The purpose of Martial Arts in the Modern World
Martial Arts have always been a niche skill. In the middle ages only Nobles and the wealthy could afford to dedicate any time to martial pursuits. The common foot-soldier or mercenary just made do with some on-the-job training, and were often completely outclassed by Knights or Nobles on the field.
It's difficult to generalise, because there were many different environments and situations in history. It is easy to point out situations in which common folk or groups (like monks) took up arms and dedicated themselves to martial skills for some goal or another, but this is a different situation from today.
In the modern world, close combat skills are idealised in media, but are taboo in society. Even raising a fist, or threatening to do so, could ruin someones life with legal proceedings and fees. We have come to a point in society where people with good jobs and reputations are better off being physically beaten without fighting back and going to to hospital, than risk being sued by a criminal with nothing to lose.
This development in society is not accidental. Building a nation controlled by strict rules and codes, where even carrying a weapon is against the law, creates a society that does not fight back and can be controlled more easily by government. It is easy to underestimate the effect of a criminal history or a conviction, but such a thing can make life in the modern world very difficult in regards to finding work or providing for yourself or others.
These developments are natural and are not a bad thing, a society with less violence can dedicate more time to the pursuits of science, knowledge and the arts, which all increase the quality of life of those around us. Anybody with a little knowledge of history will know how difficult life was hundreds of years ago and how humankind as a whole has improved life.
But with improvement come new problems. Although we no longer fear being murdered in our sleep by raiders, hazards of modern life have created new issues we need to deal with such as obesity, arthritis and getting into a motor accident.
What is the point of living 100 years, when 80 of those years are in pain or suffering from some side-effect of modernity? Martial arts in the past were created to protect life from violence, martial arts of today are practiced to preserve the quality of life.
The human body requires a great deal of maintenance and care. With the rise of large profit driven corporations that sell products designed to keep consumers consuming, it has become more difficult than ever to maintain a healthy body and lifestyle. It doesn't take much to stay fit and healthy, but many people find that even 6 hours a week of physical training is beyond their means. This is not because it is too fiscally expensive, but because there isn't either the time or willpower to do so.
Modern life is exhausting. Work, study, bills, social media, news, kids, fashions, trends, schedules - it all adds up. Many people are lucky to sit down for an hour or two at the end of a day to watch TV or pursue their hobby. The issue is they spent the other 12 hours either sitting at a desk, or on a bus, or in a car, working or waiting. A human body wasn't designed to just sit around and not using the body to do what it was designed to do ends up causing damage.
There are things martial arts provide that no amount of going to the gym or weekend yoga classes can provide. The physical conditioning of rolling, getting hit, falling the ground and having the body put into awkward positions strengthens the muscles, bones and tendons. The uni-lateral and cross-lateral movements in martial arts techniques strengthen the pathways in the brain and improve mental health as well as posture and movement. The hand-eye coordination and situational awareness developed through striking and being struck develops reflexes and reaction time which helps in everything from driving at 100kph in hazardous conditions to avoiding getting slammed by an opening door.
Martial arts is a full body maintenance regimen that improves all aspects of life including physical, mental and spiritual health. It offers skills and abilities that protect the practitioner from modern threats like fast moving cars, energy laden meals and sedentary lifestyles as well as provide physical training and body conditioning.
The hand-to-hand combat skills and the ability to defend yourself is just icing on the cake. Martial arts is not about fighting, it never was. It is about living and surviving with a high quality of life.
It's difficult to generalise, because there were many different environments and situations in history. It is easy to point out situations in which common folk or groups (like monks) took up arms and dedicated themselves to martial skills for some goal or another, but this is a different situation from today.
In the modern world, close combat skills are idealised in media, but are taboo in society. Even raising a fist, or threatening to do so, could ruin someones life with legal proceedings and fees. We have come to a point in society where people with good jobs and reputations are better off being physically beaten without fighting back and going to to hospital, than risk being sued by a criminal with nothing to lose.
This development in society is not accidental. Building a nation controlled by strict rules and codes, where even carrying a weapon is against the law, creates a society that does not fight back and can be controlled more easily by government. It is easy to underestimate the effect of a criminal history or a conviction, but such a thing can make life in the modern world very difficult in regards to finding work or providing for yourself or others.
These developments are natural and are not a bad thing, a society with less violence can dedicate more time to the pursuits of science, knowledge and the arts, which all increase the quality of life of those around us. Anybody with a little knowledge of history will know how difficult life was hundreds of years ago and how humankind as a whole has improved life.
But with improvement come new problems. Although we no longer fear being murdered in our sleep by raiders, hazards of modern life have created new issues we need to deal with such as obesity, arthritis and getting into a motor accident.
What is the point of living 100 years, when 80 of those years are in pain or suffering from some side-effect of modernity? Martial arts in the past were created to protect life from violence, martial arts of today are practiced to preserve the quality of life.
The human body requires a great deal of maintenance and care. With the rise of large profit driven corporations that sell products designed to keep consumers consuming, it has become more difficult than ever to maintain a healthy body and lifestyle. It doesn't take much to stay fit and healthy, but many people find that even 6 hours a week of physical training is beyond their means. This is not because it is too fiscally expensive, but because there isn't either the time or willpower to do so.
Modern life is exhausting. Work, study, bills, social media, news, kids, fashions, trends, schedules - it all adds up. Many people are lucky to sit down for an hour or two at the end of a day to watch TV or pursue their hobby. The issue is they spent the other 12 hours either sitting at a desk, or on a bus, or in a car, working or waiting. A human body wasn't designed to just sit around and not using the body to do what it was designed to do ends up causing damage.
There are things martial arts provide that no amount of going to the gym or weekend yoga classes can provide. The physical conditioning of rolling, getting hit, falling the ground and having the body put into awkward positions strengthens the muscles, bones and tendons. The uni-lateral and cross-lateral movements in martial arts techniques strengthen the pathways in the brain and improve mental health as well as posture and movement. The hand-eye coordination and situational awareness developed through striking and being struck develops reflexes and reaction time which helps in everything from driving at 100kph in hazardous conditions to avoiding getting slammed by an opening door.
Martial arts is a full body maintenance regimen that improves all aspects of life including physical, mental and spiritual health. It offers skills and abilities that protect the practitioner from modern threats like fast moving cars, energy laden meals and sedentary lifestyles as well as provide physical training and body conditioning.
The hand-to-hand combat skills and the ability to defend yourself is just icing on the cake. Martial arts is not about fighting, it never was. It is about living and surviving with a high quality of life.
