PATIENCE
by "Jo Gau" Nick Minerva (Arizona)
Wing Chun has gone from a necessity to a way of life. In the beginning, I was frustrated with forms. I was told that the forms contain all the principles that are needed to defend one's self, and without those forms we have no principles which to base our kung fu upon. All that is left is a mere collection of techniques.
Learning the three forms and all the applications was a work of patience. This lesson did not become clear until I started the section of changes. The changes taught me that everything has a natural progression, from one stage to another, constantly changing. Being in a rush to get to the next stage only frustrated me even more. When one does kung fu, one must absorb fully what is being taught or practiced. If the student is in a hurry to go to the next level, he will rob himself of the joy of learning what is contained at each level. If the student does not initiate a change in his life (patience) , this habit will continue through out his career in kung fu, as well in other areas of his life.
The principle of enjoying life where you are can be seen in other areas of our lives. For example, parents want their children to excel faster than the next child, instead of allowing that child to move to the next stage of life at his/her Own pace. This robs the child as well as to parent, of the joy of life were they both are. This is not to say that we should become complacent, but only accept one stage of life at a time. Enjoy where you are: the next stage is full of it's own joys.