“… there’s something wrong with the world. You don’t know what it is. But, it’s there. Like a splinter in your mind.” –Morpheus (THE MATRIX, 1999)
It’s somewhat mind-blowing to believe that this year marks the 20th anniversary of The Wachowskis’ groundbreaking movie, THE MATRIX.
In 1999: The US women’s soccer team won the World Cup; the Euro was created; The New York Yankees won the World Series for the 25th time; Tony Hawk landed the first 900; the Y2K bug panic made everyone scramble; and the Pokemon craze took hold in the US.
They were great, and somewhat simpler, times.
In between then and now, a number of technologies have emerged, reshaping the context of our times and the landscape of our lives: Facebook (2004), YouTube (2005), Twitter (2006), the first iPhone (2007), the first Android phone (2008), Google Chrome (2008), Instagram (2010)…
And while this tech continually seems to simplify our lives, it also serves to complicate our humanity in very subtle ways. Instant information access undermines our need to remember anything and depletes our patience for most things. Talking by way of texts desensitizes us to the tone, gestures, and feelings of the person on the other end. The selfishness of excessive selfies strips away our sense of selflessness toward others. We are now tethered to our tech as much as Neo was plugged into The Matrix. And while there have always been things "wrong with the world," there have also been principles, explicit or unspoken, to set things right again – to help us maintain a sense of social decorum and personal direction. In Chinese martial arts, this is the "red pill" known as wude (武德), a solution to the splinter in our minds.
How Deep the Rabbit Hole Goes
From the moment an individual enrolls in a traditional Chinese martial arts school, the notion of wude is introduced and expected to be followed. It is a set of both interpersonal values for conduct and personal attributes for refinement. Literally "military virtues," wude was viewed as a collection of protocols that could prevent a perceived provocation of war or masterfully instigate one. In essence, you needed to know and understand the etiquette, not only to be polite but more so to be political in order to avoid being inadvertently offensive.
In the martial world (武林), or wulin (literally "martial forest"), wude was an unspoken code that implicitly defined one’s status within this cloistered community. In other words, your external sophistication conveyed your inner confidence, which was presumed to be the product of a high level of martial achievement. This concept is woven tightly into the fabric of traditional Chinese martial arts, particularly by way of the wuxia (literally "martial hero" 武俠) genre of literature and Chinese pop culture. From the classic Water Margin (Shui Hu Zhuan 水滸傳), also known as Outlaws of the Marsh, set in the Song Dynasty (宋朝), to Hung Ga Kung Fu’s folk hero Wong Fei Hung (黃飛鴻) of more recent esteem, martial virtue has continuously acted as the underlying influence and ultimate edification of martial pursuits. In the modern world today, wude is a means to distinguish yourself from the masses who are unaware that their social ineptness – being inconsiderate, impolite, or apathetic – is the root of being a social pariah and often the cause of unintended confrontations. It differentiates the gentleman from the deviant, and promotes a positive atmosphere based on social awareness, mindfulness, and empathy.
Now, what exactly is wude?
I Know Kung Fu
While the most obvious aspect of Kung Fu training is the physical practice, the qualities that are of equal, and arguably greater, significance within the process are those that pertain to one’s character development – the martial virtues of the martial art. Wude has two components – virtuous conduct (xingde 行德) and moral character (pinde 品德) – each having five specific attributes that guide an individual’s ideal way of life.
Under virtuous conduct, the five refined behaviors are: humility, respect, trust, loyalty, and righteousness. But it’s not that clear-cut and simple. Nothing worthwhile ever is. Through humility (qian xun 謙遜), the ego can be controlled so that pride does not prevent new things from being learned. However, extreme modesty can lead to being overlooked, as in a job promotion or by a prospective life partner. Respect (zun jing 尊敬) is an essential element in interpersonal relationships, yet it must be reciprocated in a manner where the reverence for one another is equally conveyed and boundaries are clearly established. An imbalance typically sets an uneasy tone and precautious dynamic. The sophisticated notion of one’s integrity toward another individual and oneself defines trust (xiang xin 相信). Being the foundation of relationships, trust must be earned under an attentive eye and always actively or instinctively monitored with each and every interaction. The consequence of a lack of trust is uncertainty and doubt, which undermines and undoes connections with others. Personally, a shortage of trust in yourself can lead to an absence of confidence and the questioning of your own abilities. To be loyal (zhong cheng 忠誠) is to be faithful to principles and people. There is an implicit sense of duty that goes along with loyalty. The biggest challenge with loyalty is deciding what to do when people change or principles are not in accord with the setting. Finally, righteousness (gong yi 公義) provides guidance in making the right choices. But the trap of uprightness is being self-righteous, and unaccepting of the behaviors or opinions of others.
On the personal front, an individual’s moral character is built upon five particular traits: will, endurance, perseverance, patience, and courage. Will (yi zhi 意志) is the determination and drive that enables goals to be achieved. However, an overly ambitious mind tends to act without regard for others or a respect for rules. Endurance (ren zhu 忍住) refers not only to stamina but a restraint toward making rash and impulsive decisions. In Kung Fu, learning to "eat bitter" (chi ku 吃苦) is to undergo a process with an understanding and acceptance that there will be hardships and challenges throughout the journey. It is the same in life. Yet, tolerating too much bitter may translate to a sense of bitterness toward others and life itself. Perseverance (yi li 毅力) is the resolve to persist through obstacles and constant changes. It is about maintaining a clear course. The hyperextension of this is a stubbornness and inflexibility that can undermine the opportunity for self-improvement. Patience (nai xin 耐心) is the ability to forgo instant gratification for the likelihood of a more productive outcome. There is consideration for the bigger picture. To the contrary, prolonged patience for an indefinite period of time can lead to the atrophy of hope and passion. Lastly, courage (yong gan 勇敢) is the capacity to face fears and adversity in a confident and composed manner. This is not to be confused with being bold, which can indicate a disregard for caution or prudence.
With every moral principle comes a commitment to uphold its respective importance and to monitor its excessive prospect.
There’s A Difference Between Knowing the Path, and Walking the Path
Wude is about transcendence – becoming "the one" who is the best possible version of you. During pre-tech times, you could probably figure out these codes of behavior on your own through general life experiences even if it wasn’t as neatly outlined, packaged and presented in this martially relevant form. But today, etiquette and virtues are regularly bombarded and blurred by the texts, taps, and swipes of our new virtual realities. As we try to navigate through this unchartered tech territory, it is more important than ever to adhere to these anchoring principles that keep us dignified as we interact with each other and grounded as we deal with the challenges within ourselves.
