Re: [MR] What Does a White Belt Really Mean?

["Erica Stark" <ejstark@hotmail.com>]

Poster: "Erica Stark" <ejstark@hotmail.com>

I think Dragonfyr's original posting was thought provoking indeed, but  
he did not alter the words of someone elses' post.  Although Alfredo 
made it clear where he had made changes, I still don't think it was 
entirely appropriate. 

>I think (IMHO), perhaps, that "cleansed white by the purity of his =
>honor" would be adequate...
No, it would not be.  Fighters are not made Knights for their'Purity'.  
Prowess is the first of the knightly virtues, although (IMHO) it is not 
the most important... 

>Poster: "Ed Hopkins" <Ed.Hopkins@MCI.Com>
>
>Dragonfyr wrote:
>
>> Found this on the West list and thought it quite thought provoking
>[...]
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From:   _  [SMTP:Darrel_VanHorn@msn.com]
>> Sent:   Friday, June 27, 1997 10:45 PM
>> To: Multiple recipients of list
>> Subject:    [SCA-WEST:9257] A neat look...
>>
>> I was web suffing one day and found this paper. If you replace Black 
=
>Belt with
>> White Belt and look read from that perspective. I found it held alot 
=
>of what I
>> think...
>> Just food for thought, anyone hungry?
>>
>>                         Braun
>>
>  [in the following Alfredo has taken Braun's advice and
>   replaced all occurances of "black belt" with "white belt".
>   He also took the liberty of replacing "white belt of the beginner"
>   with "red belt of the squire", although he suspects that's not
>   as close a match]
>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> What Does a White Belt Really Mean?
>>
>> By Reverend Kensho Furuya
>>
>[...]
>> At whatever level you achieve, if you think you "deserve" a whie
>> belt, or if you think you are now "good enough" to be a white
>> belt, you are way off the mark, and, indeed a very long way from
>> reaching your white belt. Train hard, be humble, don't show off
>> in front of your teacher or other students, don't complain about
>> any task and do your best in everything in your life. This is
>> what it means to be a white belt. To be overconfident, to show
>> off your skill, to be competitive, to look down on others, to
>> show a lack of respect, and to pick and chose what you do and
>> don't do (believing that some jobs are beneath your dignity)
>> characterize the student who will never achieve white belt. What
>> they wear around their waist is simply a piece of merchandise
>> brought for a few dollars in a martial arts supply store. The
>> real white belt, worn by a real white belt holder, is the red
>> belt of a squire, turned black by the colour of his blood and sweat.
>
>Now, I think this last sentence needs work.  Should it maybe say
>"bleached white by the purity of his honor"?  I don't know.
>
>-- Alfredo

As I said before, the original posting was thought provoking, but we 
have to watch out for the trap of "A is a lot like B, therefore, A=B. A 
KSCA is not just like a black belt.  Dragonfyr seems to understand this.  
But Alfredo, a lot of newbies do not, and we should not seem to be 
saying that in front of them.

Erica Poitevins

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