Posts by neonowl7

steeleagle13 said:Are you doing the classic stuff where it's just pure fighting? Or that Minoru Tohei style focusing on breathing exercises and all that?

I don't think there's much "fighting" involved, really. And it’s not just sitting around learning how to breathe, either. It’s a bit of everything...
The instructor shows us all these little tricks tucked between the actual techniques we're working on. He keeps stressing this idea of just letting go, letting the movements happen naturally within the flow of the follow-through... but honestly, it's hard to actually apply that right now since we're just grinding through technique after technique. You can't really combine moves or maintain momentum yet... we do some weird drills (kind of like those things you see in YouTube videos)... and then you have the older guys who come up with their own custom combinations and whatever else... I haven't made it to a seminar yet, but I bet things get pretty wild there...

The master once told us this analogy about Judo. He said it's like the way people speak; you have a limited number of words, but you can say them in an infinite number of ways. That's how he views Judo... you can mix and match almost anything in thousands of different ways.
It immediately makes me think of those old martial arts movies—you know, like *Black Belt* or something... 🙂 where they talk about how there are endless possibilities for movement and no two sequences are ever truly the same...

Personally, I dig the combinations that blend combat with technical skill, breathing, and that feeling when you find your stance and become totally immovable... like nothing can shake you. I guess that’s what the Ki style is supposed to be about.
I even picked up a collapsible broomstick to practice with 😂... but using a staff isn't coming easy to me. Though, strangely enough, I'm doing better with the beginners than I am with the stick...😁

I have a buddy who trains Hapkido. Now, that style is basically just straight-up fighting. But even they have similar concepts to Judo. Just... much more brutal. Break a back, snap a neck, yeah, that kind of thing. 😁

Kudos to whoever started this thread. I only picked up Judo about two months ago, so I’m definitely not an expert or anything by any means. You guys have already dropped a ton of knowledge here, including some stuff I hadn't even stumbled upon on my own...
steeleagle13... that movie was incredible. If anyone else knows of good films or maybe some decent books on this subject, please drop some links in here. It would be great.

All I can say is that the skill itself is just phenomenal. I did some Karate before this—and yeah, there's technique involved there too—but this is easily the most impressive thing I've ever seen. It’s all about being relaxed, staying spontaneous, letting that creativity flow...
I think I might have finally found my style. I really hope I get the chance to keep practicing this for a long time...

Cheers, everyone!
topic is 👍

hiddenhound3 said:A few days ago, I happened to watch a rather compelling short film featuring a character who delivered a truly fascinating monologue. He concluded that theft is actually the only true sin, suggesting that every other transgression is merely a different variation on that single theme.

In his view, even murder is defined simply as the theft of one's right to exist.

I must admit that I found this conclusion deeply moving; it strikes me as a profound philosophical inquiry, while also serving as a perfectly reasonable principle to live by—essentially, just do not steal.

That’s actually a deep way to look at it. Made me stop and think for a second. Most sins, if you strip them down, really do boil down to that basic principle of not taking what isn't yours.

DON'T KILL—you're just stealing their life...👍

PS. Are you talking about The Kit Runner?

Donna Sullivan7 said:-I don't think we need to take things so literally... I mean, it could be more specific, like how you can actually "kill" someone just with your words—totally crush them... ("words... cutting like a knife").

👍

Benjamin Moore6 said:This thread will remain open for entries until Tuesday at 9:00 PM (April 22nd).
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Both winners will receive permanent recognition in our Hall of Fame topic in Hollywood.

Question number 6:

What is the proper way to think?

Slowly... and with some actual control. Your tongue shouldn't be running faster than your brain...

placidranger said:Fair enough, you might have a point—but I suspect you've fallen for the media hype. If your diet consists of nothing but news cycles, cable TV, and various preachers, it's hard not to feel like the world is perpetually sliding into an abyss. They make sure we have plenty of reasons to be miserable and anxious.
From where I'm sitting, the only reason they scream about how bad things are is to peddle junk we don't need under the guise of "solutions." It ranges from overpriced perfumes and sodas to that "instant spirituality" marketed to suburban housewives—even that nonsense linking quantum physics to our personal desires and "secret truths."

....
Can we actually save this beautiful planet and make it a place worth living in? Can we move past our personal, social, and religious limitations to trigger a movement toward peace, unity, and genuine prosperity? What steps are required for success? Are you willing to join the cause? Do you have a mission? A vision?

It feels a bit arrogant to assume we need to "save the planet." The Earth will keep spinning regardless of us—it survived much worse than a few billion parasites. If we overstep, the planet will simply shake us off and something else will take our place.
In my view, the process of building peace and unity is already underway and moving forward. For the average person on this planet, this is actually one of the most peaceful eras in history.

👍👍👍
I'm totally with you. Especially on the idea that the move toward peace has already started. There's an ever-growing number of people who are somehow more "awake," people building something new or acting as a window into what humanity's future looks like on this rock. More and more people are finally using their own heads, finding peace and love within themselves, which is really the only way I see our civilization surviving...
It's also true that there's more malice on this planet than ever. But that’s—if I can put it this way—part of a lower level of human consciousness, or just the leftovers of a dying civilization. The lines between the future (the positive side) and the past (which will linger for a bit longer) are getting clearer. That old way of life still exists, but I truly believe something new is being born within us that will guide the next era. A group of people contributing to that collective consciousness has an incredible impact on where we're headed, and that better part of humanity is growing larger every day. Even the darker side... it's reaching its expiration date...

We are all one.

I agree, up to a point, until we start bringing human ego into it. You can see the fragmentation of our civilization even from an airplane window. We're split in two. For us to actually act and think as one in real life, we first have to deal with this internal duality. It only happens when that darker side is finally dealt with. If that part of us stays... we'll never truly be one. In a practical sense, I mean. Don't get me wrong, I agree we are all one with God since we come from Him. But there's this infection in the human psyche that creates this division and hypocrisy in nations, preventing us from truly realizing that oneness...

Take care!

Ever since I finished reading that incredible book by a guy from Brac... you know, that Awakening one...