Many who follow me on social media know I'm involved in the martial arts. It's a passion of mine--something that transcends what most believe to be a hobby. It's a part of who I am and how I think and act. And for the majority of my life, it's been exactly that to me--my go to, my happy place, my New York state of mind.
I also realize that the majority of folk who read my blog don't have a passing interest in the Okinawan or Japanese martial arts (what those of us in the trade refer to as budo), so I won't bore you with those details in this entry. I do, however, sometimes pen a martial arts blog, so if you'd like to read it, just let me know and I will include you in that particular distribution list one I write the next entry.
No, the purpose of this article isn't to reflect on the weekend's training, but to discuss one of my favorite topics--human interaction with people from different areas of the United States and Canada, as well as those with varying interests and political affiliations.
Before we traverse that glorious road, I want to first focus on this anomaly we call social media. On its surface, "places" like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other such cyber locations offer us connections with those we otherwise would never have made. That side of the cyber world is wonderful.
The dirty side of social media is how we treat certain topics. We (most of us) tend to focus on singular topics and overplay them to the point of annoyance. A couple years ago, I came to terms with how I was doing that very thing. Yes, I engage in political dialogue on my Facebook page, and yes I love to discuss that very topic. But like martial arts, not everyone is interested in politics or my opinion of them. It took me a long time to realize that, because some people do enjoy that very thing, but I soon realized I was losing more friends than making them.
Losing friends to a given topic sometimes means they simply disagree completely with my political perspective, and other times it means they are just sick of reading the same old thing. Many times, though, they just aren't interested in reading about the very thing that inundates their lives every waking second.
What does any of that have to do with my trip to Pittsburgh this past weekend? Nothing, and a bunch! We gathered, almost sixty of us I think, to share and sweat together on the dojo floor. We learned from some of the best instructors I've had the pleasure to be around, and we shared some of our own knowledge when called upon to do so.
Here's the really interesting thing though--a few of us have had run-ins with one another on social media. One fellow in particular is a great guy, and one I've let go of on Facebook. Our politics don't mesh and we rub each other the wrong way on-line, so I figured it was better to let him go on social media in order to preserve a friendship. It worked too. He and I spent hours together training, telling jokes, and just generally cutting up. I love him to death, and I think he feels the same way.
Another fine gentleman blocked me on Facebook. We all had a good laugh about it too. He is a great guy, but we don't see eye to eye on politics. The lesson here is a great one, I believe: it's okay to spend real, human time together and be friends, than to force yourself to read someone else's opinions day-in and day-out that you don't necessarily agree with.
This past weekend was another great one! More memories made, tons of laughter, and just good old fashioned hard work on the dojo floor. For me, there are few things finer.
Love, peace, and chicken grease, y'all.
No comments:
Post a Comment