Written by You didn’t know it then, but your black-belt test actually started on the first day you stepped into the dojo. You see, we have been preparing you since your first class to get ready for this seemingly impossible process. Every struggle, every sore muscle, every conditioning drill, every frustration was preparing you for this moment, this chance, at earning your black-belt in Isshinryu Karate.
At the end of this process, I should be able to point to each and every one of you and be able to confidently say to the world:
“This is a model example of what it means to be a black-belt.“
A model of discipline, perseverance, fitness, leadership, and of course, technical skill.
The OneHeart Challenge is your own personal hero’s journey. As masterfully stated by Jospeh Campbell, the “journey of the hero is about the courage to seek the depths; the image of creative rebirth; the eternal cycle of change within us; the uncanny discovery that the seeker is the mystery which the seeker seeks to know.“
I have found that the martial arts is akin to an infinitely deep well. We begin our journey in the art with cautious approach. There is danger in this well that even beginners sense–potential injury, pain, and the challenges of improvement. We see our reflection on the surface, taking note of our current state of growth right before we take our first sip from the well.
As we continue to drink, we realize how deep this well is. For the thirsty, we don’t just sip, we dive in, looking for the answers that we seek. We swim deeper in an attempt to find ourselves down there–to bring out our true and authentic selves. The nature of this well and its penetrating depths are a gift for those of us that seek knowledge, mastery, and the improvement of those around us. For those that seek completion, a belt, or social clout, it is a curse–you will drown looking for the well’s bottom.
By voluntarily taking on this challenge, you are on a path of deliberate growth. You are no longer a passive force in the universe.
You are seeking hardship on purpose, with purpose, to find purpose.
You will navigate challenges expected and unexpected. Injury, time management, obligations to friends and family, career–it will seem as if the very universe itself wants you to fail.
Every pushup, every repetition of kata, every hard sparring round, every mile–they are all taking you just a bit deeper down this well, into the Abyss itself. Just when it seems pointless, just when you feel like giving up, you just might see something down there that you didn’t expect.
It’s a reflection in the inky blackness, looking back at you–the same one that you saw when you first approached the well. It’s you. But this time, you have new eyes, new experience, and a new self to view your previous self from.
This wheel of self-discovery and transformation is one of the mysteries of the martial arts. And by mystery, I mean that despite me telling you about it, you can never fully come to know it until you experience it yourself.
So, the next time you come to the dojo, take pause before you enter. Take a look at your reflection in that glass door, and know that when you enter, you are swimming deeper into the well of self-discovery.
