Over the weekend I paid my mum a visit and the first thing I noticed, was this frail old lady sitting in front of her PC mucking around on the latest edition of Photoshop. Don’t think I have, nor will ever witness someone in their 80’s again doing the same thing. How can you not respect such a person who is always willing to learn irrespective of age or health? On numerous occasions on the other hand, have I come across so many younger and middle-aged people who believe they are too old or incapable of acquiring new skills, be it technology related, a sport, or simply just cooking. If you haven’t tried, how will you ever find out what you are or not capable of?
Learning something new is one thing, but how about unlearning old things considered no more beneficial to your needs? Like with all things in my life, I seem to automatically compare everything with karate. For the past year now, I have been teaching one student who has had over 30 years of Mainland Japanese Goju Ryu experience. How daunting must it have been for them to break away from their comfort zone and leave their club, to “restart” and unlearn so many things they once thought was traditional karate. To commence the transition to Okinawan Goju Ryu, and then to learn and listen with all ears, while dropping all the fruitless beliefs and notions which was once treated like the bible, in order to be taught from someone with a lower rank than you (not that rank really matters)……. what can I say… you have my respect!
Does this kind of thing occur in everyday life too? To go off track a bit, coming from an academic work background making more than a comfy living, and then to lose it due to COVID19, who would want to obtain new employment skills where salary is less than half of what you had been making? Well, that is I, me, 僕, 俺! Having applied for an immeasurable number of jobs over the past 3 months, I am starting to wonder if this “Too old to learn / Too old to unlearn” also applies to people of higher “rank” or position in industry. I mean, would it seem too odd, almost a joke for a hiring manager to see a master’s degree qualified applicant seeking a kitchen hand, cleaning, or dirt-digging job? Would a builder actually believe that a mature age person is more than happy to obtain an apprenticeship as a carpenter at slavery rates? Or are they too intimidated just like the karateka who are unhappy with their karate, continue doing it for the sake of it – and not seeking a different teacher or style? Or am I simply overthinking things? Maybe my CV is not up to standards? Maybe my letter of application is too formal for what they are used to? Maybe it’s just me?? Some friends have suggested that I remove my real qualifications and experience from the resume altogether to prevent this so-called “intimidation” / overqualified effect. And yet again, my karate brain will kick in, and I think to myself, if you don’t like what it is I offer as a karate teacher, then you are better off finding a different instructor or school mentality – same theory goes for my job search. Whether this is the most suitable way of thinking, I'm not too sure.
Nevertheless, budo karate has greatly assisted in this immensely testing period, without it, I’d probably be in a total mess. Just like karate, life is a journey where ups and downs are inevitable…. I like to think whenever there are downs, there will eventually be an up.
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