Thoughts on why I share my blog posts

 

I am not a great expert, I worked very hard to gain some insight about my art Isshinryu and many other arts. However as time passed I note there is much less discussion taking place about the arts in many places. That saddens me.

 

In the beginning, especially when I was alone and just beginning to teach, I sought almost everything I could put my hands on over time, then I trained with so many people in a wide variety of arts. Some to a greater extent, some to much lesser extents, but all of them had lessons I learned on so many aspects of the arts.

 

Many were great instructors, in the Chinese arts, in Japanese and Indonesian arts and of course great instructors in applied Isshinryu. So many lessons and many of them the decades never allowed time to share as the students needs were always more important. Even students of three decades had more important needs.

 

I remember the time before the internet, which for me was 25 years. Then I joined the internet generation and learned so much. Many things I believed from the past were incorrect assumptions, many things were  correct. The important thing was discussion and critical thinking always kept me working at what I understood.

 

 

Then a friend suggested I start a blog for my students. I began to share stories and thoughts about the training I had them working on over the decades. But I was also committed to share so much I had looked at but never had the time to share, so that if the chance came to them they would have access to it.

 

And I freely shared what I posted with anyone who might find it interesting. I did not believe knowledge should be placed away.

 

I never expected anyone to understand what I did over time with my students who spent so much time on the floor in their studies. It would be almost impossible for anyone believe what I wrote and then take the time on the floor to really work on those things. Those are things my students experienced. Then again should anyone do so, they have owned the lesson on their own, over the years I found out very few ever commented on that material, I expect in that I am right.

 

Then there is the reading material I saved. Much of that focused my thought over the years. Some I believe, some I don’t believe and some I still don’t know what to think. I wanted my students to have the same experience for themselves, should they choose. Or perhaps future students of theirs might find the material interesting.

 

Everyone I extend the same privilege.

 

Seeing and reading about ones thoughts on the arts is a very precious thing.

 

I don’t expect replies and don’t ask for encouragement, those days are far behind me.

I just want to contribute to keeping people thinking about how much more there is to see.