Zen 2: It is uncreative to try and achieve things, to incessantly let the mind chatter. A mind set on the past wishes to achieve for a false notion of a 'future' by ignoring the present.

'I' can never let go of the past because it is ego related. 'I' is a 3rd-person artificial construct that clings to the past. Peace= the present.

As is typical of our world today, if people see it on TV then it becomes something to be emulated. The UFC and such events have pulled the wool right over everyone's eyes, blocking their image of common sense. This is why everyone wants to learn grappling: since it wins so many of these sporting contests, people assume it is the best way to fight. But, nothing could be further from the truth than this idea.
If you go the ground in a mugging scenario then you may be in a very bad position when 5 or more of the mugger's hidden helpers emerge from the shadows and begin kicking and even stabbing you. The UFC does not, and cannot, imitate such a scenario. Going to the ground is terribly foolish in a real situation. The grappling you see on TV is for SPORT. It takes place on soft padding (not on broken glass found on a street), with a referee and a whole lot of rules and witnesses. It is NOT a real fight simulation. It is simply a technique based contest. But, what will you do when you go walking down a street and you get pulled into an alley by a knife-wielding maniac? Go to the ground with the knife cutting you a hundred different ways?
If you are in a battlefield situation, do you really want to go to the ground for 37+ minutes (remember Gracie vs Shamrock?), battling one man while all around you thousands are shooting and killing? Of course not. Again, grappling on the ground is not for real world fighting. In fact, it's one of the quickest ways to die.
In Ninjutsu, we learn intense and very in-depth grappling-- in fact it is even in our striking arts as well. But, the difference is that in Ninjutsu proper we are trained to end a fight by death in 2-6 seconds. From there, we learn how to NOT have to kill someone to end a fight. To have to take someone's life is a very rare event today. However, for around 800 years in Japan it was not rare. And, anyone trying to wrestle with a tanto wielding attacker was just stabbed and killed. That's because wrestling is not a practical solution for ending a deadly conflict.
So, yes, practice grappling. Sometimes, we just end up in that situation. Usually, it's from a lack of skill that we end up like that, but we still must know how to grapple. Maybe we trip and fall, right? But, do not make going to the ground your first priority. If you are doing that then you are getting into some really dangerous habits. Learn to distinguish the difference between sports and fights. The two are massively far apart. Real Ninjutsu does not condone competing in sporting events like the UFC. First, we cannot do our art in a ring. Our moves would be illegal in that context. And second, we don't believe in fighting for money.
But, just for laughs, I will tell you how I would compete against a UFC champion. I would put cyanide inside his shorts in the locker room. He puts them on, he dies. That, my friends, is real world fighting. It's quite a bit different from sports! So, please, stop being gullible and believing the false talk of silly ringside announcers. Stop thinking grappling is the best way to fight. If you end up grappling with someone in a real situation, it will be most likely because you aren't very well educated in ACTUAL fighting.

On the show The Big Bang Theory, Amy postulates, after watching Raiders of the Lost Ark, that Indiana Jones plays no part in the outcome of the film. Part of this is correct, but she, and ultimately, Sheldon, are both missing a huge point that goes against her theory.

You see, she and Sheldon forgot what Indiana’s role in the film was. He was recruited by the government to go retrieve the Ark of the Covenant because they feared its power and didn’t want Hitler to get a hold of the Ark for his own sinister uses. The entire story is about Indiana trying to acquire (and reacquire) the Ark, which, at the end of the film, he does. If he had not been there, someone else would eventually have discovered the Ark on that island after the antagonists opened it. Thus, Indiana is absolutely essential to the story. He brings the Ark back to the United States of America, and since, in the film, the Ark is depicted as having real power, it can be said that Indiana saves the world.

Sorry Amy and Sheldon, you are both dewy-eyed calves without a bit of common-sense between you on this subject. Raiders of the Lost Ark aficionados can rest easy tonight. Indy is awesome, and so is that film!

Here are some of my personal, unabridged notes that I wanted to share after finishing work on...

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