Ch.3 Shouldn’t Kong Fu Be A Tool of Peace and a Way of Life?

I think it makes some people uncomfortable when I define kong fu simply as a set of hurting and killing skills. But it is the truth. Just like a samurai sword, a Spanish rapier a 1911 .45 pistol, a F22 raptor or an atomic bomb, kong fu is designed to inflict hurt and to kill. But if you see beauty in the swords, astonished by the .45’s power, admire the high-tech jet fighter’s design and awe to the atomic bomb’s devastation, then there is no reason you take kong fu as anything less or think it is just an elegant art rather than a tool of killing.

And to me, Kong fu is a tool of peace and a way of life. It is a tool of peace simply because it is so powerful that stops people from hurting you and once you realize how terrible things can happen to others if you abuse your ability, you become a calm and self-restrained person. While I am more controlled, practicing kong fu becomes a constant way of checking my inner balance and maintain physical and mental strength.

But do not fool yourself by pretending it. It doesn’t come just because you do some kong fu moves from time to time, or think to yourself as such. You have to mean it. And you have to practice it over and over physically and mentally. It is a way of life only when you take it seriously.

If you have a gun but never practice it in the range, and you do not have the will to pull the trigger when the bad guy comes at you, the gun will not fire accurately and your opponent will see that you have no determination and resolution to save yourself. You will fall. Eventually there is peace, just not yours.

And it is like any other tool of killing, kong fu needs your determination to use it and needs your vast amount of practice to make it work when it is needed. A fighter jet pilot makes the controls into his instinct, a gunman pull and aim like his/her second nature and so do we make kong fu into our everyday lives.

Kong fu is beautiful and is good to your health. But if you are only looking for the beauty, ballet is a better subject to learn. If you want only to be healthy, do Yoga. Kong fu is beautiful because it is designed to utilize the human body effectively, it helps your health condition because it is logical and efficient for your body’s circulation and enables better metabolism. All in the name of efficiency.

Coming up Next Ch.4 What Kong Fu System Should I Choose?