Earth, Wind, Fire and Water

Philosophy for life as presented by Sensei, Rick Boutcher of Hammer Hand Karate.

a.  EARTH, WIND, FIRE AND WATER

As much as humans would like to think they are in charge, it is not so. We are nothing more than another species living on the face of the earth. Like all others, we are subject to the laws and rules set by nature.

No matter how much technology is developed by mankind, he will never gain the upper hand and be in charge of nature. Think about that for a moment. The worst man can be is when he goes to war; Terrible weapons of mass destruction are unleashed by both sides in an effort to win. Everything around pays the price. The land is destroyed, the animals killed and the air made un-breathable. But when the war ends and the area is left to nature, within a very short period of time you would never know that a war had taken place. Nature cures it self of all damage created by anything within nature. Nature will always be in charge.

When a person becomes aware and comfortable with this fact, his life becomes better. The heading of this information represents the four parts of nature. To be a true martial artist, you must understand each and know how they apply directly to you and your life. This is your introduction to the four.

EARTH:  This is the foundation on which all exist. Without earth, there would be nothing for there would be no place to be.

In your life, earth is your foundation. It is your mind and your body. To be one with earth, your body is sound and your mind pure. You use your ability to think to its absolute maximum. You look at everything from as many points of view as you can. You gather as much information about everything around you. You keep an open mind at all times. You use all your senses equal to each other. You always see past what you see and hear past what you hear. You are tolerant of all things and always react the same way to the same situation. You are solid, you are earth.

 

WIND:  The movement of air. The carrier of natures' awareness. Natures' wrath or Natures love. The envelope of life for all living things on the surface of the earth. Without wind, earth would exist. But without the whispers of life. Earth would be a dead, cold, lifeless place of  no use to anyone or anything.

In your life, wind is your ability to apply your senses so as to measure all you see, all you hear, all you touch, all you smell and all you taste. To be one with wind is to be able to understand all the messages your senses collect for you. To be able to correlate all the gathered information and feel within your very being what is important, what is not. What has priority and what can wait. What is good and what is bad. How to react to how you feel. Your wind is the whispering of all your senses working at the same time.

FIRE: The soul of the earth. It is the warmth to calm the rage. It is the wrath that will destroy everything. It is virtuous when controlled, a total abomination when not.

In your life, fire is your ability to control your emotions. It gives you the understanding and tenderness of love and the warmth of friendship. But it also gives you the ability to unleash the monsters of your id. To be one with fire is to be able to control your emotions when it would seem to be impossible. To apply your love with only what you mean. To know when to rage and when to feel compassion for your enemy. Your fire is your sword. You must know when to use it. And, when you pull it from its scabbard, you must know what to do with it as well as how much to do.

WATER: The very essence of life. The carrier of purity. A world within a world. The forever changing liquid that forever remains the same.

 

In your life, water is your ability to change. To be one with water, you must be fluid; as nothing stops water, (it simply finds another way.) so too, must be your ability to adapt to change. Water is your ability to be anything you need to be as long as you need to be it. Water is the way.

Author's Note

Feel free to indulge yourself