The Legend of Learning

Learn by doing. Take action. Do not pass up opportunities when they are presented to you because you think you haven't prepared enough, or you don't understand 100 percent. Don't reject an opportunity to learn because you don't want to seem like a beginner, or you think you are beyond what is being asked of you. If you find your thoughts headed in that direction, keep this story from It Begins With a Dream by Peter Legge in mind:

One night, a group of travelers were preparing to retire for the evening when they were surrounded by a brilliant light and heard a great voice speak. With great anticipation, they waited to hear what important message would be imparted to them. The voice spoke. "Gather as many pebbles as you can," it said. "Put them in your saddlebags, travel a day's journey, and tomorrow night will find you glad and it will find you sad."

The travelers were angry and disappointed. They had expected a great universal truth. Instead they were given a menial task that made no sense to them at all. However, they each decided to pick up a few pebbles and deposit them in their saddlebags. They traveled a day's journey. That night, while making camp, they reached into their bags and discovered that every pebble gathered had become a diamond. They were glad they were diamonds; they were sad that they had not gathered more.

Every day you are presented with opportunities to learn. You must gather information when you can, for you never know when one simple thing you learn today will turn into a gem of an idea tomorrow. If you don't pick up these "pebbles" every day, they won't be there when you really need them.

The illiterate of the future will not be the person who cannot read. It will be the person who does not know how to learn.

—Alvin Toffler,
writer

How the Martial Arts Has Influenced My Life

• Cold crisp leaves

• Dancing in the sun...

• Clear thoughts

• Inspirational vision.

• That is how the martial arts has influenced me.

• The great oak with strength of root will break if it does not bend.

• Foundations too ridged will crack.

• I have learned not to be blind on new paths.

• Strength does not guarantee the richness of flexibility.

• Through calmness one merges the two.

• Stillness leads to concentration of focus,

• Opening of the mind.

• It is then you see the potentiality of ones life.

• That is what the martial arts has taught me.

• But I must not forget that

• All learning must be accompanied by action.

• Constant learning.

• Constant action.

• Both are equal,

• Both are necessary.

• We learn from our actions,

• We act from our learning.

• One without the other suffers.

• Both together provide depth and clarity in truth.