Your head is good
for more than smashing concrete blocks...
 
“ Be Like Water” and
“Bow to
Life: 365 Secrets from the Martial
Arts for Daily Life”
by Joseph Cardillo
Tues.,
Oct. 3 at 1 & 7pm on WSKG Radio
All martial arts emphasize that good
rhythm is essential for responding appropriately to any given
situation. Developing a high sensitivity to your internal
rhythms, as well as the rhythms of others, will create many
opportunities in everyday life, just as it does on the mats.
--from Be
Like Water
The martial arts began to grow in
popularity in the West shortly after the end of World War II,
when this nation had confronted a dangerous and determined
Asian foe.So jujitsu, judo,
karate and other practices would readily be considered more
martial than art. But as serious students of those punching and kicking disciplines
came to appreciate, they carry an underlying philosophy of
life that is profound and actually gentle.
Although
formal training in a dojo is necessary for the physical
conditioning that the martial arts provide, the books of Joseph
Cardillo distill the ideas that may be as powerful as a karate
fighter’s jab. Be
Like Water: Practical Wisdom from the Martial Arts (2003)
and Mr. Cardillo’s new book Bow
to Life: 365 Secrets from the Martial Arts for Daily Life can
both be read as self-improvement books (among the most
popular genres on bookstore shelves). But
they also introduce the teachings that have been conveyed
for more than a thousand years. There are many forms of martial art, including Tae
Kwon Do from Korea, and kenpo karate and wing
chun kung fu,.which originated in China. Kali
and Dumog are
from the Philippines. Joseph
Cardillo is from Norwich, NY and is a professor of creative
writing and literature at Hudson Valley Community College. His
experience with the martial arts began as a hyperactive teenager
who would escape to Colgate University to practice mediation. Although he was initially attracted to the
martial arts by its “streetfighter” reputation he quickly
came to appreciate that its essence was in discovering and
controlling the body’s “energy centers” – called
charkas in yoga and chi (or ki) in the martial arts. Bow
to Life is a series of 365 one-page commentaries and
accompanying exercises. For
example, some movements in the martial arts are circular
and some are direct. Exercise 146 says:
Consider the various people and situations
you are currently dealing with. Identify
one that operates circularly. Visualize
his or her approaches. This
will help you time and locate responses. Choose
a straight-line action that you can use to accomplish your
goals. Proceed. See what happens.
-- from Bow to Life Joe
Cardillo joins Bill
Jaker on OFF THE PAGE to tell about his experiences and
the philosophy within the martial arts. To
join in the discussion, call during the live 1:00 PM broadcast
to 1-888/359-9754 or post your comments here or e-mail WSKG.Radio@Gmail.com.
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