Apathy guarantees atrophy.
There is no such thing as standing still. There is no true idle mode. We are either actively learning, growing, and improving or we are physically, intellectually, and spiritually regressing, i.e. dying.
The surest way to ensure our early demise in some aspect of our life, aside from intentional self sabotage, is apathy. We cannot simply behave as if we don’t care about some aspect of our life without that area of our life suffering, and without us suffering as the direct result. Where there is no caring, there is no attention and, where there is no attention, there is atrophy.
Indifference is not neutral. It is malignant. Aggressive indifference of the “I don’t give a bleep” variety is not only malignant, but is also metastasize into other areas of our lives and relationships. Everything is interconnected and apathy cannot be compartmentalized.
Holistic Budo: As it is in budo, so too it is in life. As it is in life, so too it is in budo.
Robert Van Valkenburgh is co-founder of Taikyoku Mind & Body and Kogen Dojo where he teaches Taikyoku Budo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
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