“Why, after practicing martial arts for so long, are you still doing it?”, people sometimes ask. “You should be able to defend yourself by now and there's surely easier ways to stay in shape. So, why are you still doing it?” Good question. Sometimes those of us who continue to sweat, who repeat the same movements over and over (for decades in many cases), who endure the pain of bruises, pulled muscles, mat burn, and worse...ask ourselves the same question. Then we usually shake our heads and get back to training. We are, I believe, a different breed. We, like those involved in similar pursuits, march to the beat of a different drummer.
When I was younger, I looked around at how so many people live their lives; they get up, go to work, come home, have a beer or three, watch television, go to bed, and start the whole process over again. It seemed like they were living in a rut. Some enjoyed various hobbies but those activities appeared to be little more than distractions from their otherwise dead-end lives. I knew that such a life wasn't for me. I wanted more. Much more.
Like most of you, I suspect, I first became involved in the martial arts for reasons of self-defense. After a time, I began to notice changes in myself. These involved more than just changes in my body and health, but changes in my mind, my personality, as well. So, I kept at it, struggling to become more adept at it and before I knew it, I had reached middle age!
Certainly, many... probably most, people who become involved in a given martial discipline initially regard it as little more than a sort of hobby, albeit a rather exotic one. In time, they give it up for a variety of reasons and move on to become involved in something else or, in many cases, become a couch potato. I used to decry this kind of thing but with the passing of years and the acquisition of a small measure of maturity (some would say it's REAL small!) and wisdom, I came to understand that they had gotten whatever it was that they wanted out of the martial arts. They were simply moving on. And that's okay...for them. But it has never entered my mind to do the same thing.
I've been involved in the martial ways for more than six decades now, and I've seen countless people come and go. Some were very talented practitioners who made names for themselves in the tournament circuit. But they quit. I won't name names but there are a great many of them. I often wondered, “Whatever happened to...?” And in many cases, I found out. They had simply become too old to continue competing, so they walked away. For them, martial arts had become little more than sport and like the aging NFL or NBA star, there came a time when they could no longer go for the gold and they “retired.” They not only stopped competing; they stopped training and, in some cases, teaching, altogether. How sad.
Then there have been those few who kept going. Their minds were focused on something other than winning the next championship; they were interested in improving themselves, in acquiring a deeper understanding of their arts and thus, themselves. Most of them didn't pay much attention to the passing years. The budo had/has become an integral part of their lives and they kept at it. A few decided to help others enjoy the benefits that they themselves had enjoyed through the regular practice of these disciplines, and they became teachers.
Looking back on all of it, I can see that there were many other paths I could have chosen and most of them would have provided me a very financially comfortable life. If I had it all to do over again, would I choose once again to step onto the path of the budo? You bet. I'd still jump in with both feet! In a heartbeat.
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