Life… At The Speed of Tai Chi
Some things, so it seems, can be learned quickly. It doesn’t mean we’ll be all that good at them though. You can learn how to make reasonably good coffee in one lesson, as long as you have coffee machine and some properly grown and roasted coffee beans. Starting from scratch is another story however.
I’ve seen people take nice digital cameras and take good photos right from the start, as long as they have a natural ability for good composition. The thing is, without the camera providing the settings the pictures end up being sort of hit or miss. We live in such a time of instant gratification that we often forget a lot of what we can do well is actually done for us. This is not the case with tai chi.
When I hear someone say something like “I took tai chi for about 6 months and got pretty good at it”, I know one of two things happened. They either set the bar pretty low for themselves, or they had a severe case of SPD (Self-Perception Disorder). This is the case with most things in life.
We’ve all heard of the Old-World Craftsmen who did beautiful work after practicing as apprentices for many years. It takes years to attain true mastery. The right tools make a big difference, but they don’t completely take the place of patience and experience. Most of the “craftsmanship” today can’t hold a candle to the work of a really skilled artisan, and few of us are willing to consider paying for top quality anyway.
Years ago my wife and I bought a new 4-poster bed frame from a national chain. The salesman told us, “This is heirloom quality furniture that you can pass on to your children.” We didn’t want to pay for heirloom quality, weren’t expecting it, and didn’t think we were getting it. The price was what we were willing to pay and piece looked nice, but it certainly wasn’t top quality; in fact it didn’t even look like top quality in the showroom setting.
I’m not sure if this was just a poor attempt and salesmanship, or if the young man really believed what he was saying. If he believed it, we many have reinforced his belief by buying from him. To me this talks directly to our desire for instant gratification and our disposable society. I don’t have a real problem, per se, with our disposable society; I just don’t particularly like seeing people delude themselves. When we realize we’ve bought into something fake the let down can be painful.
I approach my tai chi practice with the understanding that I get from it what I put in to it. I know more about tai chi, and my own body, than the average bear. I’ve even been referred to as a master, because I’ve been doing it for a number of years. I have to laugh when this happens because I know I’m still a long way from mastery of the art.
My plan is simply to stick with it and improve over time. I’ve got a long way to go, and hopefully a long time to get there. There will always be more to learn and maybe, just maybe, someday I’ll even consider myself in league with the “Old World Craftsmen” of the Tai Chi World.
Your thoughts?
John
P.S. I found this picture on Flicker.com: http://www.flickr.com/photos/10534046@N02/2071574226
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Jun 29, 2009 - 04:06:40What does and does not constitute Mastery is a very interesting study. In some traditions there are “tests” — belts, or degrees, by which one’s station can be determined, or recognized. But I’m thinking of the internal quality that constitutes mastery — how can that be defined?
One way is by analogy, using a subject like “craftsmanship” to help us think about it, as you did in your post. A book I found very useful along those lines is The Unknown Craftsman, by Soetsu Yanagi. The author discusses the qualities of beauty and insight in relation to Asian pottery and tea, but the principles are relevant to martial arts, and especially regarding “mastery.” It will also add to your opinions about a so-called “disposable society.”
Another is Mastery, by George Leonard, who is an Aikido teacher, and the things he says about the subject are applicable to tai chi as well.
Walt,
I don’t really know how you can measure internal quality either. The Chinese Wushu Organization does testing for masters and gives out upper level rankings very slowly. Masters must also do activities to promote their arts as part of the requirements. Not having seen a master level test, I can’t say how it’s done.
I have however gotten a 1st person account of being used as a demonstration subject for the masters at one time. Many years ago a good friend of my Master’s helped him by being the subject and said, ‘While I didn’t really hurt, I felt the effect of the impact for several months.’ Maybe the other masters can see or feel what is happening. I’ve had other experiences myself that lead me to believe it’s possible to see and feel this from a distance.
Thanks for sharing the book links too.
John