What if (just what if) so many grandmasters and masters (and sokes and sifus and datus and guros and tuhons and pendekars and….) have it all wrong? What if mastery isn’t intricate knowledge ‘within’ the system, its protocols, and its techniques they’ve chosen to dedicate their life to representing loyally and thinking they’re part of some delusionally-important generational chain? What if true mastery is knowing not to be duped into believing that the system is greater than you, knowing you control the system, that the system is nothing without you, and that it’s simply a vehicle or tool to be used to achieve a specific temporary purpose (and then move on)?
Remember, those who have the greatest control over a system…aren’t bound by it. Those with flexibility and adaptability control the system, not the other way around. The minute there are parameters, blind loyalties, limits, paradigms, rules…you are inevitably controlled by that very system. Been thinking on this lately…starting to think that all those that use titles proudly are simply exerting control over others and flaunting ego from a projection point of utter weakness. Big fish, tiny pond.
*As an aside, the top people I know in the industry that are breaking the most ground, educating people on violence, are not affiliated with any system whatsoever, though this is not limited at all to solely violence.
