Some people feel worthless. They get used to it. You may know someone like that. It’s not good. For every person with an inflated sense of their own importance there may be many more who feel like their life doesn’t matter. They feel like the world is rigged against them.
It may be.
Maybe they have a boring job, or no job. They feel like they don’t know how to do anything very well. Or anything that matters. They wonder, if they stop to think about it, who cares? Or, why they should.
So why not eat junk or use dope or watch porn? Pleasure is the antidote to pain, right? The statistics on opioid deaths, loneliness and heart disease will tell you there are lots of folks who think so.
But it is not.
Purpose is the antidote to pain. Purpose is the way through, the way out, and the way in.
Every person who wants to can train in our school, or in one of the other great schools out there. Every person can take command of their life, and have a life that matters – to themselves and to the people around them.
Is that a grandiose claim to make for a little karate school in a small town? No. It is the truth.
Out of shape? Show up and get started. Too shy? We will show you how. Poor? It’s cheap. Too rich? Too tough? Too smart? Too athletic? Too good looking? We can still offer you something you can use. Something you will need when it comes down to it.
There are lots of good reasons not to train: It’s too hot out. Too cold. Too rainy. Too nice. You’re busy. You need down time. You’re hurt. You just recovered. You need to get in shape first. You’re a lover not a fighter. You can defend yourself if you have to. Whatever.
But none of that matters. None of that even begins to touch on what you will get from training. No matter where you are when you start.
Because we all need to get ready. To get hold of what matters in this one short life. To take our life back.
The world is in a world of trouble. The world needs you. The world needs you strong. Trouble is coming. Into every life. Either we get ready to meet it, or we will suffer, maybe more than we need to. Maybe more than we can even imagine.
You are invited. The first step is the hardest. Take it.
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Post and photo © 2019 by Jeffrey M. Brooks, author of The Good Fight – The Virtue and Value of the Martial Arts