Martial Artists Create "Peace Garden" in Boston's Allston Neighborhood

On September 21, the students of our karate dojo, along with members of the local community, spent time together commemorating the International Day of Peace with a number of activities. I read books about peace to young children; we created "peace rocks" as an art project, and then planted the rocks in the "peace garden" I created next to the dojo. Into the evening, adults at the dojo spent time discussing approaches to peacemaking, and we concluded the evening's events with a 30-minute period of silent meditation and contemplation.



Building the peace garden was a lot of work, but it was also a fun and enjoyable — and hopefully long-lasting — project. The stones we used were donated by The Stoneyard in Littleton, MA. I picked them up last week, then took them home to clean them up before the event. I purchased outdoor paints, sealant, and brushes at a local art supply store, and picked up two bags of mulch and some weed barrier at the local home improvement outlet.

Before the rock-decorating event, I went out next to the dojo to the are we call "the Black Belt Garden." Members of our dojo cleaned up the area and planted trees and flower during several of our previous community projects. There, I dug out a five-foot by five-foot hole, lined it with weed barrier, and then filled the hole with mulch.

          

     

A number of my adult karate students, our "little dragons," and even other youngsters from the neighborhood who were not members of the dojo came to decorate the stones, which I laid out to dry overnight at the dojo. (I'd created a few samples in advance.)

When the stones were dry, I covered them with a protective sealant. Then I placed them in the garden in the form of a peace sign.

May our labors bear the fruits of peace, compassion, and wisdom.
 
 

Waging Peace

At Emerald Necklace Martial Arts, I require all of my students to complete some kind of "peace education project" as part of their training for Black Belt. The project can be almost anything: an individual may choose to learn about nonviolent communication, build interpersonal skills for negotiation and peaceful conflict resolution, or study techniques for anger management. Some may choose to read about and study the lives of peacemakers such as Gandhi, Mother Theresa, or MLK. Individual projects vary based on personal interests.

September 21 is the International Day of Peace. So this month, I'm embarking on a peace education project of my own: I've just finished reading "Will War Ever End?" by Captain Paul Chappell. Mr. Chappell will be in Boston in November, so I've reached out to him to invite him to visit the dojo when he is in town so that we might talk together about how martial artists can creatively act as peacemakers. Will see if he responds. I'll next be reading Mr. Chappell's second book, "The End of War."



I believe we martial artists have some responsibility to engage in creative ways of peacefully resolving the conflicts — large and small — that occur in our lives. After all, we spend a great deal of time studying "the arts of war," and we generally claim to put our knowledge to some positive use, So in the coming days, I'll be dropping in at my "peace dojo:" the Peace Abbey in Sherborn, MA, in order to spend some time in reflection on peace and on the true human costs of war and conflict. I'll be posting photos and video from the Peace Abbey in the next weeks.

Lastly, I'm hoping to hold a Peace Day Event at the dojo — for both my students and for members of the community — on Tuesday the 21st. More on that soon.

Fighting and Facing 40

I've not much to report this week, although I taught at the "Boston Martial Arts Academy" back on August 28. It was a fun experience, and it was good to connect with other martial arts instructors from the area. In the morning, I worked directly with Ezra Dyer, a reporter from the Improper Bostonian. (See his blog here.) Ezra was covering the event with a neat angle: he has no previous martial arts experience, so in the morning, I trained him in point sparring techniques for three straight hours. Then, at noon, we squared off for two three-point matches to see how he could perform under pressure against a more skilled opponent — me. (You can imagine the results, I'm sure, but it was fun, and Ezra was a good sport about the whole thing. I'll have to see if the article ever makes it to print.)

By the way, Ezra, if you're reading this — I've been reading your column, and I know that you and your wife just had a baby boy, too. Please tell your son Rhys that my son Caleb says hello:

All in good fun, my friend!

In the afternoon at the BMAA, I taught two physical classes and then two lectures on the origins and history of Okinawan karate. I think both were well received.

Oh, and the 29th was my birthday. It came and went without much fanfare, which is pretty much the way I prefer it. But now at 39, I'm trying to set and go after some meaningful goals that can be accomplished within the next year, so that I hit the milestone of 40 at a dead sprint and in the best mental/physical/spiritual shape of my life.

Summer is coming to an end.

Caleb, at 4 months, is almost 20 pounds.

Ava starts pre-K in another week.

For now, I'm looking forward now to some down time with family over the holiday weekend.