 Greetings Dojo family. I hope everyone is having a great holiday season so far. Now the cap off the end of this year and this season of Art of One Dojo, I wanted to do something a little bit different and share a story with you that I feel really encapsulates a lot of the messaging and philosophies that we try to put out here through our show. I came across this short story on SageArtStudio.com so I'd like to give them credit for this and if you like it please visit their website as they have several more there to share. So which martial art is the most powerful one? What art can best defeat other arts? I feel that the best way to answer this is to tell the story of the stone cutter. Once upon a time there was a stone cutter that lived and worked in a vast land spending his days wondering what it meant to be the most powerful. In this land power was considered a privilege and the stone cutter decided that he wished to dedicate himself to being the most powerful entity that there was. As he pondered this he could feel the sun's heat dancing across his skin. He looked up and realized that the sun gives us life. It bathes us with its warmth and provides energy and light to the world so surely it must be the most powerful. So the stone cutter became the sun. He raised up above the world, hot and radiant and showered his energy down on the inhabitants below. He truly was a spectacle and it seemed that his power would see no limit. Until one day a cloud passed in front of him and blocked his light. Enraged he cursed and exclaimed that the sun could not be the most powerful entity in the world if it was so easily thwarted by a measly cloud. If a cloud could stop the energy of the sun then truly a cloud must be the most powerful entity. So he became a cloud. But not just any cloud. He grew into the biggest storm that the land had ever seen. High with his new powers he showed the inhabitants just how powerful he had become. When he felt generous he gave them reins and watered for their crops. But when he wanted to show his power he cracked that sky open with lightning and gave them a horrible downpour and showed him his fury. Until one day he saw a boulder sitting there completely unscathed and unfazed by his wrath. This angered him. How could he be truly the most powerful being if this boulder was unaffected? So he cast his fury down, blasted it with wind and rain and cascaded attacks of lightning that created a dirt around it. For days he put on his show but no matter what that boulder sat there ignoring his wrath. Bah! he exclaimed. He actually stopped and said bah. How could this be if a boulder could be unaffected by the storm then the cloud could not be the most powerful being and the most powerful being must surely be a mighty boulder. So he turned into a boulder and on that hill he sat powerful, immovable, a king on his grassy throne. He based in his glory and his accomplishments until one day a stonecutter came along and chiseled him the pieces. So there's a lot that we can unpack here and it's interesting because on the website they list the moral of the story as sometimes the most important thing to remember is that you already have all the tools that you need right inside of you. The power is an illusion. I don't disagree with that. In fact I think that is quite a powerful message. Most of us do already have what we need inside of us. It's just a matter of learning how to reach in and become disciplined enough to use it. But I think the story tells another message especially relating to the martial arts. How often do we come across debates about which art is more powerful or better than the other arts? How many times have we heard a Brazilian jujitsu practitioner poo poo on karate saying that it's antiquated and won't work in grappling? How many times have you heard arts being scrutinized and their ability to handle multiple attackers, weapons, the octagon, or even live resistance? I don't think any of us are strangers to these comments and I think that's what makes the story so relevant. Which martial art is the most powerful? Is it BJJ? Is it boxing? Is it old school karate? Yes. We talked about the concept of content versus context in our recent episode that explores the finding criteria of the martial arts. It's really very simple. The value of any content is entirely dependent on the context in which it resides. The value of any martial art is entirely dependent on the context in which it is being applied. The competitive ring, the street, rehab and exercise, self-defense, home invasion, the battlefield, law enforcement all have drastically different elements that dictate the effectiveness of any given skill. It's that brutally simple and straightforward. The value and effectiveness of any martial art is completely dependent on the purpose it is being used. This is the philosophy that we've been laying down for the past couple of years on this channel. I know it's a topic that we've revisited a lot but we felt that if we were going to explore and share the world of global martial arts that it was extremely important that we solidify our stance and perception of that world. For those of you who have been with this channel for a while you've seen this approach topic such as comparing traditional arts to mixed martial arts or the differences between fighting and self-defense or the importance of rank or like today try to determine which is the best art. And I think we've covered that thoroughly at this point. Certainly well enough to push into a deeper and more substantial exploration of the martial arts going forward. If you are new to this channel then you can find a list of many of these episodes in the description down below. I always invite your input on these topics. But asking the question of which art is the most powerful? Is it BJJ, Shodokan, Judo, or any flavor of karate fujitsu? All I'm hearing is which is more powerful, the sun, a storm, or a boulder. We're all stone cutters and we all have tools. Instead of spending time searching for the best martial art we may be better served to have that effort put into understanding the context that determines the effectiveness of each art. Cross-train, share ideas, learn, always learn, and be open to new ideas. Learn the strengths and weaknesses of the sun, the storm, and the boulder and develop the understanding on how to become the one you need in any given situation. And that's our mission. That's the entire purpose of this channel, to explore different arts, to share history, ideas, training techniques, or any other aspect of the martial arts you may not have considered otherwise. And that's why I wanted to share this story today. It just hit that nerve and clarity that and I felt that it would be an appropriate way to cap off the year. And I thank all of you for your patience, your input, and helping us carve the path of exploration over the past four years. We have a lot of exciting stuff on the horizon, a ton of topics, arts, and interviews that we're going to be bringing you in 2022. And I hope you all continue to make this trek with us and have the art of one dojo become a hub for martial arts unity and a dojo for all. Happy holidays everyone, and we'll see you back here on the mat in the new year.