Friday Knight News
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” Sun Tzu
What is it that makes us unbeatable? No amount of endurance from push-ups, crunches, or running will do it. The same is true for gains in strength no matter how much iron you can pump. Martial art skills and weapon prowess are also lacking as at a certain point you run into fatigue or weapon failure. How many times have you seen where a weaker or smaller opponent beats the bigger tougher guy in the fight? Not often, but it does happen, that is one reason why we train to make ourselves stronger. We can't do anything about making ourselves bigger most of the time.
Although some of us have the genetic traits that can allow us to grow proportionately with the right amount of nutritive substances, rest and exercise that we use. As this gives us the advantage, but not everyone has the genes to grow physically big enough or strong enough to stop unwarranted aggressors. Some people, even smaller quite unassuming people, often seem to have the ability to avoid confrontations with thugs, bullies, and the passive aggressive types of people we encounter now and again. Still, even these people sometimes have to deal with them if they gather together in a crowd. Yet these people often ward off the bullies even after it has come down to blows.
(The follow segment is an advertisement for my books. The blog continues afterward.)
Inside the pages of these volumes are stories about this subject, gleaned from life examples and fictionalized.
Jace Lee The Shift (Book 4 of the Dream-Walker)
Jace Lee The Shift: We find a new apprentice, Adam, that is fighting for his life. He is struggling to understand the amazing skills of his mentor, Jace Lee; a younger man that has trained under Xander Davidson. All the while his mentor attempts to reconcile the fact that his skills do not match up with the other Dream Walkers.
Jace Lee No Agenda (Dream Walker Book 5)
Jace Lee No Agenda: Jace Lee attempts to find himself on a self-imposed vision quest of sorts. Instead he finds himself being stalked by the same group that had previously sought after his teacher, (Xander Davidson). Instead of mastering his odd Dream Walking skills he finds love and the potential loss of his powers.
Jace Lee and the Tutelage of Ming Wu: Dream Walker 6
Jace Lee The Tutelage of Ming Wu: Jace Lee rejoins his teacher Xander Davidson as they cope with a possible combined threat (the mysterious), Ming Wu and the Council that has continuously monitored the Dream Walkers.
(Blog Resumes)
Although some of us have the genetic traits that can allow us to grow proportionately with the right amount of nutritive substances, rest and exercise that we use. As this gives us the advantage, but not everyone has the genes to grow physically big enough or strong enough to stop unwarranted aggressors. Some people, even smaller quite unassuming people, often seem to have the ability to avoid confrontations with thugs, bullies, and the passive aggressive types of people we encounter now and again. Still, even these people sometimes have to deal with them if they gather together in a crowd. Yet these people often ward off the bullies even after it has come down to blows.
(The follow segment is an advertisement for my books. The blog continues afterward.)
Inside the pages of these volumes are stories about this subject, gleaned from life examples and fictionalized.
My stories are about martial arts adventures that are intertwined with paranormal or supernatural events. The following links are to the Kindle version books from the "Dream Walker” series. Our adventurers find themselves on a quest where they are confronted with both conspiracy and mystery. Their challenge is to unite their mind and body skills together utilizing what they have learned in the martial arts with the transcendental power of dream mediation. They attempt to do this while they are trying to make a life for themselves and elude those that seek to use and control them.
Conversations with a Sage (Book 1 of the Dream-Walker)
Conversations with a Sage: This explores Xander Davidson's early encounters with the mysterious fog like Dream Walking martial art sages. He ponders if they are real or if they are only remnants of his dreams. He mainly keeps this secret world to himself as he tries to copes with abuse, growing up without support or guidance and the mystery of his family's past.
Conversations with a Sage: This explores Xander Davidson's early encounters with the mysterious fog like Dream Walking martial art sages. He ponders if they are real or if they are only remnants of his dreams. He mainly keeps this secret world to himself as he tries to copes with abuse, growing up without support or guidance and the mystery of his family's past.
Xander and the Assassins Gift (Book 2 of the Dream-Walker)
The Assassins Gift: Xander Davidson struggles with the conspiracy of his family and the group that is actively trying to manipulate him to join them or die. The young Dream Walkers learns an early lesson to be careful about whom they let into their circle.
Warriors of Perception (Book 3 of the Dream-Walker)
Warriors of Perception: Xander Davidson and his band of friends embark on a mission to free themselves from their oppressors. They bravely face the challenge all the while vying for the right moment to turn the tables.
The Assassins Gift: Xander Davidson struggles with the conspiracy of his family and the group that is actively trying to manipulate him to join them or die. The young Dream Walkers learns an early lesson to be careful about whom they let into their circle.
Warriors of Perception (Book 3 of the Dream-Walker)
Warriors of Perception: Xander Davidson and his band of friends embark on a mission to free themselves from their oppressors. They bravely face the challenge all the while vying for the right moment to turn the tables.
Jace Lee The Shift (Book 4 of the Dream-Walker)
Jace Lee The Shift: We find a new apprentice, Adam, that is fighting for his life. He is struggling to understand the amazing skills of his mentor, Jace Lee; a younger man that has trained under Xander Davidson. All the while his mentor attempts to reconcile the fact that his skills do not match up with the other Dream Walkers.
Jace Lee No Agenda (Dream Walker Book 5)
Jace Lee No Agenda: Jace Lee attempts to find himself on a self-imposed vision quest of sorts. Instead he finds himself being stalked by the same group that had previously sought after his teacher, (Xander Davidson). Instead of mastering his odd Dream Walking skills he finds love and the potential loss of his powers.
Jace Lee The Tutelage of Ming Wu: Jace Lee rejoins his teacher Xander Davidson as they cope with a possible combined threat (the mysterious), Ming Wu and the Council that has continuously monitored the Dream Walkers.
(Blog Resumes)
The old saying about the fight in the dog is more important than the size of the dog in the fight, and the admonishment to get up eight times if you are knocked down seven times points to the truth of this matter. The ability to go on fighting even when you are being beaten up is a quality that demonstrates this characteristic. To do this a warrior must have total belief in what they are doing is correct, and a willingness to die if need be for the cause. They don't have to be right as long as they believe they are right, then they can march through hell's doors unfazed.
I know that at a certain point a person can die from harsh treatment. I know what it is like to repeatedly have multiple people breaking boards, sticks, gun stocks across your body. Even worse was being yelled and screamed at, at the drop of the hat for years on end, coupled with being ridiculed privately, and suffering from public humiliation. Forced labor, under dangerous conditions, without safety equipment, along with having food, sleep, and companionship deprived from you to the point that it was routine can also create a willing acceptance of death. I do not recommend this as it leaves a strong sense of loss of self-worth, but it can also bring a person to the point where they can go into a fight without fear of loss.
In my mind a better way to train for this ability is called harsh or austere conditioning. Aikidoka, karateka, kendoka, and judoka have long hard training sessions in adverse conditions to work toward this mindset. Everything that can help desensitize an individual to pain can help develop this mind set. This includes doing mediation, either standing or sitting in seiza. In the Japanese martial arts this harsh training is called shugyo. The samurai often went on a quest or pilgrimage to foster this mind set. It was called musha shugyo and the adherent was called a shugyosha. Standing under a waterfall doing misogi (a type of shugyo), or dumping a bucket of cold water on your head is only a portion of doing shugyo. To get a good start on harsh training try doing misogi all through the year and making it to class even when you don't feel like going.
Often it seems, in our comfort and instant gratification driven society, that the ability to withstand adversity is quickly being lost. I love winter camping, it is a great way to develop this mindset. I understand that camping without a tent in minus twenty and forty degree below zero weather is potentially life threatening. So is swimming in ice feed water or swimming for miles where you cannot touch bottom, (even if you tried to swim down to it). You can start working on this skill by slowly acclimating yourself to it. You might start off by hitting the makiwara during nice weather, after you have adjusted to this hardship you can do it year around. It develops more than a hard punch, after all it can help develop an unbeatable shugyosha.
Often it seems, in our comfort and instant gratification driven society, that the ability to withstand adversity is quickly being lost. I love winter camping, it is a great way to develop this mindset. I understand that camping without a tent in minus twenty and forty degree below zero weather is potentially life threatening. So is swimming in ice feed water or swimming for miles where you cannot touch bottom, (even if you tried to swim down to it). You can start working on this skill by slowly acclimating yourself to it. You might start off by hitting the makiwara during nice weather, after you have adjusted to this hardship you can do it year around. It develops more than a hard punch, after all it can help develop an unbeatable shugyosha.
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” Sun Tzu
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