On Kung Fu Politics...

I've been wondering from school to school for a while now. And finally, I've settled with Southern Praying Mantis as my choice... But why oh why is there so much bloody politics! My school this, your school that, my teacher says this your teacher says that blah blah blah....

I don't just mean from one style to another, but even in the same system, even in the same bloody branch of that system... There's probably more politics than the Kung Fu itself!!!

Why do Kung Fu people in general seem so caught up in the chit chat of Kung Fu more than the practice of Kung Fu itself? Does it really matter which came first? Or what the original was like? Well actually it does... But not at the expense of judgement in what that style or school has evolved into. What do I mean by this? Though many styles may come from the same root, each should still be seen and judged upon by their own merits.... For example, the Hakka arts... Southern Mantis (all braches and schools...), Pak Mei, Dragon style, Beggars Arts etc, all share the same roots amoung the Hakka people. But does this mean that the original Hakka Kuen is better than all the rest? Or should we see each as a sigular and individual style?

But enough of that... What's with all this, northern Vs southern, Chow Gar Vs Jook Lum Vs Chu Gar Vs Iron Ox Vs Pak Mei Vs whatever-its-called ?!?!?!?!? What a load of bollox! And I'm not even gonna go near the fact that all individual systems have their own pros and cons... why do most of us Kung Fu people think only of the system and not on the indiviuals of each system?

When the time comes, it's not northern vs southern, pak mei vs mantis, hung gar vs choi li fut.... It's a simple Me Vs You. This is something so simple but we all forget it!

All the politics of Kung Fu is completely pointless. The way I see it, if your Kung Fu is good, you have the right to say what you will, you have the right to be respected for it.

If one day, I walk pass a bearded Old man, and I hear that he's te Great Great grandmaster of whatever system... I don't give a rats arse if he is the pupil of whatever master, the only teacher of whatever style or any of that **** . I'll respect him if he's a good man, I'll respect him if he's kung fu is good.

The politics of kung fu.. pointless. It shrouds the things that we should be looking towards... The Kung Fu itself. Nothing else matters.

Leave politics to the govenment, lets just pratice our arts with a smile on our face because we enjoy the art for what it is, not what it is supposed to be or what it should be....

Word up!

6th Gen Pak Mei Clan

peace

The the root of the bickering is money and ego, pure and simple.

From "Red Envelopes" to monthy dues, the allmighty BUCK
has its place in the SPM community.

People are constantly searching for the "magic" in SPM, and
the "sifu's" who take their money can't be faulted too much
as there are a lot of suckers out there who would bow and
scrape at "sifu's" feet and make every wish a command in
order to swallow the promise of being taught the "good stuff".

People will pay exhorbitant "Gate Fees" and "Key Money"
as long as the "sifu's" keep them bamboozled with
mumbo-jumbo-hocus-pocus-numerology and the most
important mind-number of the all "Traditional Protocol"!

And these sharp businessmen know it.

All too well.

Hello-

Math- you are seeing it from only one end of the spectrum.
Consider this:

Kung Fu skill is a treasure. But it is not found, instead it is worked for.
A treasure earned is often worth far more than a treasure found.

When someone has this treasure they wish to ensure its safekeeping and yes, they take pride in the connection with the treasure of Kung Fu knowledge and skill.

This seems to come about with Kung Fu styles more often than other styles but one of the main things in Kung Fu is that most systems of it (if not all) have been very flexible and changing for all their time in use.
Occasionally a system is lost.
Systems are lost because they are not passed on or because they die out due to non-commital practitioners who do a great dis-service to the art they have chosen to practice.

It is factors like these that cause many to go into great detail about what is and what is not contained in a given system and from that comes defensiveness about the system and finally all out bickering about the system.
All those who participate in this form of politics are also practitioners, and generally they are legitimate practitioners who take great pride in the treasure they hold.

Now, in short, there is of course much more room for the melding of minds in the field of Kung Fu because of the vast amount of knowledge stored within the chinese martial arts.
But if we over codify and over systematize the arts then they become inflexible and unmoving, rigid and stern, all of which are NOT goood traits in a system of Kung Fu.

This has happened with many other arts not the least of which are some of the major styles of japanese and korean martial arts which are rigid in standard and the art becomes insular and only tested on itself because of this closedness in the art.

So, let the politics occur, in the end it may bring more knowledge to light and if all we have to put up with is the minor frustrations of poorly chosen words, then so be it.

Peace

------------------
Kung Lek

The politics of Kung Fu, it's here, and should be here because we each take pride in our art. Because we value it's knowledge and the such...

It should not be here merely to place our own arts above others...

Disscussion in Kung Fu is always a good thing, but not when it becomes this stubborm slag fest that it seems to have become... It all seems a little childish when you step aside and watch the politics that go on. And you wonder, why practitioners of such deep arts resort to such stubborn acts.

Money is always a factor, there are always those who will take advantage of those with less knowledge.

The politics is never going to go away comepletely, but if we all get so involved into it (even I have at some point...), it will only stunt the growth of our individual arts, and ourselves in those arts...

Politics

They have always been there in all martial arts as well as in everything from everyday work to sports, and on they go. We are dealing with humans here and they will say what they like, and there is no way of stoping this. People who have trained with the same teachwer day in and out will have trouble saying anything good about their class mates when the time comes. They always dwell on the bad parts of the person and tend to look over the good points. If you have trained with a person for years, were at the school longer then the person and his gung fu is better then yours, it is hard to swallow your pride and tell the world this person has it and you dont. So you go out with telling the world you have been with the master longer then the guy in question, hoping that the world will think by making that statement you are at higher skill then the guy in question.

This is common place in the arts. Look around, not matter what system you deal with, if there is two or more passed students of a master out teaching his art, and you ask one in private about the other brother student of the master he will most likely say nothing, or will not say much good. Human nature. Very seldom will pass students of a master get together to converse about pass knowledge of the master. This is why we see systems with different hands. They do not share knowledge with each other when the master passes on. To them this is an admitting they need some kind of help, and they are not doing this. So they go on teaching their way or the way they remember. Its insulting to ask for help.

So you will get watered down versions of the art, or the way they rememember it.

What makes politics worst is when you have some no it all running around telling the world that he has the inside scoop on the system and anyone not doing it the way he sees it, is wrong. This is what brews trouble between the factions, and rumors start and get out of control. Most times the trouble maker has no real skill in the system, he just can talk the talk. Most times his motives are not in the systems best interest, only they are to promote himself.

Now that I am older,whenever I here this kind of a loud mouth spread his BS, I watch to see what his motives are. It usally dont take long to figure this kind out, cause they have left a trail of slime behind them no matter what they have done in life. One thing is for sure, they dont have the best interest in the system or past Master in mind. Most likely it is the all mighty buck, or the power of being at the top.

Remember this; if someone dont have the skill and knowledge they claim. We dont need some loud mouth telling us. All we have to do is spend sometime with the person accused.

We can figure it out for ourselfs.

Joe

People who spend too much time playing politics don't spend enough time playing kung fu.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Kung Lek:

>Kung Fu skill is a treasure. But it is not found, instead it is worked for.
>A treasure earned is often worth far more than a treasure found.

>When someone has this treasure they wish to ensure its safekeeping and yes, they take pride in >>the connection with the treasure of Kung Fu knowledge and skill.

Oh, please spare us the drivel.

Answer this question.

If a "sifu" knows that he is NOT going to pass his skill into the hands of anyone,
is it eithical that he opens a "school" and takes peoples money and gives them
nothing but dances to perform?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Phu Le:
>I've been wondering from school to school for a while now. And finally, I've settled wit
>Southern Praying Mantis as my choice... But why oh why is there so much bloody politics! My
>school this, your school that, my teacher says this your teacher says that blah blah blah....

Notice that it is the "SIFUS" who teach the students to hate and malign others.

Wisdom mind where in NY do you study Bak mei


victor

Don't let it get to you. Just remember that no one is better then you and that your no better than anyone else. If we are selves are at ease we'll but others at ease. peace

If people would spend more time training and perfecting their art they wouldn't have time to worry about the other guy. "Those that have do, those that don't do politics."