SaMantis
06-10-2002, 02:37 PM
Something spiralstair said in the Wah Lum thread got me thinking. I'm not going to print the exact quote here because I'm going off on a tangent and don't want to print his intended words out of context.
Basically, spiralstair was talking about being "one of the crowd" vs. stepping out on one's own.
It got me to thinking about the progression of the student, from beginner to mastery (or at least being dubbed master). When a beginner joins a kung fu school, he wants to be one of the crowd. But he also wants to make an individual mark on the art, in some way.
Many beginners fit into the crowd just fine, but get frustrated when they don't become masters overnight. A few work through the frustration and persevere to become advanced students. And even fewer become real standouts -- people who "step out" of the crowd and make a real mark on the school/system.
How long were you just one of the crowd at your school? When did you decide to step out on your own (not leave the school, but take the material you learned and "own it")? And, how did you do it?
Basically, spiralstair was talking about being "one of the crowd" vs. stepping out on one's own.
It got me to thinking about the progression of the student, from beginner to mastery (or at least being dubbed master). When a beginner joins a kung fu school, he wants to be one of the crowd. But he also wants to make an individual mark on the art, in some way.
Many beginners fit into the crowd just fine, but get frustrated when they don't become masters overnight. A few work through the frustration and persevere to become advanced students. And even fewer become real standouts -- people who "step out" of the crowd and make a real mark on the school/system.
How long were you just one of the crowd at your school? When did you decide to step out on your own (not leave the school, but take the material you learned and "own it")? And, how did you do it?