“To enlighten and evolve through the art of Kenpo”
| Volume 9 |
October - December 2004 |
Issue 3 |
From The President...
Service in the "Me" World
UKS Tournament 2004
Upcoming News & Notes
Recommended Reading
Service in the "Me" World - Training Camp 2004
by William Joseph Pemberton
"The Real World". "The Apprentice". "Fear Factor". "Survivor". Cato Kaelin. It seems we live in a world where everyone wants what they want, they want it now and they seem to think they deserve it. No one loses. Everyone makes the team. Everyone is entitled. Everyone wants to be famous. If the eighties were the Me decade then the beginning of the 20th Century is the Ten Minutes of Fame, the entitlement, decade where everyone wants to be a celebrity but no one wants to earn it. This is just one of the reasons the martial arts and Kenpo and the discipline they offer are so important. It is for this reason that we should all feel blessed to be doing what we do with the people with whom we do it.
A wonderful book that everyone today should read is “The Greatest Generation” by Tom Brokaw. It is a book about our parents and grandparents and the life of service they lived in a time when most people worked for their family, lived simple lives and gave what they could to the greater good. It is an ideal we see everyday in our association where people whose skills could get them noticed in the larger world, who could seek and find fame and fortune but who come to us and share with great humility and love the art they have spent a lifetime advancing. These people come to us every year with their gifts and ask nothing in return, they give freely for no other reason that the love of what they do and that is a far rarer thing in this cynical world than most of us realize. While some Martial Artists have huge organizations for the purpose of making money and other have fan clubs, while some make grandiose claims and set themselves above everyone else, these men and women come to us for no other purpose than to share and expand our art.
This is never more evident than at our annual training camp, a time when our family comes together to share the gift left by a man whose fame and fortune was eclipsed by his talent and his gift of giving. This year’s camp was no exception. To stand with these people, our peers, and before these instructors, our seniors, is a gift that we can never truly fathom but must always honor with gratitude because it is a gift that can never be repaid. It shows us that a life of service still exists even if we must look a little harder to find it.
The instructors this year were as stellar as ever. Some we see often, some not enough and one for the very first time for many. Pat Salantri brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to us, with ideas and observations about our art and technique that must open even the most questioning of minds. As our guest instructor this year he gave us all a mind expanding experience. Of course, the last several years have brought Paul Dye and his wife, and their seemingly infinite insights into Katas and their applications and depths. The week after a camp one can see Brown and Black Belts around Bryan Hawkins Kenpo re-examining Short Form Two and scratching their heads. Kenpo is a thinker’s art and Mr. Dye forces us to look deeper within ourselves and the art we serve. Time spent with Mr. Howard Silva is always time spent remembering that we are all students and entitlement comes with work, not birth. Scott Higgins’ observations and knife work shows the true breadth and scope encompassed by this most versatile of arts. Wes Idol came by to share his knife work with us even while battling illness to remind us, as always, what true dedication looks like. Gurujodha Singh Khalsa helped center us spiritually while showing focus to be the center of everything and the heart to be the core of our values. Albert Cornejo could make an Eskimo sweat and a tri-athlete drop from exhaustion while keeping up and showing that form never fades. Of course, the lessons shared by our good friend Robert Lennon, Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, remind us of the relationship all martial arts share and the friendship that can be forged through the sharing of knowledge. If we do not come away being inspired and focused by these people we did not look closely enough.
Throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday many come to visit who must be recognized as outstanding students and teachers of our art and our lives. Mr. Jack Autry came by to say hello and share a laugh or a story. Mr. George Waite is such a fixture as a friend of our association that we can almost be forgiven for not remembering that he is not around all the time. His friendship and gifts are so freely given that one must be reminded not to take them for granted.
Also, throughout the day, Mr. Parker, Jr. was with us to share his artwork and gifts and to bring back the five volumes of Infinite Insights into Kenpo by his father and our founder. These books are vital to our growth in the study of motion. The technique cards Edmond Parker, Jr. has developed are a favorite with students and instructors alike, as are the training knives he has available for purchase.
Always, the highlight is Saturday’s dinner where we come together not only as Martial Artists but as friends and family, to share ourselves and our lives, dressed not for battle but for fellowship. Together we break bread and share the bond forged in the fire of our struggle for improvement. This year we came together in Culver City at George Petrelli’s Steak House in their upstairs banquet room. As in years before it was the time for recognition, for honoring our fellows and the service of those with whom we train.
This time of year carries several birthdays and Mr. Idol stood and gave best wishes to those whose time it was with cards from the students and instructors. It is in these time that we are reminded of the circle of love and friendship that nurtures us and those around us. While several share this time it was our blessing that our instructor, the man to whom we all look for guidance, was born into this world so that the best of Kenpo could continue beyond the passing of Mr. Parker. To celebrate this man, and his contributions to us, his instructors came together to present to him a knife of rare quality and design in honor of a man of rare quality and design. In the same vein, our brother Raouf S. Assal presented Mr. Hawkins with a plaque of gratitude for his selfless sharing of his gifts.
Every year one of our brothers or sisters is singled out for their service to our art, our association, our community. To say that this year’s recipient is deserving would be an understatement of epic proportions. He has been a good friend to us all and has been a ubiquitous presence at Bryan Hawkins Kenpo Karate for many years. The selfless grace with which he shares of himself, to his students and fellow instructors, is nothing short of inspirational. Through a rough year he has never complained, never burdened those around him with his concerns, rather, he came to the party carrying the gift of his talent and his wisdom. He shared of himself, threw himself into this art with a passion that earned our respect, our friendship and our love. This year the Annual Outstanding Service Award goes to our friend James Edward West II.
Finally, we must all take a moment to thank those whose time and efforts are invaluable to the presenting of an event of this nature. To list them here would take more time and space than allowed but suffice to say that their work is always appreciated. In the end we must thank two people without whom most of us would, quite possibly, never have met. Mr. Parker, who passed away some fifteen years ago, must always be in our hearts for it is he who gave us this art through which we share of ourselves and Mr. Hawkins for keeping it alive with integrity and honor.
In a world of selfish grappling for fame and fortune, where most will do anything for their fifteen minutes, we have been blessed with men and women who, for little recompense, little celebrity, come to us with gifts as priceless as any. They give with the simple knowledge that certain gifts only reach their true value when passed around and shared. To these men and women of Kenpo who give without thought beyond that of sharing what they have been given we say only, “thank you.” And to you who come to learn and explore and grow, may you continue on your journey with love in your hearts, honor in your souls and service in your art. To keep it alive and vital is the greatest gift of all and that, my friends and companions, is the greatest service, for that example can change, even save, lives.
See you next year.