INSIGHTS
   from  the              
Ching Yi Kung Fu Association Newsletter

MAY 1990
  by Michael Alan Brown            President -  CYKFA

Edited by W Kraig Stephens CYKFA Black Belt #68



PUBLISHED WITH PERMISSION OF THE CHING YI KUNG FU ASSOCIATION
INSIGHTS:  "Tolerance":  It is a known fact that consistent training in a genuine traditional Chinese Gongfu program, such as the Ching Yi Kung Fu Association system, imparts to the practitioner strength, power, and skills above and beyond those of non practitioners or even martial artists of other styles.  It is my belief that along with those benefits comes the responsibility of tolerance.  Each of us should strive to respond to attacks - whether physical or verbal, armed or unarmed - only in kind.  That is, to only do what is necessary to preserve the lives and safety of ourselves, or innocents, without resorting to judgmental or excessive punishment of the original attacker.

I used the word "original" above because the popular trend in martial arts today is to train in techniques designed to first defend oneself, to place the opponent in a position where continued attack is prevented, then to proceed to become the attacker, punishing him for his affront.  I feel that such an approach is rooted only in fear and insecurity, and is therefore not indicative of real power.

As an analogy, most everyone who has been around children knows that a typical, healthy 3 year old, as a part of the process of discovering his limits, will hit and kick his siblings, parents, or anyone else who doesn't immediately give in to his every whim.  But no sane adult, when struck by a small child, would proceed to block the strike, break his knees, and follow through with a savage, killing counterattack.  To practitioners of true Gongfu, virtually any opponent is as vulnerable to our power as that hypothetical child.  (If not, then you need to reorganize your priorities and get in more practice time.)

Of course, there could be an occasion when you are confronted by an extremely determined and powerful opponent, and nothing short of killing or maiming can curtail his attack.  Unfortunately, in such a case, you must do whatever is required to survive.  But, for the vast majority - if not all - of the combat situations we may encounter in our lives, I recommend the advice Dr. Wong gave me in 1972.  I asked him how I should respond to a potential critic who might say our system lacked power or aggressiveness or competitiveness or fighting application because of our strong emphasis on health, peace of mind, and the old ways of traditional Gongfu training.  He said simply, "Such a man cannot see.  Be kind to blind men."