Lu Ping An

"Lu Ping An" or a ruff translation " Walk in peace and harmony " There was a theory question on the meaning of this years ago and after much investigation the best description for me was " in order to live in peace,you must be prepared for war." This statement pretty well sums up my response to the question "Why would you practice the martial arts?"
War comes in many forms, war:one nation against another, one state against another, one neighbor against another, one brother against another. For me it is a more personal thing, war against environmental abuse, war against physical abuse, war against mediocracy, war against obesity, war against self doubt, war against anger ,anyway my list goes on and on.
How I view the world around me, how I interpret the information I see , hear or read is based on these inner battles I fight on a day to day bases.
Last week I read a blog that gave me such a strong inner response that I just had to react. I wrote my comments down and sent them off in less time than it took to blink. To my surprise more women didn't respond or take offense to the statements made there. As a matter of fact, some even agreed and gave the writer credit for his insights.
So back to the blog that I have read since at least ten times. It was time to figure out why I reacted to it the way I did. I guess most has to do with age, The reasons I practice the martial arts today compared to how I did twelve years ago. The answer would be very different and miles apart in comparison . For obvious reasons I would not engage in a sparring match with the same intent. I probably wouldn't even just do it for "fun". As I age and my body becomes a little less agile and takes longer to heal, I pick the bruises I am going to inflict on myself. I try to use more technique and less muscle mass in anything I use or teach. My view of what it takes to prove myself in the martial arts would not necessarily match that of a younger person doing the same art.
I live in a time when the women who came before me proved what our sex is capable of and do not feel the need to prove that we don't belong in the art. I have seen the benefit of their hard work and maybe don't keep it in the front of my mind enough. Shame on me. But at the same time I see on a day to day bases what the mental part of the martial arts do, have done in my children and people who attend our school. The huge changes that can transform a person . I am living proof of this.
So Sifu Prince forgive an older aging women for a reaction to maybe something I put in between the lines and talk to me again in thirty years and see how you might feel then about your training.

Linda Shipalesky Silent River Kung Fu Stony Plain Alberta Canada