Lessons from the Martial Arts

Previously, I mentioned a Bruce Lee quotation book that contained some excellent reflections on teaching. Anyone who knows me knows that I will now have to pull on that thread and see where it takes me (or what cloth I pull apart).

So, I went to my other favorite used book store and scoured the martial arts section, looking for any teaching wisdom that I could find. Two books caught my eye - "Martial Arts Teachers on Teaching" by Carol A. Wiley, and "Martial Arts Teaching Tales of Power and Paradox" by Pascal Fauliot.

When I opened "Martial Arts Teachers on Teaching", the first quote I saw said,

"If you follow the present-day world, you will turn your back on the Way; if you would not turn your back on the Way, do not follow the world" - Takuan.

The quote immediately resonated with me, as - according to the reactions I get - I'm the last man on earth without a cell phone. I'm not sure what 'the Way' is, but I'm pretty sure that cell phones are not...

Studies of 'flow' conclude that uninterrupted time is a prerequisite to reaching a flow state in any activity. Surely, it is possible to own a cell phone while maintaining uninterrupted time, but no one I know has succeeding, and it's an experiment I'm uninterested in pursuing.

So, I will 'not follow the world' (with regards to cell phones) anytime soon.

In what ways do you 'not follow the world', in order to find 'the way'?

If You Need to Text Message, I'll Just Walk. Okay?

I flew from San Jose to Philadelphia today to visit my parents for the next 10 days.
My sister and dad picked me up at the airport. Shortly thereafter, I had a bit of a fight with my sister over her text messaging while driving on a highway.

My recent reading of "Brain Rules" (go here - slide 7 to see) has persuaded me that cell phone usage is worse than drunk driving, so I asked her to stop.
That didn't go too well...

I suppose I should have facilitated a discussion instead of lecturing her, but getting home alive was my priority at that moment. 

Anyway, it's good to be here and great to see my parents.
As I'm relaxing in the back yard - piggybacking on an internet signal from the neighbors - I'm reminded of my dad's best line about my work ethic, "Hard work doesn't bother Glenn at all. He can lay down right next to it and sleep all day."

That's about as close as I hope to get to hard work over the next 10 days!