THROUGH WESTERN EYES

 by Phillip Starr

I've been involved in the practice of martial arts for more than 60 years and one of my most important observations has been that we (Westerners) tend to look at the Eastern martial disciplines that we practice through our Western eyes. This had led to a great deal of misunderstanding and confusion regarding these arts – why they are practiced in the manner that they are practiced, why they're practiced at all, the adherence to tradition, and so on. To truly grasp the spirit of the subject, we must see them through EASTERN eyes...

To do this isn't easy. We must understand the culture from which our chosen arts were born and to do that, we must understand how those cultures SEE and THINK. As Westerners, we often like to think that we've got a handle on the martial arts that we practice/teach, that we can actually change and/or improve them in various ways, and that we really don't need certain parts of them (whether it be certain training exercises, traditions, or whatever). We approach the arts with a Western mindset and subsequently practice and teach them from that standpoint. It is my opinion, for whatever it's worth, that we lose much of what these arts have to offer by doing so.

Learning something of the language of the culture from which our arts originated is an important key to understanding the culture and it's martial ways. I'm not saying that it's necessary to become fluent in the language, but learning enough that you can carry on a very basic dialogue is most helpful; you have to learn more than just the terms for certain techniques or forms. Learning some of the spoken language will help you understand the culture as a whole, and that's what you're after...

For decades I thought that I had a pretty fair understanding of Chinese culture and although I knew “martial arts” terms in their native language, I had no grasp of the spoken tongue. I thought I understood the culture and I was very much mistaken...I was one of the first Americans to visit China many moons ago and I returned home, thinking that I understood much of the culture.

Not.

It wasn't until I actually lived in China for several years that I realized my mistake. I lived amongst the people and worked alongside them. I learned to speak the language (although not fluently) and I became immersed in their culture. I have heard many Westerners ask, “WHY do they (the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, or whatever) DO that (whatever “that” may be)?” And I realized that Westerners, be they ordinary folks, tourists, businessmen, or politicians, wonder about these things because they're looking at the given subject THROUGH WESTERN EYES. And doing that prevents them from understanding the answers to their question(s).

Samuel Ichiye Hayakawa (1906-1992), a Canadian-born scholar of Japanese descent (he became President (emeritus) of San Francisco State College and eventually a U.S. Senator, was a strong advocate of the study of language. He made a statement in his book, “Language in Thought and Action” that stuck in my mind ever since one of my uncles presented me with a copy of the book. Hayakawa said, that we are limited in our thinking (and subsequent actions) by our language. He was of the opinion that learning more than one language was almost a necessity in our modern world. I agree with him.

Hayakawa's statement indicates that we can only see, think, and understand things according (to the limitations of) our language. This applies especially to the practice of martial arts. To understand a given art or culture, learning something of the language is essential.

Traveling to or living for a time in the country from which a given martial discipline originated is impractical for many people but there are other ways to learn about and gradually understand a given culture.