The entire passage is: “Do you know the fate of the praying mantis? It angrily stretches out its arms to arrest the progress of the carriage, unconscious of its inability for such a task, but showing how much it thinks of its own powers. Be on your guard, be careful. If you cherish a boastful …
Category: General Interest
A general page for discussion, relating to topics not listed in their own categories.
Jun 03
KFEB #24) To associate with evil men is like sleeping in the midst of knives and swords: although you have not been wounded, you are constantly afraid.
All of my research has, unfortunately once again, come up short regarding where this comes from, thus another KFEB entry remains “Anonymous”. That doesn’t diminish my interpretation, it just makes the source worldview a little more difficult to pinpoint. This one is rather simple, almost to the point of being a truism, and reminds me …
Mar 17
KFEB #23) Do right, and do it alone. Commit something wrong and you will need a gang to work with. That is why even a burglar posts someone to watch for them.
This is another one that I couldn’t find the reference for but, if I had to guess, I would hazard that it is likely Confucian in origin – this, of course, is just a hunch. Although, I have been able to find it referred to in an academic paper regarding a ‘common belief’ somehow associated …
Feb 24
22) The fame of men’s good deeds seldom goes beyond their own doors, but their evil deeds are known a thousand miles distant.
So, another Chinese proverb that I can’t nail down to one particular author… It doesn’t really matter, but I like trying to link to the authors of these proverbs because it can affect some of the interpretation process – something that I enjoy looking into and figuring out. I remember this one more as I got …
Feb 18
KFEB #21 – It is impossible to please men in all things; our only care should be to satisfy our own consciences.
It’s been a while since I’ve written anything on the KFEB, so I thought it was about time. This particular maxim, once again, comes from China; Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find the era, nor the source. That being said, this one is rather straightforward and could be rooted in most belief systems. I …
Jan 14
“Taking a Break” – we’ve all heard it.
So, my girlfriend and I have taken the plunge… into parenting. It’s a new chapter in both of our lives, and we love our son with parts of our hearts that we didn’t even know we had! He’s such a good baby – honestly, he’s rather awesome, if I have to humbly say so myself …
Aug 31
The Unfettered Mind, by Takuan Soho (17th Century CE)
If you’ve ever read the Book of Five Rings (Go Rin No Sho) by Miyamoto Musashi, and most practitioners of Japanese martial arts styles have (or have been recommended to), and want to see how Zen Buddhism can apply to Martial Arts, then this is the book for you. I highly encourage any reader to …
Jul 18
KFEB # 90 – What a man dislikes in his superiors, let him not display in the treatment of his inferiors.
“What a man dislikes in his superiors, let him not display in the treatment of his inferiors. What he dislikes in his inferiors, let him not display in the service of his superiors.” – Confucius, The Great Learning Chapter 10, para 2. So, I’ve tagged this particular entry into the Kung Fu Exercise Book (KFEB) as …
Jun 07
I want to be my son’s superhero…
Have you ever noticed that major comic book characters are adults, yet comics have been generally associated with childhood. Even today’s relative acceptance of all-things-geek hasn’t changed this perception, for the most part. Now, most people who know me will agree – I’m a proud geek, have been since I was a kid, and I still …
Apr 27
Empty your cup…
Most Martial Artists will have heard some variation on the “Empty your cup” at some point in their training career. For those who have not, or would like a reminder, here are two of the many incarnations – Empty your Cup (long), A Cup of Tea (short). Even if you are not a Martial Artist, you …
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