Chapter 120: Finding Gem's

I study things with a mind toward finding those bits and pieces that make for understanding and progress in my training and practice of karate, martial disciplines. Even those venues or sources that on the surface have fallen far from reality of old still, if you give them time, produce gems. 

For instance, in one periodical that fell out of favor for me, personally, many years ago still have those occasions when some subject and its author will present some very interesting and informative stuff, real gems. Finding these gems of information is what I call "data-mining." 

Data-mining is this process of study that is both academic and then hands-on. It is how you obtain and encode memories you will use over time to create and construct those very actions and thoughts and thinking that will be there for you especially when things get rough. You will have the tools to take the rough stones and form them into the gems that will get-r-done. 

In a recent article (June 2018 issue) of a periodical that I mentioned fell out of grace for me had this one article that spoke to me. It still had issues within its paragraphs that made my teeth itch but overall the author presented some great idea's, theories and philosophical stuff that I immediately hi-lighted for later recording and assimilation into my knowledge, abilities and understanding. 

The periodical in question when I was much younger provided many articles and sources that, during those formative years, provided a huge amount of stuff to study and take in. Then as the years passed and the more commercial and sport oriented side dominated making many, if not most, of the articles, to me, worthless. Even on occasion when I would flip through and read some of the articles found few of value. Only one short editorial section written by an old school "koryu" martial practitioner had any value of a consistent and beneficial nature for me. Yet, I still occasionally pick it up and go through it because, "Simply put, there may or is or could be a gem of an article that educates and enlightens that people will benefit from if they are "listening when reading." 

There are gem's out there even in all the chaff that the industry regurgitates to make money, gain status and feed the ego's of today's martial artists if one takes the time and makes the effort to find the "wheat" by ridding the "chaff" from the pile. It takes work and an open mind that in and of itself is a great trait for any martial artists to have, develop, build and utilize toward a progressive proactive way. 

Remember:

•    Don’t fall prey to the idea and belief that there is a limit on what we can know and learn;

•    Don’t assume that a title, symbol or other piece of data or information is not of some value;

•    Data assimilation is a never ending effort and process;

•    To resist our natural tendency to ignore information just because it speaks against a belief;

•    To keep an open mind even when we don’t want to;

•    Even the most ridiculous and arbitrary stuff may have value if you consider it from all sides, all views and toward all possibilities; 

•    Take what you know and question it;

•    … do the research going forward …