"Sometimes people just don't know when to listen."

So my last post, created quite a stir. Many posts, many shares and many comments from high ranking instructors, but also from some of my students and black belts.  Honestly, the post stemmed from a conversation that I had, however, when I wrote the post it was not my intention to have so many people commenting and sharing their personal views because they felt connected to it. You see, all of my lessons, articles, thoughts and teachings are stemmed from small quick interactions.  In fact, I gather inspiration from everywhere, TV shows, music, books read, things I see, etc.  So the messages are not meant for specific people, just general messages to all who are willing to listen and learn.   Don't get me wrong, I am honored that those find me interesting enough to read my posts and take life lessons from them. I am also quite shocked at how many people think my posts are written about them as well.  When In fact they actually aren’t.  I received a call from a martial art school owners today, who used an article I wrote years, back to discourage a child and parent from quitting their school. This is why I post, what  I do, to possibly help others. 

On to the topic of "Shut up and Listen."  When I was growing up as a young child, I was taught the old saying "children are meant to be seen and not heard."  I actually hated this as a child and despised the feeling I got, when I was not allowed to sit at the adult or big boy table and talk with adults at their level.  This lesson helped me in my travels to Japan and being able to sit at the table with Masters, Grandmasters and people of high stature.  I remember receiving lessons that were magical and really all I had to do was "Shut up and listen."  In fact, at times when our mouth is engaged, and our minds are busy in conversation we tend to not listen enough to actually hear.  I think on my last post, much of what I said, and what was being said was lost in translation - so to speak.  I remember sitting around a table eating with my teacher from Japan, listening to him and his seniors students speak.  From that conversation, I learned how respected he was as a teacher, how his students revered him. I also took notice of other things such as protocol. How you never eat before you teacher, how you never stick your chopsticks in rice, how you mix rice into the Miso Soup, like the Samurai did before battle etc. If I was involved in conversation about me, or other things, all of those things would have gone unnoticed and been lost.  

So the "Shut up and listen," is a warriors mindset.  Almost like quieting the mind, and feelings, sensing and hearing what is going on around us.  As far as my students, I often find myself saying the same thing - 3 times,  in 3 different ways, just so they can comprehend.  Even after that and demonstrating, most people still don't see what is going on in front of them.  They need to clear their head, clear their thoughts, so they can linearly focus on the task at hand.  What is it that we can do to become better students, better people, more compassionate souls.  Quite frankly, listening more to the world at large. Let us take politics for example - if our government, listened, I mean actually listened to what the public was asking for, they would hear "truth,"  what is really ailing our world.  Yet they are so caught up in their own agenda, they sometimes can't even tell the difference from the ACTUAL words being spoken to the way they are spinning it to suit their needs. 

As a teacher I encourage my students to stop thinking and analyzing everything to make sure it best suits their mental capability at the time they hear it. Yet I urge them to shut up and Listen.  I also ask them to listen and think before acting.  I always say there is only one letter between Danger and Anger.  Sometimes if we let our emotions get the best of us, it can leave us in a very bad position.  This has happened to many people who acted on emotion who now regret it.  

I will leave you with a story.  A master carpenter was about to retire from his firm after 20 years of dedicated service.  His boss asked him if he could stay three months past his retirement date to work on a specific special project.  The boss pleaded and said it was something that he really needed. Reluctantly the worker agreed but deep down inside resented his boss.  His boss said, "you are the best man I have and I am building this house for a very special person."  As the project went on, the worker did the bare minimum because he was bitter and felt taken advantage of.  His mantra was why bother this is my last job, my last house.  So every chance he got he cut corners.  The house was finally completed and it was by far the worse house, the master carpenter had ever built, because he didn't care and felt in his head taken advantage of and the entire time, acted upon emotion.  When it came time to say goodbye, the owner gathered his entire staff of employee's and asked for the worker to meet him on the job site.  The Master Carpenter was very angry at this point and didn't even want to say goodbye but obliged reluctantly. 

  

Upon the day of meeting at the job site the boss went into a big speech about how this Master Carpenter (the worker), was the best he ever had, he didn't think he would ever find someone like him and the owner was in debt and showed 100% gratitude for this man's dedication.  All throughout the speech this worker rolled his eyes is dismay.  At the end of the speech he called the man up, it took two tries because the man wasn't even listening at this point.  He said to the worker "I want to present you with a gift from the bottom of my heart, as he handed him the keys to the house."  The man stood there speechless, holding the keys to the worst house he had ever built, dangling from his hands.

You see not every intention in a lessons is always evident, in fact, sometimes they don’t become evident until long after you have moved on.  When we think of all the best lessons learned, most were non intentional.  Perception is not always reality, open your mind to all lessons and show giri and loyalty to the bitter end.  

If you have any thoughts or comments, please comment below. Also, if you have any questions please simple email me.