Peaceful Warriors' Student Blog: Does the Training Stop?

This article was written several years ago by a friend in New Brunswick. I post it here for your thoughts.

As a Martial Artist I am always trying to perform at my best and allowing myself to grow. At times we all come to this point where we question whether or not we have learned all that we need to learn. Do we ever really learn all that we need to learn in order to be the best Martial Artist? Do we think about what we might be missing to complete the extensive sheets of techniques and theory? Have we come to a point in our lives when the Learning stops? These questions often arise in practitioners and this is real shame. To those who believe that there is no more for them to learn I have to say shame on you. There is always room for improvement and there is always something out there that someone else has that you don't. Every time that you suit up and walk through that doorway into your dojang there is room for learning. This does not mean that you are always learning a new technique. It could simply mean that a question has come up which needs to be answered. From this one little question comes the magical moment of learning. Each and every one of us holds a small spot hidden within which needs to be filled up with knowledge and I feel that it should be filled. Each one of us has room for improvement, student and teacher alike. The rank level student is like a sponge and always craves knowledge and the teacher is there to provide that knowledge. But the teacher should never forget that he/she is a student for life. No matter how many Dans or how many years, you can never learn everything in your lifetime. This is the greatest thing of all. It is an uncontrollable circle. The more you learn, the more you will crave for new knowledge. If we ever come to a day when the learning stops then the spark dies, or at least it is that way for me. No matter what rank, style, race, country or gender, we all have one thing in common that binds us as Martial Artists the learning. Don't lose sight of that. No martial artist should shun another because of the style that they practice or because they are a lower rank. If anything, I feel that the higher ranks should be there to offer a hand and help the lower ones to get up to their level. No where in the martial arts dictionary does it say "Dan = God" at least not the last time I checked. As a final note, a very close friend of mine shared this with me and it has stuck ever since. Always remember this when you are looking at your belt around your waste. "We are not better, we're just different". Everyone should feel that way about their fellow martial artists. ......................... Andre Lanteigne

Yours in the arts,