There is a saying, "You get out of it what you put into it." It is pretty self-evident, however, that is not how I see it. Whatever you put into something the return is not commensurate with what you put in. It is actually less. It is like pressing flowers or herbs for their oil. You have to press a lot of flowers to extract a tiny amount of oil.

Learning martial arts, in my opinion, is the same. You put in a great deal of effort and the result is a smaller amount in return. It is, of course, the correct amount, but it is not equal to the investment. I can be lazy, and squander my time. It is important not to get caught up in the deluge of information and media that is live in 2019. This is one reason I deleted my Facebook account and haven't that or a messenger app on my phone in over a year. Youtube, Netflix, Games, Books, Friends, hobbies, News, work, etc. etc. They are all vying for our attention. Our attention is limited.

Attention is a resource that is in deficit due to the over abundance of information

真照

This is a dangerous landscape. How much of your day is spent in mindless scrolling or chatting?

Time is not guaranteed. Tomorrow cancer, or the loss of a job or home. Or maybe a lovely sunset and a delicious warm meal with loved ones. We can't predict what will come our way. Anything can be taken away from us. It is essential to focus on what needs to be focused on. This is one reason I have stopped making videos or wasting my time watching people behaving like fools on the internet spewing hot air about what ninja or samurai or what is correct about koryu in Japan etc. etc. I am also included in the group of idiots. I do not want to add to the drain on your attention. Nor do I want to waste my time. I want to deepen my training and enjoy my life.

A Lot Of Something Isn't Always Good

Too much information is just as bad as none. In my martial arts experience and in the health & fitness industry I have seen this kind of zombie person. They engage in the art of dojo and teacher hopping. They think adding a zillion styles will make them a more well rounded, smarter, and better budo person. Or they take endless workshops without taking time to really learn anything. They have this gaping maw of a mind and they are stuffing it with information. This is just madness and stupidity. I am glad I never got caught up in that kind of voracious zombie mentality. We think information is knowledge so the more of it is better. It is not always the case. Knowledge can't be jammed into the brain.

My sword school is my own. My practice is my own. I rather focus on that. My time is valuable. If I put in 20% for bujutsu training then I will get back 5%. We don't get out of it what we put in, we get back less in return. We should therefore put in more if we want to progress. Time is fleeting, engage yourself in the correct pursuits. Relaxing and watching movies is great. Chatting with friends or doing research online is valuable. We must, however, be careful not to spend our valuable resource of attention on garbage.