Racism and the Three Gates

“Is it True? Is it Kind? Is it Useful?” — Rumi

When I meet exceptional people, I remember that the primary difference, the primary “genius” is focusing on the RIGHT problem until you’ve solved it. So…what was the core “seed”? What motivated their actions for the decades necessary to become a Master?

With Danny Inosanto, a candidate for “greatest martial arts instructor who ever lived”, that “seed” was a phrase that flashed through his mind in childhood related to a supposedly unconquerable bully: “he bleeds too!” This realization, that the biggest, toughest, strongest person can be hurt if you know what you are doing, has driven him for seven decades of martial practice and teaching.

But you can also apply this notion to negatives.

Recently I had to ban a couple of people from commenting on race on my threads. I will ONLY allow people I’m convinced are believers in equality to do so. Yes, I can be gamed, because people will lie. But my belief and experience is that racists will “out” themselves by expressing opinions that are incompatible with a real belief in equality. I am not entirely comfortable with telling people who cannot answer my “question” positively and clearly that I suspect they are really racist, but I have an obligation to my readership…and hidden beliefs, even if they are hidden from the speaker, poison the discourse.

Imagine that you are talking to your spouse about going to eat at that new restaurant downtown. They don’t want to go. You ask why.