I love my life. It goes without saying that I love my family. I love Japan in general and Yokohama specifically. I love my work at Microsoft. The company is in the middle of an amazing transformation - going from a pretentious know-it-all to an empathetic listener who can learn as well as teach. We are closer to each other and to our customers than ever before, and the genuine, sincere "humanness" is the cornerstone of our newfound success and energy. Under the new leadership of Satya Nadella, we have been moving steadily from a product-centric approach (features and functions) to a solution-led approach (fit for purpose). Now, we aspire to become even more. We want to evolve to be a partner in business model creation, where we help our customers develop new markets, ecosystems and business lines to expand and grow their relevance to their own customers, using our powerful platform as an enabler. We are working hard to be part of the future rather than just the present. It's an exciting time to be here.
I am transforming, too. My martial arts journey spans almost 40 years now, with the most recent decade being anchored firmly in Southeast Asian martial arts - specifically Kali Majapahit. I have gone from absolute beginner to teacher, learning all along from everyone and everything I could. My quest is far from over, and as I have written before, I learn as much from my students as I have from my teachers.
I was initially attracted by Guro Fred Evrard's choice of terminology in the first KM class I ever took in an old shophouse on Yan Kit Road in Singapore. He talked about "solutions" to "situations". This blew my mind. No teacher I had ever seen talked like that. In the past it was about techniques and forms and repetition. It was about patience and discipline and tradition and...waiting. There was no creativity or innovation. Systems were taught the way they had always been. No one thought much about practicality or applicability - those things were for "sport" styles like MMA, Muay Thai or boxing, looked upon with disdain by traditional martial artists. Guro Fred changed how I thought about martial arts. He opened my mind to a new way of learning. Thanks to him and my other KM brothers and sisters, my journey of evolution continues.
Over the years Guro Fred's emphasis has changed as he has evolved. His focus has shifted, which is completely natural since people change over time, consciously and/or unconsciously. While I look upon the old days fondly, I am always excited by his commitment to innovate the curriculum and find new ways to challenge us. Nothing in KM stays the same for very long. We continue to evolve and that keeps us fresh.
My approach has evolved too. One of the most beautiful things about the FMA is the inherent ability to translate between sub-systems. We start learning weapons (sticks) on Day 1 and we try very hard to link everything about the stick back to the empty hands movement and vice versa, using universal body mechanics/physics about centerline, weight transfer, hip rotation, extension. We are reminded that our tradition comes from the blade, in KM specifically the barong, and we are encouraged to look at the stick and empty hand techniques through the lens of the blade movement. Subtle changes are needed, but most of what we learn flows seamlessly from one to the other. Our understanding expands to the world around us, whereby everything becomes a weapon proxy, including the environment. As shown in many famous Hollywood films (Bourne series, Taken, etc.) trained kalista use anything and everything to win.
Now, when we see a technique, our minds begin to explore how the same concept can be reused and reapplied in a variety of other circumstances using any other tools. One technique becomes hundreds of expressions and our creativity is unleashed. This way of learning sharpens the mind.
We evolve our thinking from discrete technique to flexible solution. Later we move beyond physical technique into aspiration, where our training is focused on making us better people - leveraging our strategy and psychology to negate the need for violent conflict. Our journey moves from the physical to the mental/emotional and ultimately to the spiritual. Our journey connects us deeply to everything and everyone and we manifest this awareness in every day of our life.
My arts at work and at home are no different from my arts at the dojo. My life in KM has allowed me to evolve not just as a martial artist but as a husband, a father, a co-worker and a friend. The evolution has brought me unparalleled happiness by keeping me connected. I use what I have learned every single day and always will.
What is YOUR revolution?
How are YOU evolving?
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