post 52. Lessons with Teacher Zhou

Zhou lao shi taught the basics of Heng quan today, so that means I've almost finished up the 5 elements fist. Only left the turning and closing for Heng quan, and then it will be the linking form.

Zhou lao shi was emphasisng a lot about yi, intention, today. He was emphasising that during xing yi practise, one must be as a tank, unstoppable and overwhelming. No matter how big or tall your opponent is, just crush him like a tank; if even a house can't stand up to a tank, what matter flesh and bone? It's true though - I don't have the killing intention.

A lot of it has to do with one's environment. For better or worse, I come from a good family background, and for personel reasons, I have an abhorrence for physical violence. To me, physical violence indicates a failure to achieve a compromise through reason and sense.

It's different for Zhou lao shi. He grew up in an era of turmoil, going through the Cultural Revolution and the Great Chinese Famine. It's hard for me imagine what it must be like to live in a time where someone will kill you for a bowl of rice. That's probably another difference of why we practise martial arts - survival. For Zhou lao shi, it was a means of survival.

So why practise xing yi, then?

One, it's a skill. Sometimes, it's better to be prepared for violence, rather than be helpless when trouble comes knocking. It's really up to you to decide how safe today's society is. Maybe in Singapore it's fine to get by with just knowing how to dial 999. But I don't like the feeling of danger I get when I walk down Northbridge at night, because I know I don't have the necesaary skills. Sure, I can run, but sometimes running is not an option, alcohol or drugs has precluded the option of reasoning, what are you going to do? Stand there and be helpless?

Secondly, it's something to work on for a life-time. It's an open-ended system - you can never be too good. The only restriction is yourself. And to pursue the perfect quan...well, it's like if you punch a 1000 times, but the last one is perfect, ahhh, the feeling is indescribable.

Also, well, one shouldn't restrict yourself because you don't like it. Just because I don't like violence doesn't mean I should shield away from it. Hey, violence is a fact of life, even when it's not physical or obvious. Only through continous exposure to different experiences, especially those we do not like, can we learn and grow.

And lastly, because it's fun. Lol, it is! Well, it's not everyone's cup of tea, but then again, I don't drink coffee. ^^