Quote:
Jon Reading wrote:
I think this is kinda my point. For example, this thread began with a post from you implying, yet not confirming, a video clip was internal strength training. Yet in this thread you claim there is nothing missing from your training.
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He also said he has plenty to learn, which clearly describes, in one sense at least, something understood to be missing. I think a big part of this problem is that the phrase "internal arts" can mean a lot of different things. No one owns the language so we're all free to use the terms as we see fit, which is always based on whatever experience we have up to that point.
I think it's a fair point for "IP/IS folks" to make that not all "internal" approaches are equally valid per some given task, but this is where individual goals/intent start to differentiate and people seem to start talking past each other. My personal view is that if someone is working on any aspect of "internal" development, no matter how poorly, it should still be allowed to be called "internal." I started my internal study as a kid when I saw that if I relaxed certain parts of my body (which parts were based on "looking inward") I could keep the bigger kids from pinning me to the ground. That's internals. It's not the sum total. If anything, it's barely a positive value, but I believe it still fits the description. .01 is still cash, albeit not as impressive as 100.00...and to follow the analogy, many folks would say having a penny isn't "really" having any money at all. That, in a nutshell, is my guess on the nature of many of these conversations.
There is always more to learn, more pieces of the picture to add to make the picture more complete, but a partial picture is still a picture...and whether you're godly or crap, it's always a partial picture anyway, from what I hear told. The question has to do with how useful it is for the things you're trying to make it do.
Of course, I'm one of the folks who doesn't have the experience to compare things very well. Hopefully over time I'll change that and be able to point to something even a little bit concrete instead of offering guesses...
Anyway...online chitchat completed, time to go do something with greater long-term rewards.
Take care folks!
Matt
p.s. I'd like to add I like the way Graham seems to put himself out there: "this is what I do; what do you think?" Open-mindedness is perhaps the most important thing we as students can have. I've long been of the opinion that knowledge often obscures as much as it reveals. The more understanding we get, the more important it is for us to remain open-minded...and really, if for no other reason than it invites those we interact with to do the same.
...something like that anyway.