I admit this is a weird question, but it’s one worth asking. Why do dogs chase cars?
Have you ever been dumb-founded as you drove along and an 18-pound dog started chasing your car…your truck? Why do small furry creatures chase my 7,000-pound Suburban? Why the heck?!
The simplest answer is…because a dog is a slave to instinct. Unlike you or me, dogs are not self aware. Dogs never stop and wonder why they are chasing my truck. Dogs never wonder how they could spend their time more wisely. Dogs simply react to instinct. What makes you special is your capacity to be reflective – to be self-aware. Moreover, what is really special is when each of us exercises this capacity in seeking to grow and stretch ourselves across the various facets that combine to create us – physical, mental, emotional, intuitive, and spirit.
Self awareness logically leads us to make efforts at self management in stretching towards personal growth, and finally, this process often leads us down the path to the far-off destination of self mastery. Sadly, many of the people in the world around us storm through life, reacting to events and charged emotions just like a dog would – without a modicum of reflection or reason.
In this regard, as Kravists, it’s paramount that each student train with self awareness – pushing his/her understanding while tapping into the various sources of effort that can be brought to bare. And, in that process, it’s equally as important that each student articulate his/her “why.’ The reason each of us trains is the fuel behind the effort we can put forth and the consistency with which we put forth the effort.
So, the next time you walk into a Krav school to train, ask yourself – am I chasing cars or seeking real, personal growth?
