It may seem really odd to hear, but I can honestly say that my studies in the Martial Arts and the works of Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War' has really helped me towards my goal of being a peaceful, non-violent individual.  

I started practicing the martial art of Tae Kwon Do in 1999 when I was in the height of my depression and suicide attempts.  I just did not have the state of mind to do the training, so I quite.  But then I picked it up again in 2001 after my recovery and kept at it for over 10 years.  The training helped me reinforce the lessons I learned in therapy and taught me much more.  

I obtained my third Dan (3rd degree) black belt and in fact could have tested for my fourth Dan before my off-grid life style pulled me away from the art.  I was an instructor for years and loved teaching people of all ages.

2003 Black stripe test - flying side kick.  

Brick Breaking Demonstration at my club

So what does all of this have to do with peace?

Who do bullies pick on?  The strongest in the school yard or the weakest?  Of course the pick on the weakest, because they need somebody to pick on in order to build themselves up!  So by training, we learn the skills, techniques and self confidence to be able to present ourselves as being formidable even though we may still be shaking inside and scared out of our wits.  We can communicate strength, confidence and ability just by the way we walk, talk and hold eye contact.  But it takes years of training to be able to have that level of command over our human body.  The body has the intellect, but there is also a matter of training the muscle memory and all the other components to function as one, balanced and centered being!  In the end, my training ended up being more than a physical exploration of how to fight.  It ended up being a spiritual journey far beyond my wildest expectations when I first started almost 20 years ago.

It may seem counter intuitive, but by learning how to fight, we build self confidence, strength, flexibility and the discipline to be able to think through stressful situations.  I learned how to fight so that I don't have to fight!  Remember this scene from The Karate Kid?

 Daniel: Hey - you ever get into fights when you were a kid?  
Miyagi: Huh - plenty.  
Daniel: Yeah, but it wasn't like the problem I have, right?  
Miyagi: Why? Fighting fighting. Same same.  
Daniel: Yeah, but you knew karate.  
Miyagi: Someone always know more.  
Daniel: You mean there were times when you were scared to fight?  
Miyagi: Always scare. Miyagi hate fighting.  
Daniel: Yeah, but you like karate.  
Miyagi: So?  
Daniel: So, karate's fighting. You train to fight.  
Miyagi: That what you think?  
Daniel: [pondering] No.  
Miyagi: Then why train?  
Daniel: [thinks] So I won't have to fight.  
Miyagi: [laughs] Miyagi have hope for you.  

I hate fighting too!  The martial arts build confidence, skills, ability and situational awareness to help me be peaceful.  But that was not enough.  I also had to study strategy, especially considering the whole world is at war.  Sun Tzu has been studied by people around the world for thousands of years.  A good documentary was made about 'The Art of War' by the History Channel.

So how can we apply some of these lessons to peace?  Well, what did Sun Tzu say about an army on the high ground?  Avoid it right!  Well what high ground can we stand on as peaceful individuals?  How about the moral and ethical high ground?  Should anybody attack an individual standing on the moral and ethical high ground, that individual will look like an idiot and fail in his attack.  For me, the most pointed point that Sun Tzu says is that the best warrior is the one who wins without a fight!  These are the warriors that we need in today's world.  People with the courage, skills, expertise, wisdom and experience to be able to confront those who engage in violence and help them find peace.   

It does not matter if that violence is physical, emotional, mental or spiritual, the violence has got to stop and the only way we are going to accomplish that goal is to have the courage to stand up and call it out into the open!  My martial arts training has helped me in more ways than I could have possibly imagined.  It built leadership, stewardship and even the capacity to be an elder.  Our human bodies are capable of doing amazing things.  What limits them is our own belief structures.  The training helps to show that we are capable of doing much more than we 'think' we can.  It is my job as an instructor to push people past those self limiting beliefs!  That is what builds confidence!  That is the point behind board and brick breaking.  If my instructor put 4 bricks in front of me when I first started I would have quit!  I knew beyond a doubt that I would not be able to break those bricks.  I now know beyond a doubt that I can because I've done it many times.  

Life is the same way.  It is up to us to find a teacher who is willing to guide us through those barriers so that we can achieve absolutely miraculous things in this life time.  Peace is one of them!  I know you can do it, but that is irrelevant.  What matters is what you believe and think!

Train in life so that we no longer have to fight or be at war.  Then we can find the peace that we are all looking for!