There's a wonderful quote from Marianne Williamson ...

"Our deepest fear is not thar we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us."

How does this, if at all, speak towards and/or about the Martial Arts and us as practitioners of the Martial Arts?

Interesting question. In 5 minutes (friend waiting to go out) the only ways I could think of that this might be applied to martial arts are:

- A consequentialist who tries to act to benefit others (e.g. every Buddhist) may fear their actions having powerful consequences if they're unsure the influence will turn out positive; while this is not limited to MAs practice, it may be than an instructor or senior has a strong position of influence over a student, and even more than usual responsibility to exert it well.

- Innate inadequacy gives us a comfortable reason for mediocre performance, but when we find we have the potential to be masterful at something, then we are more likely to judge ourselves, or fear judgement from others, if we fail to realise that potential.

- If we obtain the MAs ability to be powerful in a fight, then we have more responsibility for the choices we make and their impact on our opponents, their families, and our community. We can "play god" and decide who lives and dies, who's crippled or spared, and that is a fearsome role to have.

Cheers,

Tony

This quote really hits home for me. It is true that at a certain level, we do not fear our powerlessness, but instead our power. I remember just this year I was jumped by two high schoolers and instinctively I took them out, but I broke most of their ribs. It is scary, but you just have go learn to control your power and use it for what you believe is right.

This quote doesn't hit home to me. For me, its the opposite that holds true.

This quote doesn't hit home to me. For me, its the opposite that holds true.

Im with you in most situations however I get it sometimes when sparring. I think often I hold back when I shouldn't resulting in me getting hit more than I should. I don't think sparring is condusive to my way. Its very in out in out. I like to be in, finish them, walk away and I can't do this without hurting my opponent.

Yeah...I've never done something for someone and thought, "I really hope this doesn't turn out for the best or the worst. I hope it's fair to midland!" I've been in war and am certainly more afraid of the dark side of what we do.

This quote doesn't hit home to me. For me, its the opposite that holds true.

Ditto.

I reflect on the decisions that I make and I'd like to think I weigh the consequences of my actions… which may or may not be realistic. True be told, I probably underestimate some consequences. I think I understand what I’m good, I try to work on things that need improvement, and I’ve accepted things that I cannot change.

Interesting...interesting posts. Cool!

I see the beauty of the quote in that we are often times afraid of our own destiny, afraid that we could become, what we desire to be, and have to face the responsibilities (real or imagined) that go along with it.

. . . Marianne Williamson ...

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us."

In the martial arts, it can be applied to those who teach, especially with so many kids taking MA. For martial arts instructors, the ethical question is, "What do we teach the young?"