Light a Candle. Don’t Curse the Darkness.
July 27, 2012 – 8:36 am
During the night a businessman named Mark Bennett, from my very own Bellingham, posted on my wedding anniversary photo of my wife and I that, “teaching martial arts to federal agencies is like giving felons knives, so you’re no better than a criminal yourself.”
On my wedding anniversary photo, after my expression of love for my wife, I mean, really. I must assume he has been very hurt in the past to act like such a child. Like a few others, he misunderstands “freedom of speech” which applies to the US government not being able to restrict your voice. However, my Facebook page as a fellow private citizen is not a political soapbox, and you have no rights in another person’s home to spew hate. When you disrespect my family, you forfeit all posting privileges.
That said, I will respond to decontaminate the ignorance spread….
Martial art is not about violence to others, but ending violence within oneself. It teaches discretion, perspicacity and proportionality. It enables reason, clarity and sensitivity. It fosters patience, compassion and tolerance. A non-martial artist sees violence everywhere and attempts to force passivity upon others due to fear of their inability to protect themselves from perceived danger; where a martial artist understands the ignorance and defuses and diminishes potential harm through the courage to take compassionate action. Judging from your comment, you need martial art more than anyone.
It is my deepest honor to train the men and women that I do. You imply criminality with your judgmentality. Yet, you do not know me, have never met me and know nothing about what I offer, and based upon your disrespectful attacks have no interest in removing that ignorance. Even those who are still learning to aspire to the nobility of their profession will benefit from the training that I provide.
If you truly would like to take action upon injustices which you perceive, then imposing greater darkness will not help you. You cannot remove darkness with more of it. Only light can chase away the darkness. Light up awareness within, and share that light with others.
V/R,
Scott Sonnon
