"Boxing is a sport, Fighting is an Art, Life is a canvas"

“Boxing is a sport, Fighting is an Art, Life is a canvas”- Gregory G. Hale, December 23^rd 2009.

So one would do wise to learn the art of fighting well, that they should cover their canvas with all that they desire, and thus have fought for.

In retrospect, one may be great at achieving, yet know nothing of the art of fighting. A boxer punches as is required of the sport. A fighter must use their whole body, every muscle, on their feet or on the ground. What is the true “Art of Fighting”? It is something that 12 years of martial arts, two black belts, and living out of a motel room in Detroit on $12 a week taught me. To use everything you know and have, to completely overcome any obstacle. Only a tiger knows the art of fighting, for the tiger is the only animal to use it’s whole body, and every part of it, while attacking.

Thus being said, it is not merely enough to “gain” without “a past of reason”, or a history of determination. The boxer merely punches to achieve, while the fighter does everything, no holds barred, to achieve their victory. Such is the way one should live life. Do all with more than ample reason to do so, and paint the history of your past rich with achievements.

The past year has been filled with change of all types. Change of heart, change of place (mental and physical), change of situations in many different scenarios, and so forth. Yet the years know no reason, only time. Therefore it is our job to place reason into each and every year, and thusly into every action, every word, every thought. The mind must be even with the heart, as we commence the celebration of every year, and in doing so, our minds must therefore be richly cleansed of all un-reasonableness, before we can start this next year with nothing short of the greatest of reasons. Life.

One must learn to accept all that has occurred, before they can experience all that has not yet happened. There should be no questions of “why?”, only moments of acceptance followed either by righteous amounts of joyfulness or equal amounts of mourning. A dear and wise friend of mine, Mr. Mike Forbes, touched on this recently during a conversation regarding this practice. You need to let go of anything that is holding you back before you can truly appreciate what is to come next. There is no holding back, only soulful and emotional cleansing. It is within the process of this cleansing that we must learn to realize and then hold on to the reason for our actions, and that reason being life it’s self. The reason for our actions must be in promoting life, through loving. We must love ourselves, others, neighbors, family members, and loved ones enough as general human beings, so that in each action exercised our love is shared with everyone else, in the hope that they too will continue to give the gift of love, and experience the true meaning of living, “A love filled reason”.

On closing, remember to do this:

"Love. Not to abate ones' fear of death, yet to ensure that life was worth living"