My “brother from another mother” & Daito-Ryu black belt, Sensei John Rentschler found this interesting article the other day.
Religious implications aside, it is a very interesting & highly recommended read.
Skeptic and Rationalist, Sam Harris, is also a Martial Artist. He shared some of his thoughts on the arts, knife fighting, and a certain Japanese Ki “Master” getting punched in the face, in an interview for The Atlantic.
On knife fighting: The reality of a knife attack is that even if you stop 50% of the thrusts and slashes, you will be taking damage with every other move. And getting cut with a knife of any size is physiologically horrible in a way that few people realize. It is arguably worse than getting shot.
On self defense: Once you go down the rabbit-hole and admit that certain self-defense skills are worth having, you discover that it can be immensely fun to acquire them. The reality of what you’re learning is pretty grim when you look at its possible application in the real world, and a person can certainly become slightly aberrated by spending too much time thinking about violence. But there’s nothing morbid about training in the martial arts–or even with guns, knives, and other weapons.
The “ki master” demonstrating his B.S. with someone who is NOT as delusional as he is:
The original article in “The Atlantic”
