Insurance Policy*

Why study a martial art when the odds are in everyday living you won’t need to use it? It is very much like insurance - you put in time and effort in case you need it.

There are plenty of “plans” available to you out there, and they all have their pros and cons. The “policy” you choose is one based on your needs.

My preference on life insurance is to go with a whole life policy versus a term life policy. Term policies are limited. You put resources in to something that will run out, and you have no option to use any of that investment as needed. When you invest in a whole policy, you are required to invest a little more up front, but you are able to use that policy in more ways over time.

How does this compare to martial arts training? Imagine martial arts training is like whole life insurance. It involves putting in effort and time upfront and the return on this investment is more than just the ability to have skills to deal with physical confrontation. The somatic movements can be applied metaphorically in dealing with familiar relationships.

Say you are in a meeting, and there is some disagreement on some issue. You have your thoughts and others have theirs. How they present their argument will dictate your response to make your point known and understood. To present your point, you may have to evade theirs or strike at it head on, or perhaps a bit of both. In this situation, there will most likely be a compromise needed so tact will be key. Avoid looking like a bully. The point being you will relate to the person and they to you and understanding that dynamic will help you maintain your balance.

It is that balance that a “whole” policy brings versus the limitations of a “term” policy. To put it another way, a term policy will limit its scope of the way things are presented. You will be expected to mimic what is presented. Whole policies expect you to take what is shown to you, understand it so you can use the principles to create your own way of doing it, and apply it outside the system in daily life situations.

What’s your policy?

*Props to Steve Perry for the idea.