 You need a lot of skills to become a top class martial artist, but the greatest power of them all is in your mind. Phillip Starr tells us to focus, persevere and keep on keeping on. One of my favorite saying is from an old Japanese source. It states: "A gem is not polished without rubbing, nor a man perfected without trials." It occurs to me that those of us who have been involved in the practice of martial arts for very log have endured many and varied trials. What is important is not that we have been tried or the nature of any particular trial itself, but the fact that we withstood them and continued to persevere.  There have been many who, being faced with certain trials, simply turned around and walked away. Others, after having endured a difficult trial determined that that was more than enough and they gave up. Those who have made substantial progress along the martial path have not only endured and suffered many trials; they also persevered although they knew that without a doubt they’d be tried again and again. The strength of spirit, the absolute determination to persevere and succeed where so many others have failed or given up is what sets you apart from the multitudes. But just because you have succeeded and passed through one trial does not mean that you will not be tried again. It is crucial that you do not give up. Do not allow yourself to believe the lie that everything will be easier and smoother if you quit. It won't. Life is a succession of trials. If you give up on one, where do you draw the line? As one character in a martial arts movie told his students, "The world is full of failures. Do not seek to add to their numbers." It is the trials that make us stronger. Without them, we would be weak. The martial arts practitioner deliberately sets him or her self up for many and painful trials and hardships. While some might say that such a thing is foolish, we would reply that this is simply the way a warrior lives and it is this that helps makes him or her what he or she is. Children learn to walk only after stumbling and falling many times. A child who stops trying because he is afraid of falling will never learn to walk well. It's easy to think, "I will walk away this time. But I won't do it next time." The truth is that once you have turned away, you will tend to always turn away. Trials are not something we need to seek out; they will find us easily enough. They will happen when they need to happen. It is true that we are never given more than we can bear. What counts is whether or not we are willing to bear the weight; what we do with the difficulties we encounter. Do we run from it? Do we succumb and collapse under its weight? Or do we set our jaws and press on? It's easy to think, "I will walk away this time. But I won't do it next time." The truth is that once you have turned away, you will tend to always turn away. Give in once, and you will likely always give in. Remember those who have gone before. Remember those who are still treading the path. Never be afraid or ashamed to ask for help. Everybody needs somebody sometime. And remember that whereas a single stick can be easily snapped in two, a bundle of sticks is much stronger and harder to break.
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Philosophy and Opinion 
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