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Copyright © 2003-2004 Phil Elmore, all rights
reserved.
Tilting at Windmills
Obsessive Fraud-Busting in the Martial Arts
By Phil Elmore
… Don
Quixote replied, “The pursuit of my calling does not allow or permit
me to go in any other fashion; easy life, enjoyment, and repose were
invented for soft courtiers, but toil, unrest, and arms were
invented and made for those alone whom the world calls knights-errant,
of whom I, though unworthy, am the least of all.”– Don Quixote, Miguel de
Cervantes Saavedra
The martial arts comprise a fascinating, challenging, and endlessly rewarding
field of human endeavor. Because the arts are inextricably tied to primal
concepts of conflict, self-preservation, and contest, they are also rife with
certain very specific problems. These include complex politics and psychological
issues.
The Ego and the Ergo
No single psychological issue is a greater factor in the martial arts
today than that of ego. So much of the endless arguing among
martial artists that takes place on the Internet is related to strutting,
puffing expressions of insecurity and overblown pride. This manifests
itself quite often as criticism of others’ martial arts credentials.
Specifically, obsessive would-be fraud busters reach amazing heights of petty
excess in attacking those they believe to be unworthy or otherwise illegitimate.
Now, this is not to say there are not frauds and pretenders in
the martial arts. Many of the editorials here
are devoted to just that phenomenon. As in anything, however, it is
possible to take too far one’s desire to expose illegitimacy. When this
happens, it’s time to evaluate one’s online (and real life) activities to see if
one has a problem.
“Senor, devil take it if there’s a sign of any man you talk of,
knight or giant, in the whole thing; maybe it’s all enchantment,
like the phantoms last night.”“How canst thou say that!” answered Don Quixote; “dost thou not hear
the neighing of the steeds, the braying of the trumpets, the roll of
the drums?”“I hear nothing but a great bleating of ewes and sheep,” said
Sancho; which was true, for by this time the two flocks had come
close.“The fear thou art in, Sancho,” said Don Quixote, “prevents thee
from seeing or hearing correctly, for one of the effects of fear is to
derange the senses and make things appear different from what they
are; if thou art in such fear, withdraw to one side and leave me to
myself, for alone I suffice to bring victory to that side to which I
shall give my aid…”…So saying, he dashed into the midst of the squadron of ewes, and
began spearing them with as much spirit and intrepidity as if he
were transfixing mortal enemies in earnest. The shepherds and
drovers accompanying the flock shouted to him to desist; seeing it was
no use, they ungirt their slings and began to salute his ears with
stones as big as one’s fist.– Don Quixote, Miguel de
Cervantes Saavedra
The Warning Signs of Windmill
Tilting
None of these signs are definitive by
themselves, but if you experience one or more of the items listed here, you may
have a problem. It may indeed be time to step back and examine critically
your online and real-world behavior.
Do you frequently find yourself drawn into very
long, extremely angry debates with those you believe you’ve “outed”
(or with their supporters)?
Have you had to change your phone number, start
screening your calls, and/or conceal your e-mail address because you’re
receiving frequent hate mail and even death threats?
Do you feel the need to congratulate yourself
smugly whenever you think you’ve found even the most tenuous piece of
“evidence” proving you “right?”
Do you worry at least once a week that online
arguments will lead to problems in your “real life?”
Have you engaged in intellectual dishonesty or
rhetorical ploys in an effort to more easily win arguments you were not
winning? Have you felt the need to “win” at any cost for the
sake of others who might be reading such exchanges?
Are you widely known for your “fraud
busting” activities, to the extent that people you’ve never met hold
negative opinions of you for it?
Have your online activities caused friction between
you and friends or members of your family?
Have teachers warned you or otherwise expressed
concern about your activities?
Do you speak often of the terrible burden that is
your fraud busting, playing the martyr while insisting that you don’t desire the
title or reputation of fraud-buster?
Examining ourselves in this fashion is never easy.
None of us likes to look in the mirror and acknowledge that we have erred, that
we have “gone too far.” If, however, you’ve experienced any of
these symptoms, it’s time to take that look. Do you really want your life
to be an endless cycle of bickering and hatred? Is your self-esteem really
so shriveled and underfed that the only way you can salve your wounded ego is to
viciously attack others?
A Sense of
Perspective
This is not a plea to remain silent
where frauds and poseurs in the martial arts community are concerned. It
is, however, the suggestion to use caution and maintain a sense of perspective
when approaching such issues.
“Be not angry or annoyed at what thou hearest, Sancho,” said Don
Quixote, “or there will never be an end of it; keep a safe
conscience and let them say what they like; for trying to stop
slanderers’ tongues is like trying to put gates to the open plain.
If a governor comes out of his government rich, they say he has been a
thief; and if he comes out poor, that he has been a noodle and a
blockhead.”– Don Quixote, Miguel de
Cervantes Saavedra
The “middle path” is often a winding one.
It isn’t always the right one, either, as there are times when standing in the
middle of the road will leave you trampled. In some areas of life,
however, moderation is advisable. Some stretches of the path have no
shoulder. To stray from it at these is to fall onto the jagged rocks
below, shouting all the way about one’s need for vindication.
Walk
cautiously.
Sometimes a windmill is just a windmill.