what do you mean "the west"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Mega_Champion
Hi Guys,
A lot of people think that martial arts are all about using the body / physicality etc., but my teacher told me that actually using the mind and spirit are the higher levels of martial arts. With this in mind, who would win in a fight of wisdom between the following in your opinion?
Lao Tsu
Buddha
Confucius
Plato (because wisdom exists in the West too)
Keith Jardine (included because I want someone to represent the modern way)
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I’d really appreciate your thoughts! Thanks a lot,
The Champion
I am confused by your comment that wisdom exists in the west too, and you cite Plato, a Greek philosopher. I am fairly aware of some of Plato's works and philosophies, and I like the jist of it. However, what do you mean by the west? This gets very confusing, especially from an American Indian perspective. For instance, if by the West you mean the New World, then you are actually referring to the American continent, the America's, which up until a few hundred years ago was it's own civilization(s) and culture(s)- Inuit, Algonquin, Iroquois, Athabascan, Cherokee, Taino, Aztec, Mayan, Incan, etc. etc. There are wisdom traditions in the west too, and many leaders such as Red Cloud (Lakota), Waukon Decorah (Ho-Chunk Winnebago), or Metacomet (Wampanoag) you could use as an example of a wise leader.
I don't understand why this fact is always over-looked. In fact, the only culture and way of life that truely belongs to the land known as the America's (the true west) is the indigenous ways of life that have been either eradicated or disrupted or supressed. I would argue that the mainstream modern society is confused like a little brat that doesn't know any better and that grown-up adult people, when you think about it, for the most part, act like foolish "adult" children.
If by westerner you mean the western part of the African/Asian/European continent, than ok. I know that the traditions of the average American are influenced and come from Greek/ Roman and Christian (or one of the 3 Abrahamic traditions- Judaism, Islam and Christianity) thought, education and law but I find it disturbing how Native American history, from the perspective of non-native people is rarely acknowledged in any way, even in terms of how First Nations laws, customs, language, land use, conflicts etc. from the invasion to the modern day has impacted and shaped American society greatly, not to mention the still older (pre-contact) implications of society (even in North America, on par with any of the great civilizations of the old world), land use, trade distribution, etc.