174. Cruising the highway Baguazhang style

The life of a Baguazhang master is a varied experience depending on where the master is living. And while we all try to follow the same success path, the experiential truth is that for each person success is different. The first three differences are based on where the baguazhang master is living. These differences are history, cultural influences and the natural environment. To give some examples, if I am looking for direct commercial or financial success by being a martial arts master, my best bet would be to work in America. And if I want to find success by more traditional means by focusing on heritage and tradition, Asia is the place to be. But what happens when a person is unable to live in these two places? Europe, Africa, Australasia and South America? By living in Sydney, Australia, this is the question I'm confronted with everyday. In one sense by not carrying the baggage of America and Asia, I am free to create my own path and be a Baguazhang pioneer by answering physically everyday the question: What does it actually mean to be a successful Baguazhang master in Australia? So far, for me it involves podcasting. And expressing as best as I can what Baguazhang and Qigong masters go through, in such a way that those who might be considering this martial arts path can get a better handle of it all. I have tried a number of times to quit doing what I do. But after each time, I get called back and asked to keep going. What I find most perplexing is that the request to keep going usually comes from the people who spend all their time rejecting what I talk and write about. I am not sure what it is exactly that they reject. Nor do I know what keeps them hooked. But what is definitely clear to me is that when I meet other martial art masters, they quietly thank me for having the guts to express those things that usually are kept private. It lets them know that they are not alone in their experiences. And you'd now be wondering: What could be so outlandish that they feel they must keep quiet about it? The answer to that is based on a person's perspective. Most people think they are an okay car while the master's experience is like somebody claiming their car can be used for boating. Normally this isn't true but then some armies have got vehicles that can do just that. To many martial art masters the perspective is kind-of flipped. The master sees their abilities and journey like an ordinary car, while most people have bodies and abilities that would fail the legal minimums required to just be allowed on the road. That car rusting away in the backyard may not even believe there is such a thing as a motorway, having never seen it for themselves. Hence, the baguazhang master is a sweet ride on the freeway and you'd never know it.