PATIENCE

 by Phillip Starr

The student approached his teacher to ask what was a very important question. A friend of his who was an instructor at another karate school has just been promoted and the inquiring student felt the need to keep up with him and although he had been promoted to a rather high grade less than two years prior to his, he felt that he was ready to move forward again. “Sensei”, he began, “What do I need to learn to make it to the next grade?”

His teacher, seated at the small desk in his office, glanced up and said calmly, “Patience.”

In our fast-paced, modernized world, patience is more of a virtue than it's ever been; it's often in rather short supply. This is true not only in having patience with others, but in being patient with ourselves, as well. When we're training and polishing our meager skills or trying to develop new ones, progress doesn't happen in a flash. It moves very, very slowly – so slowly that it's often impossible to perceive it. But you can be assured that it's happening; your mind/body digests very gradually.

Trying to hurry the process will only forestall it and may well result in injury. Remember the old adage, “The hurrieder I go, the behinder I get”...? It's very apt here. The more we hurry, the more slowly we advance.

Yagyu Matajiro was born into the Yagyu family after his family was already firmly established themselves as highly skilled swordsmen. Although encouraged to learn the art, he was a lazy pupil...so much so that his father banished him from the dojo. His pride crushed by such harsh punishment, he set out to master the sword and prove his father wrong. He traveled far and wide to find a worthy master and wandered into the Province of Kii, which is a beautiful mountainous area, festooned with waterfalls and thick forests.

On his travels, he'd heard of a legendary swordman, now retired and known as Banzo, who lived here. He found the ramshackle hut where the eccentric old man lived and announced himself to what appeared to be an empty room. “I am here to learn swordsmanship”, he began. Then he added, “How long will it take?”

“Ten years”, came the reply.

Matajiro frowned. “That's too long! What if I train very hard in class and practice everday?”

“Twenty years”, Banzo said loudly from the kitchen.

Well put. Being in a hurry only retards progress. I think a lot of it has to do with maturity. Oftentimes, younger students try to hurry. Those who are older and more mature have learned better. Developing real skill takes time and there's simply no way to hurry the process. Some younger students become frustrated and give up and decide to follow other ways or teachers that promise a high level of skill in a much shorter time. Of course, they never achieve genuine skill...

As Westerners (especially Americans), we're used to many things being “quick and easy.” In fact, we tend to prefer them that way. We have “fast food” (which really isn't food), “instant tea” (which my teacher loathed), and so on. And that's what we expect of martial arts. And although there are many who promise to deliver “quick and easy” skill, there's really no such animal.