A Moment
Location: Nangi, Nepal
Local Time: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2005 - 7:25am
I found this entry in my journal from two months ago and I was reminded.
The things we do, make, practice, whether that is martial arts, book binding, music or programming, are the same. There is no perfect program, it is a record, a snapshot, a writing of how you think at the moment you make it.
Show a leather bound, gold tooled book to someone and they are amazed. If I made it, I can easily show you all the things that are wrong with it.
That does not make it wrong or poorly made. It is a representation of a moment, an expression of an instant, frozen in time for observation.
Kelly MacLean once told me that a student told her that her Tai Chi form wasn't the same as it was 5 years before. She responded, "I hope not." A martial art is a living tradition, represented in the people who practice it. A martial artist's skill changes as he or she learns, as the martial artist evolves, so does the form, the external representation. Each performance is a snapshot, a moment.
The things we do, the efforts we make, the changes we effect are instantaneous expressions of ourselves. Do not dispair if that which is done seems done wrong, the effort seems insufficient, the change is incomplete. Devote your energy to the moment in which you are. Whatever was done before is a representation of a previous moment. You are no longer that person.
Local Time: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2005 - 7:25am
I found this entry in my journal from two months ago and I was reminded.
Shodo paintings [cursive calligraphy] are like pictures of the subconcious mind. They are not final statements, but rather instant snapshots of the personality at the time of writing. That personality can be developed and strengthened through Ki practice. On the other hand, careless calligraphy is also a form of practice, reinforcing bad habits and stunting the growth of the personality.
- William Reed
The things we do, make, practice, whether that is martial arts, book binding, music or programming, are the same. There is no perfect program, it is a record, a snapshot, a writing of how you think at the moment you make it.
Show a leather bound, gold tooled book to someone and they are amazed. If I made it, I can easily show you all the things that are wrong with it.
That does not make it wrong or poorly made. It is a representation of a moment, an expression of an instant, frozen in time for observation.
Kelly MacLean once told me that a student told her that her Tai Chi form wasn't the same as it was 5 years before. She responded, "I hope not." A martial art is a living tradition, represented in the people who practice it. A martial artist's skill changes as he or she learns, as the martial artist evolves, so does the form, the external representation. Each performance is a snapshot, a moment.
The things we do, the efforts we make, the changes we effect are instantaneous expressions of ourselves. Do not dispair if that which is done seems done wrong, the effort seems insufficient, the change is incomplete. Devote your energy to the moment in which you are. Whatever was done before is a representation of a previous moment. You are no longer that person.
posted by Jaye | 7:36 AM
1 Comments:
jake i think the air is getting to thin you better come down a few thousand feet you are getting light headed Dinbc
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