Chapter 81: Question Everything

Never accept anything with blind faith. Let me repeat that because it is important; NEVERaccept anything with blind faith. Do not even accept your own beliefs without first questioning them thoroughly and completely. When Sensei or a senior person speaks never assume that what they say is correct and/or accurate. We as humans have the propensity, the DNA you might say, to automatically accept what authoritative figures (Influence principles/compliance techniques) tend to say. 

Remain skeptical at all times. Remain skeptical even more so with yourself, your beliefs and your data both incoming and outgoing. Question it all, question it again and never have either expectations or assumptions that what you know is reality, true and accurate. We humans have so much input from sensory gathering that we have to parse that data in a matter of milliseconds to either retain or discard. 

We will dismiss perfectly good data if it happens to be outside our or our groups belief system. No matter what we sense by eyes, ears or touch, the brain must process every tiny bit of data to perceive reality to the world outside the self and the self's world in our minds. Our personal matrix driven by the brain. We can never truly know reality.

We make assumptions, lots and lots of them to make sense of the reality we encounter, perceive and define in our minds. There is always a bit of disparity between the real world and the matrix of our brain/minds.

Our beliefs, what they are or may be, provide us the means to survive in a dangerous world. The assumptions we make are not accurate, but our beliefs reduce our fears and our values facilitate the tribes survival systems. This is good and has its flaws.

Because of the minds tendency to be a bit iffy, we must always question everything more than once to achieve some semblance of cohesive knowledge or we don't survive.

In the martial community it is even more important to question everything, especially and with emphasis those who teach, lead, and guide - Sensei, regardless of rank, level or grade; regardless of age and years of experience. If what Sensei says sounds plausible still question it. If what Sensei teaches seems to work then question it, prove it and make sure it works for you.

There is no other way on the path to karate-jutsu-do. There is no other way on the path to marital discipline.