He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not
become a monster.
And when you gaze long into the abyss the abyss also gazes into you.
(Nietzsche)
The worst in you
It may well sound corny to speak about 'the dark side'.
However, any balanced person recognises that there are aspects of our character
we should be concerned about.
Martial arts can potentially bring out the
worst in people.
They speak to the anti-social aspects of human nature:
violence,
cruelty, pain, ruthlessness,
anger,
aggression,
force and
fear.
Twisted students
Not all martial arts students are well-balanced people.
Some revel in the violence and the pain they can inflict. They are eager to
cause suffering and will encourage you to do the same.
These people may be charismatic,
exciting people, but their message is ugly.
Instead of seeking to avoid conflict, they embrace it. Rather than side-step
violence, they seek it.
The wrong way
Competitive martial arts are essentially sport, and sport is usually
concerned with victory, with winning.
Sport differs from self defence.
In
self defence the onus is upon escaping, not
upon winning.
When victory is your aim, you become
callous in your desire for
success.
You may be prepared to tread on others as you 'climb the ladder of success'.
Ambition and desire have then tainted
you.
Emotional turmoil
Should you seek to harness your
emotions, to channel their anger, fear and aggression into their
martial art?
That is entirely up to you.
Harnessing your emotions may well add power to their skills but it comes with a price.
'Negative'
emotions harm the body.
Strong emotions should be used sparingly,
if
at all.
When hostile emotions consume you, the intellect is ignored and primitive
urges take control.
Tai chi does not embrace negative, strong emotions. It advocates a calm
nature.
A calm,
composed person sees a lot more and is far more
responsible for their actions.
They come to terms with their fear and they learn how to avoid becoming upset.
Repressed feelings
The dark side of martial arts training speaks to the less savoury aspects
of your character.
You may be sick of being ignored, taken for granted, abused by a society that
does not care.
You may feel marginalised, insignificant and weak.
You may want revenge on people who have 'wronged' you.
You may have experienced an unpleasant childhood.
You may have been bullied.
Martial arts training might seem to be an
answer.
But the answer does not lie with violence. It lies with getting to know
yourself. It can be found through
understanding rather than
reacting.
No control
Letting your repressed
feelings rise to the surface is not necessarily
such a good thing.
You become more intimate with traits that belong in the recesses of your
personality, rather than the forefront.
Once you let
anger, aggression and violence out of your
subconscious you will never be able to put them away again.
They always existed in you, and once you have indulged them they will be harder
to
ignore.
Violence is seductive. The ability to inflict pain excites people. They feel
strong. Empowered.
Cultivating darkness
When you address the reality of human nature, the dark side becomes far less
corny and much more
serious.
We all have the potential for 'evil' acts. It is a part of who and what we are.
The danger lies with cultivating this part of ourselves.
No matter how
strong we think we are, these emotions are not
to be trifled with.
Page created 10 October 2003