Wednesday, September 30, 2015

The Martial Art School I Used to Attend Damaged Me For Life

And four and a half years later, I'm only just beginning to realize how badly.

The one I'm in now is actually a kind of offshoot of it, started by a guy whose experiences were similar to mine. He will probably never heal fully either. We talked just the other night about having to constantly watch ourselves to make sure we're not acting out the pathology those people implanted in us.

Look, if your approach to fitness, empowerment and collectivity is paranoia and divisive sectarian politics (which admittedly is great for marketing)––to say nothing of obsession with rank and privilege––you are going to cause damage to yourself and others, every day. It is deliberate, tragic (or comical if you have the good fortune not to get sucked into it), and unnecessary.

My ex-teammates: if you read this, you know who you are. Think about what you're doing, go through the cult-withdrawal I had to, and stop.

You are NOT doing compassionate, balanced action.

It's not the mirror that's broken: it's YOU.

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