The Philosophy of the Peaceful
Fight
All martial art clubs have some basic philosophies on which it is built but it's very difficult to put them down on paper. This is partially because philosophies can change to allow manoeuvrability within a principal. Put another way, philosophies can be bent to make any point you like ! However, I've listed a few common quotes which might help to guide students in some aspects of the Peaceful Fight thought process. However, as quotes they act as reflections of the philosophy rather than the actual philosophies themselves.
1) You live for 70 years but are likely to fight only 5 or 6 times in that lifetime. As a consequence, what you do in between these fights should be as important as what you do within them.
2) Yin and Yang are in constant flow and all aspects of life reflect this. There is good and bad in all things and neither is better or worse than the other when in balance.
3) Methods of healing are the direct opposite of methods of hurting. Both must be appreciated before a person can understand another.
4) Everyone has a place within the World and should be allowed to have that place as long as it does not imbalance anyone else's place
5) The best way to avoid confrontation is to have few enemies.
6) If people choose you as an enemy, make it by their choice and not due to your own action.
7) Regardless of your actions, be they good or bad, people may turn against you. Live your life as balanced within yourself and hide no secrets from yourself with which people may hurt you.
8) Action and inaction both affect the World. Choose carefully where and when to apply each.
9) When you meet a person, try to make that meeting a positive moment in the day for you both.
10) Intuition should never be ignored and seldom rationalised.
11) Some things are just how they are : accept them as they can't be changed.
12) Judge people by their actions not by stereotype, beauty, race, fashion or age.
13) Aim for contentment rather than happiness.
14) Use positive action wherever possible but don't be afraid of your negative side.
15) Respect others whenever possible but be sure of your own mind. Don't be afraid to like or dislike people, situations or thoughts but don't let this dislike taint your own balance.
16) It's better to be lucky than rich. Live your life and accept all that comes to you as part of your luck. What seems bad today may be good tomorrow.
17) You affect the wider World, just as you affect your inner World. Try to affect them both in a positive way.