Martial Arts & Violence

At times, and especially after the release of kung fu films, I see a trend at my college – mostly young men and adolescents come, excited and affected by a movie, want to learn how to hit and fight like Jet Lee, Jackie Chan etc… The reasons for coming to learn have always been variable, which is entirely acceptable – each person wishes to receive something different and that is OK, but this specific reason usually has its roots in violence, a matter I do not support in itself.

I, personally, regard the martial arts as an art of life, a way of life. I believe there are many others like me who see it this way, and I ask, if one wishes to learn kung fu for the ability to hit and kick only, should I, as a teacher, accept students who wish only this? What if they apply the knowledge I pass to them in violent situations? I myself see in my art as a means to minimize violence, not increasing it

Fortunately, over the years I have had the opportunity to take an active role in discovering the answer, at least partially, through academic research with criminology professor, Israel Kim. Together we researched the influence of learning the martial art I teach on violence in disconnected youth and discovered significant improvement in their ability to handle situations in a more sophisticated manner, concentration, perseverance, self control, discipline, self confidence and behavioral norms. We saw that our training method put the adolescent at the center and allowed him to grow, while demanding a certain code of behavior.

Thus, I have at least some studied answer to this problem. Also, from my experience, I find that people of all ages who arrive to my college, whatever their original goal may be, often realize rather quickly that the martial arts have much more to offer their lives than they ever imagined (self empowerment, health, stress management techniques, negotiation skills to name a few), and as I focus on the internal art, those who only wish to learn how to fight naturally leave.

So, if a student came to my college due to a movie, but stayed due to discovering the secrets hidden in the kung fu training which helped him in his life, than I am happy he had an initial trigger. I believe the art teaches more than physical principles but also moral principles, a way of life, and hopefully – one that makes us better people who enjoy life more.

The Art of War

Beyond Written or Spoken

Many of the people I spoke with on the subject expressed discomfort with the notion of fighting and the violence that emerges from that fighting. Sun Tzu's famous book from the 6th century B.C. , The Art of War, speaks of combat strategy and ways to win a war. Can we look at this book with a different understanding or even sympathy? I don't want to tell people how to think and can't decide for them either, but what I can do is suggest another point of view. It is important to remember each coin has two sides, and looking at the one less familiar to us may allow us a better understanding of the puzzle that is our world.
It is important to understand that Taoist philosophy, as it is presented in the book of Tao, maintains that we should aspire to be in balance with the world, in harmony or relaxed and flowing adaptation which allows us to incorporate into events without unnecessary friction and with a sense of peace. On the other hand, reality has a tendency to slap us in the face and we find ourselves up against confrontations, be they physical and maybe even life threatening, verbal or emotional such as at a work place, in a relationship or at court.
Therefore, we should aspire to integrate pleasantly with the other, not through weakness but through choice. If our cosmos is out of balance, and we are attacked without the ability to come out of it unharmed, than we need to respond appropriately in order to restore balance and leave the unfortunate incidence with as little friction and negative energy, as quickly as possible.
We do not wish to surrender our attacker or to humiliate him. Furthermore, there is no real wish to do harm to the opponent. The suggested strategy comes to help us end the confrontation quickly and with as little hurtful, ongoing blood-shedding that damages both sides.
It is true that when one side does not let go of aggression and continues it even after receiving a respond from the attacked person, there is no other choice than to fully neutralize the attacker in order to prevent further energy loss and escalation that will eventually lead to more difficulty.
Therefore, if we look at it this way for a moment, morally, we need to know the victorious strategy not in order to pride ourselves in winning or enjoy another's defeat and humiliation. We need it in order to continue with our lives unharmed, effectively solving the conflict and avoiding further deteriorating of the situation for our attackers as well as for ourselves. In this way, we also keep the attacker from getting hurt even more.
So, in my opinion, we need to know how to grow strong and not out of ego and will to control but out of responsibility for the regulation and outcomes of a situation. Only in true ability to understand the procedures of fighting or managing we can let go, as much as possible without harm, and end a threat without the need for further violence.
Only from knowledge and power can we attempt to achieve victory without defeating. At the very least we can try and give the other side a feeling that will allow him to move on without a desire for revenge. So let's learn how to become powerful by choice, because we deserve it.  Let's look at things from a positive perspective, wanting to know how to cope successfully, not how to fight with intention to destroy. These things are up to us, and there is nothing wrong in acquiring strategic moves from one of the great minds of his generation, Sun Tzu. In finding a balance through the power you can fulfill the non-fighting in fighting.

Yaron Benyamini