Why is Lineage so important to some people?
Why is lineage so important to some people when justifying or validating a CMA school?
I never understood why some people are so caught up on lineage. It seems that Wing Chun students are the worst about it.
Real Shaolin monks vs fake Shaolin monks. Learned from Ip Man vs didn't learn from Ip Man. Original mantis style vs later mantis styles. WHO CARES?!
I don't give a flying flip who the instructor is or where he/she came from. Can he/she teach me what I want to learn?
I'm tired of hearing instructors and students claim, "My grandmaster/founder of our system once killed a gang of 30 people with his pinky." as some kind of selling point.
I'm always like, "That's great! Where can I find him? No? He's dead? Well, what flippin' good does that claim do me? I don't care what your grandmaster or founder achieved. That has no affect on your ability to teach me."
A lot of lineage is due to Confucianism...
...to truly understand Chinese martial arts, you must understand Chinese culture. And to truly understand Chinese culture, you must engage Confucianism.
If you just want to learn how to fight, you don't necessarily need all of the baggage that Chinese culture brings, like lineage. But there are so many treasures within Chinese culture that it's a shame to discard it for anyone who isn't a simpleton.