Hey guys...hope all is well. I have an upcoming book called "Martial Life, The JKD Chronicals" of which I amidst the editing stage. The book is NOT a "How To JKD" book, rather it is about how the philosophies in JKD have influenced my life. The hope of the book is to culminate thought, and hopefully inspire others to see how martial arts in truly a lifestyle not just a hobby. Anyways, a few friends asked to see some of it, and I thought perhaps I could share with my friends here as well. So here is an excerpt from the chapter titled "A Matter of Perspective." Please feel free to offer any constructive feedback. "It is indeed difficult to see the situation simply, our minds are very complex, and it is easy to teach one to be skillful, but it is difficult to teach him his own attitude."-Bruce Lee Some of the most heart felt and interesting things happen behind the scenes, and at the least expected moments. If you watch or listen closely enough, you'll be taken back the profound wisdom that has been layed upon you through a natural course of events. Here is an example of one of those moments in my life. I remember a story that was told to me by JKD, Kali and BJJ legend Sifu Roy Harris one evening. We had just gotten done with a three day training seminar and I was driving Sifu Harris to Chicago O'Hare airport, and in the car we were discussing the implementation of several arts in Jeet Kune Do, and the coming of Kalis Ilistrisimo. Amongst a little friendly debate and history lesson, Sifu Roy turn to me and says, "Nik, it's all about perspective. Let me give you a quick lesson." Sifu Roy began. "Imagine yourself standing somewhere with your eyes closed, and when you open them you are nose to bark with a giant tree. Tell me what you see," he asks. "I see bark, insects, and some tree sap," I replied. "Good, now imagine that you closed your eyes and reopened them to find that you are standing 50 feet away from that tree. Now what do you see?" In a confused manner I replied "Other trees, maybe some grass, and shrubs." "Excellent, now imagine that you closed your eyes and opened them to find out that you're in an airplane looking down at the amazon forest. What do you see?" My response, "I see the tops of thousands of trees, endless." "Here is the point Nik," he says. "At each point you could see different things, differents perspectives. But don't forget, at each point you also cannot see certain things, for example, could you see that tree sap from the airplane?" In this little bit of conversation with Sifu Roy, I realized that he was teaching me to look at everything, not just martial arts, from several points of view. To achieve a true understanding or the magnitude of anything, I would need to be able to open my mind and absorb the qualities and characteristics from several aspects. This value holds true for anything in life. I pass this on to you in efforts that you too will open your minds, and be able to grasp the magnitude of whatever you are experiencing from several points of view. This same rule applies to Jeet Kune Do. It has been a fundamental tenanament in JKD to constantly open your mind to several arts, disciplines, tactics, and philosophies. To have a true and deep understanding of anything, one must open their minds and attempt to invision it from several perspectives. To be in this mindset will lead you to be a better prepared, more educated, and a far superior practitioner as well as a more complete person. As a teacher, author, practitioner and friend, I implore all of you to keep your minds open and versatile. Don't pass judgement on any topic or method until you've not only experienced it, but also viewed it from several angles and understood it to the best of your ability. With that...I wish you all an exciting journey.
