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As individuals, life is just one but…

Without bringing religions and various beliefs into play, there are 2 visions of life that as humans and as martial arts practitioners we should take into consideration:

If we consider the part of the truth that sees us as parts of a single great material whole in eternal change, we can define ourselves (without fear of being contradicted) as “immortals”
If instead, we consider the other part of the truth, the one that divides us into individuals, life is just one and its result is simply its end, nothing more, nothing less

Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home study classes here Learn Kung Fu online: a beginner-to-expert course).

These assertions are true, not contradictory and very useful:

The first let us leave the fear of death (the oldest instrument of mass control)
The second tells us that our current life experience is unique (and must not be wasted)

Let’s deepen these 2 topics.

1. Death does not exist

No one can kill matter.

The fact that we are composed of matter is an established fact and before everyone’s eyes: nothing and no one is capable of eliminating the primary particles of which we are composed:

Not the age
Not the bullets
Not an atomic bomb
…

The matter and energy that composes us can transform, not disappear but this is a process that, even if less visible, is in action every instant of our “existence”:

Our body changes (let’s think about it, we don’t even remotely resemble what we were as children)
Our memories change (they are just a sort of always less-precise reconstruction of our past)
Our way of reasoning changes (our knowledge is constantly expanding and narrowing, as is our way of thinking)
…

Parts of us decay until they fall off and are then replaced by completely new ones (through our interactions with the environment, light, oxygen, food, etc.).

In other words, every day, every moment we die and reborn, incessantly. “Our” matter continuously intersects and connects with that of those we normally consider “other” in relation to us (“animated” and “unanimated” entities).

In practical terms, what benefits can we get from all this?

There are many advantages to considering this way of looking at things:

In combat – When really necessary, we can free ourselves from the fear of death and thus fight to the best of our ability (read also Martial arts: how to become invincible?)
In social relationships – We can stop being unnecessarily competitive and instead start collaborating with others, certain that we share the same raw material; everything and nothing belongs to us (read Nothing belongs to us)
In psychological terms – The liberation and relief that comes from (a real) awareness of being mechanically churning matter inevitably brings with it a reduction in mental suffering; things like losses, failures, missed opportunities, loneliness, inadequacy, etc. gradually lose their meaning
In terms of happiness – There is nothing we really have to desire or fear, because everything and everyone is part of us and we are part of it

A note by Master Kongling – Since the dawn of time, it has always been the leaders, the powerful people who have needed to create illusory divisions (separating, identifying enemies, etc.) because this is the only way that allows them to be followed. Let us learn to recognize them and to interrupt their chain of selfishness: let us learn to recognize the most ancient of deceptions. They sell us natural change as a temporary and extraordinary crisis that only they can stop: false. No one can freeze the continuous change of the unstoppable river of reality and those who try to delude us to possess this capability are certainly charlatans. Let’s stop being fooled by those people, they are the cancer of the world: because it is from them that wars and all the worst evils of the world come.

2. Our current life is a unique opportunity

Even though we are matter that mixes, our life experience as humans is rare, unique and it is up to us to make it as much as possible positive for ourselves and others.

If we want our life to be called worthy of being lived: we must take the reins of our existence.

How to take the reins of our life

Of course, there is a mechanical limit to what we can do but since we have no way of knowing it precisely, it makes more sense to address life with an approach as active and constructive as possible in fact:

A rational constructive approach (dotted with challenges within our reach) will give us many more possibilities for obtaining real satisfaction
On the contrary, a passive approach will lead us to always be at the mercy of people / events and to have nothing but fortuitous casual moments of happiness

We must not covet results but have a precise direction, until we advance, no matter at what speed. Everyone is able to dream, imagine, fantasize, suppose: few have the courage to act.

A note by Master Kongling – It is not about living according to rules that oppress us, it does not lead to any benefit. The right path is the one of self-discipline (read Build self-discipline [MINI-GUIDE]): let’s carefully choose positive values / objectives and let’s remain faithful to them, at the cost of our own life (we will not regret it).

How to find our life goal and reach it

To find a worthy goal in life we need to:

Understand if that goal is only a temporary whim or if it has a profound meaning (for us not for the others)
Think about what it takes to reach it (skills, tools, time, space, funds, etc.)
Think without excessive optimism or pessimism where we could truly arrive by following this path (and where we probably will not arrive)
Evaluate wisely the working, physiological, psychological, social and sentimental implications
Ponder with complete honesty its actual feasibility, we have first to listen to the opinion of those who have already succeeded and then those who have failed (grasping the differences)
Evaluate what we already have and what we actually lack (knowledge, skills, materials, etc.)
Understand where and how to obtain what we are missing (we must be skeptical and put every detail to the test of the doubt)
Split everything into many small sub-objectives (small, short and simple) without getting bogged down on insignificant things
Establish a logical order of execution and a reasonable time to put it into practice (basically double with respect to the worst expectations)
Start to carry out the first small objective (without allowing ourselves to be attracted by anything else)
Embrace errors with courage and initiative in order to build the necessary experience to never repeat them (read Measure ourselves with errors)
Do not give in to emotions more than what they can give us to reach our goal (eg. anger and pride do not help anyone)
Understand that we are not our project and what happens to it cannot harm us (slowdowns, steps back and all the problems that will inevitably arise, read Accept problems to find solutions and How to solve any kind of life problem)
Check (without losing focus), each time a small objective has been attained, if the times and methods we have chosen are still valid or require some adjustments (people, strategies, etc. but never with the idea of working less hard)

Gradually (with discipline, preparation and concentration) we will reach our goal.

How to avoid failure

The only possible failure is to stop trying.

Let’s try to understand that the time and effort we put in must be proportional to how determined we are to achieve our goal: we need to learn to be consistent with our choices.

Let’s make the example of martial arts:

It is not possible that after a reasoned decision to start a martial path, we give up after the first 1-2 months, after the first difficulties (read Having discipline: do not contradict ourselves)
It is not intelligent to leave serious preparation to try some fancy shortcut deluded by fast fake results

Once reached our first life goal something big will change within us:

We will understand that we can reach results
We will understand what is our value
We will understand what is our way
We will be able to share our value
We will be ready to find and start our next challenge

Final notes

A few conclusive thoughts:

The adherence to our choices is proportional to our ability to focus, let’s learn to gradually expand it (for example through the daily practice of martial arts)
Almost no one cares that we achieve our goals, most people only aim to not be overcome; let’s organize our plans in order to include other people but without making any of them indispensable
Last but not least, life is now, as individuals we know when it started but we don’t know when it will end, let’s not wait for an “ideal” moment to start to live it fully, the right moment is this one
…

In-depth video courses

Mind self-control hacks – How to improve the functionality of our brain and reach our goals
Basic 6 Dragons Kung Fu exercises – The basic conditioning exercises to build real martial skills
How to build strong self-discipline – The core capability to gain control over our lives
Meditation: how to start – A guided path toward meditation for those who have difficulty to approach it
Martial arts weight loss: how to – A step-by-step path to lose weight through the martial practice

In-depth articles

How to teach Kung Fu to my children – Improving your child’s physical and mental abilities
Natural talent and martial arts – What is the real incidence of natural talent?

Questions

Reply in the comments and share your experience:

What is your life goal?

Author: Master Kongling

Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.

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