...projections part 2

How do you see yourself?

The obvious follow up question in this little series.
A martial art training buddy of mine once said something that was in all probablility not one of his own sayings but it was so wonderfully apt that it doesn't matter who said it:
"in my head I'm a superhero"

First of all, let's have some context.
As I said, he's a martial art training buddy of mine. He's a karate guy through and through having been inducted into that evil evil cult at a young age and having done the point sparring/non-contact/light-contact tournament thing. We met in a local kung fu/tai chi place that also had an extra side class for training in the BCMAA san shou/kick-boxing rules competition format that I went to for a bit of exercise while I was on my hunt for a new club/class.
Thing is, while he was very educated in his karate and the principles, theories and performance of it, because of his school's chosen competition/tournement format and the resulting emphasis of training in that school, he was woefully prepared for, more or less, full on contact kick-boxing that features in the class that we now both attended. To be fair, the first time I put on the head gear and gloves I was in shock as well and this is in no way a slur on (his) karate or on him. It's just a simple fact that he wasn't prepared. More importantly, he wasn't as prepared as he though he was.
If you ever need an example of intense try this; slip on a pair of 12oz gloves and go 3 x 3 minute rounds with a guy twice your weight.

Anyway, I digress.
My point is this; outside of the sparring environment and indeed, when we're just chilling and "free-styling" some drills and tricks and what-not we can talk the proverbial talk. Anything is possible when you're talking theory and in theory, you can make anything work and defeat anything; hence "in my head I'm a superhero".

Of course that wasn't meant literally. What he meant was that he hadn't really been tested and as such, he doesn't really know what he can do. In theory, after so many years of karate he should be able to at the very least put up some resistance but a more live sparring environment showed that just wasn't the case.

So where does that fit in here?
Honestly? Not sure.
So let's go back to that statement he made:
"in my head I'm a superhero".

The thing I like the most about this is that it has a certain honesty about it.
At the basic level, he acknowledges that he isn't as good as he thought he was and a little deeper, it reveals that he has/had a certain image of himself in his head. What stands out is that it isn't merely that of a "hero" but of a "superhero".

Let's go right to be the beginning:
How do you see yourself?

We all have an image of ourselves in our head.
Like with many things, those that say they do not have some sort of personal image in their head is lying. Even the prototypical "I don't care" is a form of image. Being too laid back to not care how you look is an image. Like before, if you really didn't care, you wouldn't feel the need to make a statement about not caring.

In fact, I would go as far to say that those who preofess to not care how they appear are the most careful about how they appear.
Why?
Well, those who happily relish in their appearance have a simple task; they buy the things that they want to be seen in. As such, this means that they only have to consider the things that they like and whether others share their like for a certain look is of no consequence to them. This is naturally a happy existance as they do what they like and buy what they like and look how they want to look.

On the other hand, those that have chosen the "non-image" as their image have to carefully consider everything they say, they see and wear. Everything has to fit into the "non-image" and considering that most things tend to fall under the covenent of one set image or other, to find something that is just outside of any of those sets is a difficult task.

For example, think of any trainer, shoe, boot or whatever other piece of footwear you can think of and it won't take long for you be able to fit them into a certain catagory.
Let's make it easier by giving examples of shoes.

White Reebok Classics
Nike Air Rifts
Fly London Tape
Campers
Ikon
Caterpillar
Doctor Martens
Converse All Stars

Those are the obvious ones that have been adopted by certain trends and are as such, as much a badge of that trend group as any other part of their wardrobe. The same is true for all of the other related things.

So what's wrong with that?
Not a lot really as well, that's how it's always been since the days of the Mods and Rockers. It's natural for people to want to belong and in a way, it's good for the mind and soul to feel a sense of belonging.
What is wrong is when you refuse to acknowledge being part of a trend and that's where the "non-image" fits in. It is clearly an image which in itself isn't a problem. It is after all, a not so commited version of something like those guys in black who dress the way they do out of their desitre to be "different" and to be an "individual" (ignoring the thousands of others who do the same and who they usually hang out with anyway...).
It is again, a lack of honesty and again, it's a lack of honesty to yourself.

So here's a little bit of homework for you.
Take a look in your room around your things and ask yourself, why do you have those things.
Why do you listen the music that you do, why do you have those pictures on your wall, why do you have those clothes in your wardrobe.
Then ask yourself whether or not you have a certain image you like to portray.

published 25th November 2007