I received a call from a good friend in the martial arts, Sifu Robert Brown, who offers martial arts classes in two locations just outside of Detroit, Michigan. He called to tell me that his student, “Sun”, a computer consultant, was ambushed and nearly stabbed to death just after he had arrived at a client’s [...]

As another year comes to an end, it is a common practice to look ahead, make resolutions, plan to be better, accomplish more, and simply hope for a good year, maybe even a better year, where our lives are somehow different with more happiness and peace. And soon after we’re in the full swing of [...]

A mother, who already sustained a fractured skull and broken arm after being struck with a cane by a home intruder, proceeds to beat up the bigger stronger man after he knocks her daughter unconscious. Was she afraid? Her only thought was to help her daughter. A fire chief leads 20 injured people and other [...]

Few things work so well as an analogy to illustrate how the practice of martial arts, real martial arts, changes lives like the Japanese tea ceremony where attention to the finest details is required. Training in this discipline is considered an excellent approach to refine one’s character. Originally practiced by priests and samurai, it has [...]

My earliest influences came from learning about patience, perseverance and a strong will. These three virtues are essential for success in anything. The will is the focus of this article. Does having a strong will mean going through life with the furrowed brow and stopping at nothing to get what you want? If your definition [...]

“A Tale of Two Men,” from, “The Wisdom of James Allen”: “I knew two men who, at an early age, lost their hard earned savings of years. One was very deeply troubled, and gave way to chagrin, worry and despondency. The other, on reading in his morning newspaper that the bank in which his money [...]

Ever think of someone and then they call? Have you had something happen that led you down a certain path as if it was meant to be? Ever met someone who helped to change your way of thinking or direction in your life? We all have. Many chalk it up to coincidence. Is it? In [...]

When people think about self defense, and training in the martial arts for that purpose, the focus is on learning to punch, block, and kick in some fashion. So I have decided to do some research and dig up whatever credible resources I could find so that I could present a whole different approach to [...]

Have you noticed the way people use language such as: “He did this to me,” or “Why are you doing this to me?” Well, if you’re one of them, you are setting yourself up as a victim. You lose control with that scenario and you also take responsibility away from yourself. Is that the way [...]

 Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thru the perilous fight, O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that [...]