ourselves.

With that, I realized that six harmonies is truly just that. Perfect understanding and cooperation within our body. Yet obtaining the six harmonies is no easy feat. If reaching Perfect Harmony and understanding within ourselves is so difficult, it goes to show how difficult it would be to obtain it between 7 billion people. Peace of the world is something we all want, we all desire. Yet peace within ourselves is something we must strive to achieve first.

I'd also like to say thanks to Mr. Sollinger for saying "good job" right before I said "thank you", which gave me the idea for this blog.

Personal Progress

Heyo everyone, this weeks blog is gonna be a real simple update on how some of my personal goals are coming along, because I don't really got much else to write about and this way I can be held accountable incase I start to drop the ball so... win win?

As I mentioned at the meeting yesterday, one of my personal goals was to gain weight in the form of healthy body mass. Since I've already gained nearly 10 lbs in the first few months, I feel this goal is coming along well. As I explained at the meeting, the purpose behind this goal is based on how I've always been an underweight person, and for me to adopt a healthier lifestyle, it would be wise to have a weight suited to my height. As I get older, my metabolism will begin to slow down, so maintaining a healthy lifestyle and diet will be essential to keeping "healthy weight" instead of "bad weight." To get into the right mindset now is the best way to go about it, so it works out.

Another one of my goals is to study an extra seventy minutes a week minimum, as to improve my grades. Since all four of my grades are currently in between an 82 and a 91, I feel it's paying off. Having good grades at this point of my schooling it's a huge thing, because the better the grades, the better the opportunities. Although I know my grades can improve with more work and time, I'm happy with them and where they are at right now. The biggest thing now is to keep in mind and the more time I give school, the less I have for Kung Fu.

I have six more goals ill talk about in future blogs, so I'll leave it at those two for now. Have a good week everybody!