Last week one of my online international students flew to Vancouver for a weekend of training. Some of the students were able to make it out to dinner and to train with him a few times that weekend. We had so much fun and even though my local students do not see or train with him often, they welcomed him and treated him as a brother; that to me is one of the best aspects of training martial arts.
When a group of great people come together and leave their egos at the door, a lot of magic happens. I think some people think that martial arts is all about fighting and violence and while we do study violence that is not our only goal. At least to me, once a certain level of proficiency is reached we are doing this so we can learn to grow as human beings and to master ourselves and our characters. We learn to get along with others as we train with people of various backgrounds, personalities and skill levels. In doing this, we form powerful connections and strong friendships that last a lifetime.