Karate

I went to karate club yesterday. The black belt who was teaching us spent some time introducing the purpose of the school and answering any questions we had. The other person who was new to the program asked all of these intelligent questions about forms and styles; I felt bad because I know nothing of the history and practice of martial arts; I just want to gain strength and learn how to fight.

The teacher made no bones about the fact that martial arts is used primarily to hurt people, that even the more artistic aspects of it (the forms, for example) have a practical application that is meant to cause pain. If art is a form of self-expression, I wonder if karate can be reconciled with the term. On the one hand, it is a very practical thing to learn; if you become skilled in karate, you can defend yourself against nearly anybody. On the other hand, you don't really need to go through that level of discipline and focus to defend yourself. You could just carry around a weapon; it would be much easier to learn how to use it. Perhaps the act of exploring what your body can do and training your mind to be alert and focused falls into the realm of art.

But I can't wait until they let us start fighting people.