I Invented Karate!

The other day I was teaching a class of beginners at a local private elementary school. It was composed of kindergarten through 4^th grade students. The school has a high percentage of students of Indian and Chinese ancestry, many actually born in India or China.

I told them karate was believed to be over 2,000 years old. Then, I asked them if they knew who invented karate?

“You!”, one of the young girls blurted out.

I told them I was old but not that old.

So I asked them again. Most thought it came from Japan but a few offered China as its point of origin. I explained that they were all right. It had traveled to Japan from Okinawa. But before that, it had traveled to Okinawa from China. Everyone seemed satisfied with that.

“But do you know where it came from before China?” I asked.

They all shook their heads.

“India”, I told them, wanting our Indian boys and girls to take pride too in its evolution. I explained about Bodidharma and the Shaolin Temple.

I asked if any of them knew who Alexander the Great was. Several did. So I told them about the theory that it traveled to India via Alexander the Great, making my single Greek student smile.

I think even we in the arts forget our lineage and our debt to those who contributed to the body of knowledge we now take for granted. As with our genetic makeup, our arts and styles draw from all of our predecessors to be what they are today. There are great men and women in pretty much all arts and styles. We should treat each other with due respect as we are all brothers and sisters of the same lineage.

Just my 2 cents.

Thanks for reading my humble ramblings.