Movement

Welcome the second post today....

I've been thinking about movement a lot lately. Not specific actions per se, but certainly purposeful movements. Doesn't make any sense? Examples: Swimming, running, WoDing, dance, climbing and martial arts.

I've been thinking about how easy it is to get lost in the moving. Hmmm...it's like getting lost in a book to the point that you forget you are reading a story. The words on the page, and maybe the page as well, vanish; they are replaced by the lives and experiences of the characters as they play out before you. During purposeful movement the author, character and plot are the same.

Climbing is a lot like that. It's just you, the rock and whatever sparse pro that has been set paired with dynamic, explosive movements that are aching to be released. Flow is important for travel...one must be like a river moving over the rock as you caress the cracks, crannies and smooth places while gaining altitude. Wasted movement becomes an obscenity, made almost sacrilegious. Then, the rock becomes an altar. On the altar is poured a drink of devotion and determination to figure it out and do it right. Penance is paid with sweat and blood. There is no purgatory - sin often enough and death is the result. At least it's most often instant death, if you're high enough. There are other ways to describe it, but I'll wait awhile to suggest them....

Martial arts often carries a very, very different perspective. The art of violence is something an unfortunate (and sometimes fortunate) few seem to understand.

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." - George Orwell. Take that where you will.

It's not always about violence though; there is a certain beauty in seeing the katas performed with the grace of perfection, especially when one is able to understand and appreciate the sacrifice offered to achieve perfection. The same beauty carries the imminent threat of one so graceful...perfection is perfection, whether it is displayed via demonstration or on the ancient battlefield.


Movement. It does a body good. I'm done rambling. CYA!