You made it! After years of seemingly unending pain, sweat, blood, tears, joy and depression, here you are receiving your coveted Black Belt. It is a moment you will never forget. You are inundated on all sides with strong feelings which are diametrically opposed. You are happy, yet sad, proud, yet humbled. Yesterday you were ranked top amongst the junior belts. Now today you bear the burden of the Black Belt.

However, time flies by quickly. Now, as you put on your uniform, you see yourself in the mirror. Gone is the dark head of hairs you once had. In their place now is a head covered by silver locks – the few that remain, that is. Gone is the proverbial six-pack you once had. Now it closely resembles a keg. Gone is your great physical strength and your cat-like speed. Your techniques are not as crisp and sharp as they used to be. The years of pounding your body has undergone have taken their toll. In years gone by, you felt great after a strenuous training session. You could take on the world. Now after a hard training session, your mind says, “I feel great! One hour after you get home and your body has had a chance to relax, it says, “Who are you kidding? You hurt from head to toe!” You and a hot Epsom Salts bath are no strangers.

Is it all over for you now? Should you hang up your gi and step aside for the next generation of Martial Artists? This thought continues to plague you in spite of the fact that you keep fighting it. In order to head off the “pity party” which inevitably follows those kinds of thoughts it is necessary to go back to basics. Why did you begin the study of Martial Arts in the first place? It was probably for purposes of self defense. Most people have that as their initial motivation. Later on you discovered that it was necessary to make a deeper and broader commitment which included the pursuit of excellence, physical, mental and moral. Over a period of time, by means of rigorous training, physically, mentally and morally, you gradually gained more and more self-control, patience, courtesy, willingness to serve - in a word, you emptied yourself of yourself and found yourself being filled instead with more desirable character traits – traits which have carried you over the rough spots through the years. Now here you stand before the mirror – an aging martial artist. You ask yourself, “What now?”

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Years ago, Marcus Tullius Cicero had quite a bit to say about old age in a philosophical work entitled De Senectute (On Old Age). What he had to say in 44BC still holds true to an even greater extent for the Christian Martial Artist. Four major objections are raised about old age:

1. Old age withdraws men from the active life;

2. It weakens the physical powers;

3. It takes away the capacity for enjoyment;

4. It involves the anticipation of death.

In society today, some older men do sit in front of the television set and vegetate, conversing about their once active live, the weather and complaining about the youth of today. Cicero points out that this is not the fault of old age itself but rather reflects a flaw in the character of the individual. An older Martial Artist, while withdrawn from competition, is now engaged in other employments which are equally as important to the dojo as active competition. He is now mentor and advisor to the next generation of Martial Artists. When an old Sensei seems “forgetful,” bear in mind that he has forgotten more about Martial Science than most young practitioners will ever know.

Many times after a strenuous training session I have found myself jokingly saying, “Wow! Those kids are getting stronger or I’m getting older!” Unfortunately, both are true. Or is it unfortunate at all? Cicero stated that while oncoming age does bring a decrease of physical powers and oftentimes bad health, these actually are attributed more to the vices of one’s youth rather than to old age itself. Cicero pointed out that care and attention to intellectual pursuits preserve health. The aging Black Belt has devoted himself to the pursuit of physical, mental and moral excellence for many years. These years of dedication to those pursuits have borne their fruit with temperate living and this, God willing, produces a healthy old age. I find myself more and more relying on technical skills rather than strength in the execution of my techniques. Techniques which are properly executed are far more efficient and effective when one does not rely on strength alone.

The third allegation against old age is that it takes away the capacity for enjoyment. If that means the “enjoyments” which youth often pursue, the allegation is correct. For the pleasures in which many youth find their enjoyment are mainly sensual. If this be so, old age is a bonus rather than an onus, for increasing years and righteous living have a tendency to free men from sensual pursuits. The pleasures of old age, says Cicero, are far more refined and satisfying than those of the senses. He cites intellectual pursuits like reading, study or writing. When I was a graduate student, I had the privilege of studying with some of the best scholars in the field of Classical Languages and Literature. One of them was Professor Alexander Turin. Every day at exactly 10:30 in the morning, Professor Turin would come through the doors of the Classics Library. He went immediately to his carrel and worked intently until noon. His body was small and frail but his eyes flashed with a brilliance which reflected his vast knowledge borne of many years of serious study and work. He personally was a great inspiration to me and others. Even today his scholarly writings continue to inspire me long after his death. The aging Black Belt has accumulated vast knowledge and experience by constant reading, study and work in the Martial Arts. Now is the time for him to set his years of study and research to print and/or video tape for the edification of the next generation of Martial Artists.

Lastly, the accusation is made that old age brings with it the anticipation of death. That accusation assumes that death is something to be feared. This assumption is categorically wrong. Live righteously before God and you will have nothing to fear when your time comes to die. You will have made with your life, in the words of Horace, “a monument more lasting than bronze,’ in the lives of your students. For the Christian Martial Artist, this is true to an even greater extent. Years of living righteously before God and teaching your students to do the same will be your greatest accomplishment. The Apostle Paul thought that to lead others to Christ was the greatest work anyone could do. To this end he dedicated his life. This lifelong goal made of his death something not to be dreaded but rather joyfully anticipated as a transition into the eternal possession of the very God he served here on earth.

	The Ability to Change Change is one of the keys to living happily. Now I'm not talking about the type of change that's in your pocket and jingles when you walk. Of course having that type of change is important but what I'm talking about is the ability to modify your plans when an obstacle arises.

Take a closer look at the image of yourself in the mirror, Mr. Aging Black Belt. Yes, you are getting older, you are slower than you used to be and you are not as strong as you were. But as you look into the mirror, see yourself as you really are. Look beyond the silver hair or lack thereof. Look beyond your Black Belt now frayed over the years. You are the heart and soul of the dojo. You are the embodiment of what every junior belt is striving to become, if he/she is serious about his training. Your career is not over; it is just beginning! You have accumulated years of valuable experience in not one but several Martial Arts. Over the years you have passed on to the younger generation the benefit of your wisdom and years of experience both in the arena of Martial Science and especially Christian living. How many aspiring students have come to you so filled with themselves! Through years of hard training at your hands, they have learned to control themselves, to overcome their emotions and grow in their knowledge of Jesus Christ and Martial Arts. You have brought them to the point where, now emptied of themselves, Jesus Christ has come into their lives to fill an otherwise meaningless void which was created in the process of emptying themselves of themselves. Your career is far from over.

Mr. Aging Black Belt, you are the best thing that h as happened in the lives of young Martial Artists. You have been and, hopefully, for many more years, will continue to build the character of the future generation of Martial Artists. I beg of you, teach them Jesus Christ by way of Martial Science.

Mr. Aging Black Belt, you are at the pinnacle of your career, not at the end of it. You are the jewel of the Dojo. Do not put your light under a bushel but rather let it shine even more brightly for many more years.

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