 Ludwig Von Mises Ludwig Von Mises, Economist Extraodinaire, 1881-1973
Shihan Henderson's Comment:
Professor Mises was an economist from New York University in the tradition of the Austrian School of Economics. As all professors rightly do, von Mises, in his above quote, makes the linkages between several very important concepts that we all as citizens and individuals must also understand. The above quote could easily be named: "Why study Martial Arts".
Firstly, Professor von Mises points out that as children we are not necessarily developed with a desire for learning and knowing. This must be taught to us either by society, our families, or perhaps the child itself when it is old enough to understand. The sentence speaks to me quite clearly as a teacher. As individuals we all have a responsibility to instill in ourselves and our children the desire to learn and grow in order to better our collective situation.
Von Mises continues to illustrate that the above is not easy, it takes strenuous exertion. As we like to repeat to our students at The International Budo Institute, "If it was easy everybody would be doing it". That is, the study of Martial Arts, which is the study of culture, is the assimilation of the ideas roused by mankind in the area of Budo over the ages. If you are interested in martial arts then there is a responsibility to learn and then to teach these well studied cultural forms.
I have heard many students over the years say that the study of forms is useless or not important for them. What they fail to understand, or to see, are the linkages that Professor Mises speaks about above. Kata, or forms, are the embodiment of the culture of martial arts that have been passed down over the ages. As such they are incredibly important not merely for the technical aspects but for the assimilation of the ideas of the great Masters who have come before. When you study the Kata forms you are communicating directly with the ancient Masters and they in turn are communicating with you. To feel that link is a very important part of your maturation within the martial arts.
The above is similar to the path of any artist. When a painter learns the forms of the ancient or past artist he/she steps into the atelier of that great artist and communs with them. They become intertwined. Another example is in the realm of languages. When one learns a language, one does not just learn the technical aspects of how to form sentences or construct phrases. You learn how that culture views the world, thinks about their own culture and how they solve problems and issues. To learn a language is to learn another culture's people, their ideas, beliefs and worldview. The same is true for the study of Kata.
Ultimately as Professor von Mises points out, it is a process of humanizing that we all undertake. Through the study of kata we become more human because we see what the great Masters pondered upon as important and that process brings us closer to them. In coming closer to them, in their thoughts, our study of martial arts becomes more real, more intimate and in the process we become more human. We grow and we learn. Studying kata is nothing short of taking a voyage of history back into the ages of ancient Japan and China. If you keep this in mind while studying, the importance of the these ancient forms will never be lost. And you never know, you might just make your own mark on history in the process!
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