Fight or Flight

To begin this post I want to start you off with a mental visual. Picture this, you're in a prehistoric jungle somewhere, doing your best to survive another night. Just as the sun sets off in the distance, the jungle falls into a deep, haunting darkness. You carry only a small knife fashioned out of rock, and small torch made out of a tree branch. A rumbling off in the dark distance catches your immediate attention, but just as the thought breaches your frontal lobe, a large cat-like beast leaps from the darkness and penetrates the circumference of your torch light. As the beast circles it's hopeful prey, you remain fear stricken. Regardless of your awareness of it, your brain has to make a clear decision; to stand and fight for your life (fight), or run like hell in the other direction (flight). The decision you make is crucial to your survival, and make the wrong one, well... that beast will be calling you dinner.

People naturally fear the unknown. It makes total sense as to why. Evolution has made sure we survive as a species, hence our fear of unknown outcomes. What we are unsure about, may cause us harm, therefore we are hesitant to plunge ourselves into unknown circumstances. Most fears can be explained, so let's use our jungle example to explain the typical fear of the dark. We may fear the dark because most predators hunt at night. To avoid becoming dinner for a hungry cat-like beast, our ancestors developed a fear for not the dark, but what may lurk in the dark. Because the dark allows for creatures to hide, our brains are now hard wired to fear the dark, because we don't know what we can't see, therefore, it is unknown. The same instance goes for most other fears we experience in our day to day life (snakes, heights, etc.) All fears can be traced back to a survival instinct to some degree. Imagine if we suddenly became aware of the unknown how fearless we would become. If I know for a fact I am not going to fall, I will be fearless walking towards a cliff. The funny thing about life is that we cannot always see the future. We cannot always be certain if something will hurt us or not, but a key to life is knowing how to react to those unknowns.

We fear to survive, simple as that. At this point in reading, you may be saying, "This isn't a cognitive evolution blog, so why am I reading this?" and you are very correct. This is not a cognitive evolution blog, however, the reason why we fear, and our reaction to that fear, is what cripples our minds from accomplishing our dreams. Correcting our fight or flight instinct to react the way we want it to is certainly a key to living happily.

When dealing with the monotonous day to day tread, our fight or flight instinct kicks in when we encounter fear. One of the most common fears that is presented in our lives on a regular basis is the fear of change. As much as someone says they like change, they are lying. Nobody likes change. As human beings, we find what is comfortable and we stick with it for the reason that we know we can survive. We know that as long as we are in the comfortable zone, that we will survive, no matter how long that may be. The only scary thing is that some people remain comfortable for their entire life. The truly successful people, however, find a way to be uncomfortable, and change and modify their lifestyle to fit their desires. They are constantly on the move, cooking up new ideas to catapult them into a state that they want to be in. Whether that be more money, a new car, a new house, a new business, they are never stagnant. When we encounter something that might have to change, we have those same two options that we had in the jungle. We can either face the change head on, or we can turn around and run away to stick with what comfortable. So why can't we all be successful? The simple answer is, we all can. When the time comes we can choose to fight our fear, or we can choose to cower into what is comfortable. If we decided to choose the flight option in the jungle, we might have gotten away for the night, but no matter how hard we try to get rid of it, until we face our beast head on, our beast will always be around the corner; watching, waiting for the right moment to attack. There comes a point when avoiding the issue doesn't work anymore. The sooner we can recognize that a fight situation is ultimately inevitable, the sooner we can resolve them, and the sooner we can be on our way to our definition of success.

The most difficult part about overcoming that fear of change is not knowing what is on the other side. Like I said before, we will have no problem changing if we know exactly what is going to happen, however, life can sometimes be unpredictable. It is not our job to figure out precisely whats going to happen, so stop trying. When we finally make the decision to break out of our comfort zone, to take a leap of faith into an unpredictable future, is the moment we truly experience what life is about; constant progressive motion. There are more experiences in this world than can be experienced in an entire lifetime, so close your eyes and jump, and live your life without the beast stalking you waiting to make you its dinner.

Warm Wishes and Enjoy Life,
Andrew R. Kranich    

Threaded Cotton

My 2nd Degree Black Belt

Years ago, I would never think that a few pieces of cotton threaded together would mean so much to me. I never thought I would work so hard so that I could tie something around my waist and call it mine. If there was a fire, my belt will be the first thing I grab on my way out the door. My belt has never been washed, and never touched the floor just out of respect. There are so many reasons to respect your belt, that many people outside of martial arts wont understand. Well, this will be my attempt to show you exactly why these pieces of cotton woven together means the world to me. Trento's Martial Arts and Fitness Center (TMAFC for short) is known in the "Martial Art World", for having the most exciting and rigorous best black belt tests in all of Bergen, Passaic, and Hudson County, and we sure as hell live up to that reputation.

Before opening TMAFC, and before even my black belt test. Martial Artists from our old school, and the group of "Backyardigans" (will explain shortly, just bear with me), got together to collectively present our ideas for the new school (TMAFC in the making). Master Trento would call this meeting, the "Mastermind Meeting". Interesting concept the "Mastermind" term is. It is for making a group of many minds, into one mind to achieve a higher potential. Obviously, the more minds, the higher the potential of the ideas.

Now to explain that "Backyardigans" word. Well, like I said, before opening TMAFC at the location it is, about six of us (myself included) would get together three times a week (two hours each day), and train under Master Trento. Without a school to go to, we would train in basements, garages, and backyards. Makes sense to call us the backyardigans.

I apologize ahead of time for making everyone confused, but, I have to explain the whole reason for bringing all this up. So, while at this "Mastermind Meeting", we discussed in great detail the running of our black belt tests. At our old school, we had very similar black belt test, and every single black belt at that meeting had taken one of these rigorous tests. Everyone said that we should keep our black belt tests the way they were (six days of hell). Mind you, this is not long before my own black belt test. You can imagine how much I was hoping for the Mastermind members to decided not make my test as difficult as theirs, but that is a decision I would have regretted making. Not until I took my black belt test did I truly understand why they kept the test the way they took theirs.

For the vindictive people out there, you're probably thinking that they made that decision because of the "if I had to go through it, then so do you" concept. Well, in a way, you're correct. If we turn that negative comment into a more positive one, it turns into, "if I got something out of that test, then so will you." At TMAFC, we try to pass on to newer martial artists, not only how to kick and punch, but the lessons we learned through our experience. The black belt test is meant to be difficult and push your limits past anything you have ever experienced before, but on that last day, after pushing physical and mental exhaustion, your master unties your belt, and ties a new one around your waist. The feeling you get is like no other you have ever experienced as well. It's like winning a gold medal in the Olympics. You work so hard for this one thing, and when you finally get it, the sigh of relief and excitement is all worth the difficult journey to get there. A never-before felt feeling, for a never-before experienced event.

Master Trento Tying the Knot

I have taken a black belt test three times now and every single time, I learn something new about myself. That is something so special, that it's worth going through the ass-kicking process to get. After taking these three tests, I now understand what the black belts at the Mastermind meeting were talking about. This is not about putting you through the ringer to get some threaded cotton to tie around your waist, this is about self; self-assessment, and self-discovery. Both of those are more valuable and worth more than the exhaustion felt from a black belt test. That belt that I tie around my waist isn't just cotton threaded together, it's what that belt represents that is the key aspect of being a black belt, and what it means to those who wear it.

Warm Wishes and Enjoy Life,
Andrew R. Kranich

The Game of Life

Hasbro's The Game of Life

Ah, the wonderful Game of Life. Fictional board game yes, but this board game is for more than just entertainment. I used to love playing this game as a kid (still do), and every time I played I chose the most easy and what I considered, the best way to live life. I would try so hard to get the best job, take the best road, save my money, and when I didn't get exactly what I want, I quit. I was a young, and I was being just that, young. When I got older and decided not to quit, but rather finish the game, the lessons of the Game of Life began to sink in.

For those who have never played, the rules are simple: Pick a car, get some start-up money from the bank, spin the dial, and move your character over the board however many spaces you spun. The space you land on will determine your life experience. Whether that be finding buried treasure worth $100,000, or having a major car accident costing $50,000. Throughout the whole game, you will also have to make decisions that will either cost money, or save money, such as going to college, or buying insurance for the unexpected situations.

Some people get lucky, and get the highest paying job, go to college, get great insurances, pay all their bills on time, and inherit thousands of dollars, on the contrary, there are also players that don't get their dream job, have unexpected bills, and get lousy living situations. Maybe even have their house be destroyed in a tornado. However unfortunate these players had it, I found it curious that they still moved on. And even though the Game of Life threw all negativity at them, and made every attempt to knock them down as they played, they still wound up finishing the game. Sometimes, not on top, but nonetheless, they finished their life experience.

This was interesting to me, and just as the title of the game suggests, it can be equated to Life. Few get everything they want, and fewer are actually happy when they get everything they desire. We hear all the time that even when people with money get everything they want, the next thing you hear about them is their death from overdosing on drugs. What does this say? Fulfilling desires only creates more desire. Most of the time, we are not dealt the hand we exactly want, so why the hell are we still chasing things we want, rather than just enjoying what we already have?  For all the negativity and unfortunate events that could be thrown at me, life still moves on, and when you reach that finish line, you can either look back and despair with tears, or rejoice with tears; enjoying rather than regretting. That is the lessons that should be taken from this board game. And even though you may land on inopportune spaces, it doesn't mean you have to live without a Enjoying the Game of Life.

Warm Wishes and Enjoy Life,
Andrew R. Kranich

Clearing The Fog

Fog clearing over the mountainside.

Whenever we think of fog, a clear picture comes to mind. It could be a scene from a horror film, or a real life experience you my have had, but one characteristic remains constant; you cannot see clearly. Well, if you could imagine your entirely life being engulfed by this fog, not allowing you to see properly, or clearly, this is the way my life has felt for quite a while.

For anyone who has felt the fog of life swallow their brains, this is my attempt to lift it, and never allow it to return. For as long as I could remember, I have made mistakes due to my "airheadedness", and with that being said, recording my life in blog format will hopefully make my mind stick to all that it needs.

Now, on to a little bit about my life. Well, firstly, if you haven't read my profile yet, I'll tell you the abridged version. I am a second degree black belt (as of now, will change eventually) in Taekwondo, and am nationally and internationally certified. I began my training back in 2006, and from that point on, martial arts has been the main focus of extracurricular activities. In May 2010, I took my first 6 day black belt test, and received my first Dan black belt. About two and a half years later, (January 2013) I took my second Dan black belt test. Another 6 day test was not easy by any means, but I sure did have a good time. I will most likely write another blog just for my black belt tests, so look for that when it comes! Long story short, I now have my second Dan black belt in Taekwondo, and I started to instruct classes at Trento's Martial Arts and Fitness Center.

Over the years I have met and became friends with so many different and interesting people. The list would be endless, so I will save everyone's time and attention span by just keeping it simple. So with that being said, I'd like to mention that I aspire to learn different styles of martial arts including Hung Ga Kung Fu, Nothern Shaolin Kung fu, Qi Gong, Haganah, and Krav Maga.

Since I was young I have always wanted to be like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or Neo from the Martix Trilogy, but once I enrolled in a martial arts school and began to learn, I realized that martial arts is more than kicking and punching. Martial arts is a way of life. I discovered that kicking and punching only makes a small part of what the martial arts really is.

Many martial artists get to a certain point and either, stop martial arts completely, or just never advance in belts. Many years ago, my teacher (now Master) asked me, "Do you ever think you will stop martial arts?", and after a short time thinking, I replied with a no. From that point on, my love for martial arts has grown a great extent, and the love for my art is ever-expanding. There truly is nothing else like it. One of my many goals in life is to share what I love with the world in hope that they will love it too.

For me to truly master and fully embrace all that martial arts has to offer me, my absent-mindedness, or my "airheadedness", must be stomped out completely. From this point on, I am making the conscious decision to make it happen, and move on in my life and in my art, clearing the fog.    

Warm Wishes and Enjoy Life,
Andrew R. Kranich