I was raised in a society where bravado and machismo were one of the staples of existence. Standing up for what is right is more important than owning the latest pair of Jordan sneakers. These qualities were not only displayed in the belief system but also transcended into everyday living, from what you watched on TV to what type of girl you dated. Modern society today has forgone these qualities and put more weight on the material.
The weekend TV menu consisted of action films like Nardong Putik, Leon Guerrero and Drunken Master.
One of the best examples of living in the now is when two persons are engaged in a head on battle. For the two with horns locked on, nothing matters in the world and time temporarily freezes. They have to consider existing for the moment rather than thinking what would have been and what will happen tomorrow. When two persons are uncompromisingly fighting in a cage even not particularly a life and death battle, as long as they are void of an external disturbance, they will come to realize the importance of surviving to surpass their current state. The time elapsing may last for a brief moment or several intervals. Only the two will know if the fight is still ongoing or if they have already passed beyond the "in the now" state.
The 2013 Pekiti-Tirsia Kali Asia Pacific Convention had many brave men who fought full contact submission sparring.
On the contrary, the absence of a visible opponent is similar to a helpless battle for an individual especially when one is experiencing attacks for short bursts with long breaks in between.
The elders say that a well developed society has evolved from mere persevering to consistently prospering. The general public these days need to stop living just to survive. They need to evolve into a state where they thrive instead of just trying to live for the moment. Evolution takes place only when people begin to start living beyond themselves and try to consider the fact that they are living with a sense of a higher purpose. The sad thing is that not everyone in this world has a belief that they are here for something else greater than their own. People get a euphoric high from day to day battle wins. They kill to earn, spend it to buy a car, a house or go on some luxurious island getaway but in the end they still feel incomplete. They are not considering the fact that they need to do something else to make them more complete.
Battles may be fought today or tomorrow. Sometimes you win, sometimes you don’t. But wars last your entire lifetime and some go beyond it. Fight the good fight.