Melody Hill Cave

Melody Hill Cave

One of the things I enjoy doing in my free time is cave survey. Lots of people go into caves and look around, but what I like to do is map them as I go. One cave I helped survey was Melody Hill Cave in Breckenridge County, Kentucky. We were continuing a survey that had been started by another team, so our first job was to travel to the other team’s last survey station and start mapping from there. When we got to our station, I understood why they had wrapped up that day of survey where they did. The passage at this point shrank from a generous four feet to a scant eight inches. So we started our survey.

Due to the confining nature of this passage, rather than go to each station drawing in the details I saw, I had to rough in the measurement points, then squirm through the passage making mental notes of what the passage looked like so that I could sketch it in when I got into the roomier three foot tall chamber. The cave had some more wide open spaces as big as ten feet tall, and some more constrictions as well. When we got to the final constriction my chest would not fit through, so the skinniest of our group continued on to wrap up the survey while I turned back to get to drier clothes outside the cave.

On the way out, I came to one of the constrictions and started to wriggle through on my belly with my pack strapped to my ankle behind me. My nostrils were filled with the scent of long packed mud, my ears were filled with the sound of my cave suit simultaneously scraping the floor and ceiling of the cave. I pushed with my toes and pulled with my fingertips. I moved about one inch. The passage was getting tight. I exhaled every molecule in my lungs and pushed forward again. I gained another inch. I tried again with no luck. I retreated a bit and took what seemed to be a completely different path through the constriction. Again, no luck. I tried this several times and then realized. . .

I was stuck. 

Just the other day, I woke up in a pretty foul mood. A foul mood for me usually does not mean I am crabby or angry, it usually means I want to do nothing. It usually means I want to quit. It means I want to give up, surrender, stop struggling to make my business work, stop pursuing my dreams, stop doing anything. I tried to force myself to do my ten tigers daily workout. I got some of it in, but not much. I started thinking that the whole project was a joke. I started regretting making the commitment.

My foul mood persisted through the day. I hid it in a corner while I taught classes. I kept it to myself at kung fu. I came home feeling even worse. The next day I woke up in a foul mood. Another day of forcing myself through my workout. I got it done this time though. It did not, however, make me feel any better. Another day of hiding my mood in a corner while I did the afterschool program and what felt like class after class after class of kung fu. I kept trying to push forward, kept trying to take another path with no luck. I tried this several times and then realized. . .

I was stuck.

With the scent of long packed mud in my nostrils, and the sound of my breathing filling my ears, I thought of stories of cavers getting stuck in caves. Stories in which their attempts at self rescue resulted in cracked ribs, stories in which cave rock had to be chiseled from around the caver, stories in which clothing was cut off the unfortunate caver who was then smothered in butter or some other food product that another caver was carrying through the cave. None of these sounded very appealing to me just then, especially emerging from a cave in January wearing only butter.

I stopped thinking about all those things. I closed my eyes, exhaled and squirmed backwards to a more comfortable spot (by more comfortable I mean about 12 inches tall). I rested there and calmly thought about my options. I knew that I had gotten through this spot on the way in, so I could get back through. The real obstacle was the fact that fatigue and cold had worked into my body so my thought processes were diminished somewhat. I thought about my options, I could retrieve the garden shovel from my pack to attempt digging a ditch to crawl through, I could wait for the cavers behind me to catch up so one of them could possibly find that sweet spot through the passage for me, or I could panic, scream for help, scratch at the cave walls around me, and exhaust myself, necessitating a cave rescue call out.

None of those options sounded great, but I made up my mind to wait for my caving partners to catch up with me. I turned off my lights, lay my head sideways so that my helmet rested on the ground and cushioned my head and listened to the cave. I listened to the dripping water in the distance and the empty silence between them. When it is that quiet, your ears seem to reach out, feeling, searching for a sound. Eventually, they found one. The sound of cavers talking and laughing at the end of a survey trip echoing through the dark distance, then the sound of cave suits scraping along the floor and ceiling of the cave. As they neared I greeted them, and let one pass me. He was six foot one and 130 pounds, I was five foot seven and 175. He can go places in caves that I cannot. I told them I was having trouble finding the line through this passage. He went ahead of me to the left and up a slope where the extra inch made all the difference. I followed suit and was soon talking and laughing and heading out into the sunshine.

I had no control over the size of the passage, I had no control of the fatigue in my mind and body once it had arrived, I had no control of the effects of the adrenalin that poured through my body when I first realized I was stuck, but I did have the choice on how to react to all that I was going through.

I had no control the other day of the mood I was in, no control of whatever cocktail of hormones was pouring through my body. I did, however, have a choice on how to react to all that I was going through. So I got up and did as much as of my workout as I could make myself do. I went in and taught my classes with as much energy and passion as I could muster. I went home and shared my feelings with my wife who was very patient with me. I let her go ahead of me and find that sweet spot to crawl through, and started following behind. Soon we were talking and laughing and heading back out into the sunshine.

I believe. . .

I believe you should read this:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99478226

I Too, Have A Dream

On the morning after the day celebrating the life of Martin Luther King Jr., I just wanted to let it be known that I too have a dream.

There are things in our lives that we hold sacred.  Different things for different people.  Some view the building that is their church as sacred.  Others see the church that gathers in that building as sacred.  For some a bible or a rosary is sacred.  For some the flag of their country.  For others, their car or their house is treated as sacred.  Whatever it is that someone sees as sacred, they treat it with reverence, care, love, and respect.  

When something is held sacred, their is often great offense taken when others do not treat the sacred as such.  If someone were to come to a church service cursing and swearing there would be offense taken.  If someone were to mistreat the family bible, there would be offense.  We have seen the offense taken when someone disrespects the flag.  For some of us, finding out someone had ran their key along the side of our car would bring on great anger.

So, anyway, back to my dream.

I have a dream that as time goes by, more and more people will start recognizing the sacred gifts we have been given, and start treating these gifts as sacred.

I have a dream that we will treat our bodies as the sacred gifts they are.  We will fill them with good, nutritious food and avoiding junk food.   We will avoid tobacco and other drugs that are detrimental to our bodies.  We will exercise and give our bodies the strength, flexibility, and endurance it needs.  We will drink more water and fewer soft drinks.  We will endeavour to get enough sleep each night.

I have a dream that one day, we will recognize the sacred gift that is our mind.  We will educate ourselves to the best of our ability.  We will not fill our minds with hate, envy, malice, and greed.  We will instead fill our minds with thoughts of love, generosity, helpfulness, and charity.  We will use our minds to improve the world around us.

I have a dream that we will see the earth we live on as a sacred gift to be cherished.  We will stop overbuying, overusing, and overpolluting.  We will recycle.  We will not dump motor oil and other fluids from our cars on the ground.  We will conserve electricity, oil, and other fossil fuels.  We will strive to use energy from renewable resources.

I have a dream that we will see each person around us as the sacred gift that they are.  Whether they be old or young, whether they be Ivy league educated, or barely literate, whether they be too skinny or too fat, we will see them as the sacred gift that they are.  When we look at the wonder that is each living thing, we will treat them with the dignity and respect that all people deserve.  We will see that it matters less what group they fit in with, or what group we fit in with than the fact that we all share this life as one.  We will stop putting importance on whether someone is clergy or criminal, jock or nerd, upper management or packer or picker.  When we learn to see those around us as sacred the color of their skin will be less important than the color of their shirt. 

Like King, I might not live to see my dream, but I am sure going to take as many steps in that direction as I can.

Superhero Society

One look at movies over the last few years and anyone can see that superheroes are very popular. X-men, Spiderman, Batman, Superman, Iron Man, The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk and The Punisher have all had movies lately, and Wolverine, Captain America, Thor, and The Avengers are coming soon. It makes sense. What's not to like about someone using supernatural powers or advanced technology to soundly thrash the evildoers of the world? There are problems when these superhero sensations start working their way into our thinking, however.

There are three things needed for a good superhero story: A superhero to save the day, a supervillain who would have ruined the day if it weren't for that pesky superhero and, of course, some person to be saved along with the day.

So if I were to let myself have a superhero story in my daily thoughts, in my daily life, which of those people would I be? Most would consciously choose the  superhero, right? There are those of us, though, that find ourselves playing the victim role.  I think there are very few if any that see themselves as the bad guy.   If I am the superhero, then whoever is causing me difficulty is one of those bad guys and everyone else gets to be the people of Earth whose very existence I will save. What would they do without me?

Some of us take great pleasure in being the superhero, while others feel pressure to play the role. Superheroes are the ones who always feel like they have to save the ones around them. They sacrifice their own health and happiness to pull everyone else out of their problems. Self sacrifice can be admirable, but what good is it to destroy one's own mental, emotional, or physical health to try to save someone else? If we neglect self care, we will soon lose the ability, as well as the motivation, to help others. Something I heard recently, I'm not sure where, "If there were children that you loved, wouldn't they be best served by keeping their mother healthy?" We are not invincible superheroes. We have to keep our own strength up, realize when we need to recharge, and help others from a safe position.

Now let's talk about that nasty old supervillain. If we allow ourselves to see "the other" as a bad guy, evildoer, or even just a rival who should be defeated, we are viewing things in an adversarial way. Yes, there are times to compete against others, but most of the time we would all be better off by working with those who disagree with us rather than against them. Working together with non-like minded individuals can produce surprising results. Imagine playing a game of Scrabble® in which, rather than trying to block points, the players were working together to see how high each could score. How would the game change? Working with adversaries is how our government is supposed to function. The idea is that people on the two sides of the aisle will come together and create better ideas than either would have alone. Too many times we view others as obstacles or adversaries instead of fellow travelers in this existence.

Finally, some people identify most with the victim role in the superhero story. They could be happy/rich/successful if only the circumstances around them were to change. A victim sees their problems as caused or fixed by others: coworkers, relatives, the economy, the government. . . or their problems are due to lacking the right coworker, the right love interest, etc. They believe that none of their problems are their fault, there is nothing they can do about them, so all they do is wait for Superman to swoop in and save them. These folks need to wake up right now. Although circumstances have a lot to do with successes, waiting around to be saved is wasted time. We must stand up and work hard if we want to achieve anything. Yes, it is easier if we are given a trust fund, yes, it is easier with a supportive family, but if those things are not available, it is all the more important to stand up and fight. Being “saved” by someone else won't change the habit of seeing life from a victim's point of view.

Watch all the superhero movies you want, enjoy them, but remember that life is different. Our adversaries aren't always adversaries when we can change our point of view. When we are victims, there is no need to sit around and wait for a hero to save us; we can work to save ourselves. When we feel the pull to be a superhero, we can make sure to keep ourselves healthy first. Remember that just about every superhero has some sort of psychological malfunction. Iron Man -- Egomaniacal thrillseeker, Batman -- absolutely obsessed with avenging the crime against his parents, The Hulk -- don't get me started on the Hulk. We are not superhuman, and we don't have superpowers, but we can do nearly as much good in the world by keeping our own lives balanced.

When the Going Gets Tough. . .

How do you respond when something you have to accomplish is extremely difficult?  What are the steps you take to apply yourself to a demanding project?  How do you react when this thing that you must do is just too big for you?  When it is something you cannot avoid, how do you tackle it? 

Perhaps you start by studying the problem, making plans, comparing what must be done with what you are capable of.  Maybe you call for advice from friends and family, or consult experts for tips and pointers, or maybe you research, study, or do some training to improve your ability to tackle the project, or you might build a team of colleagues/friends/family to work together to get through this difficult endeavor.

There are many approaches to choose from.

How do you respond when someone else, your child, friend, colleague, etc. is the one with the overwhelming task?  Do you give advice, point them to experts, help them study or train, join the team they need to get through their work?

Life is one of those very, very difficult tasks.

There are a lot of people out there who think it is supposed to be easy.  There are a lot of people out there who will sell you a house, a car, a watch, or a phone that they say will make it easy.  A lot of people despair because no matter how much money, no matter how great a job, no matter their personal, political, or social power, they discover that life still is not easy. 

Those people are looking for the wrong answer.  The answer does not lie in lowering the bar until you no longer have to run and leap, but can simply step over it.  The answer does not lie in a device that can organize your addresses, your calendar, and even your 1,500 downloaded songs to have at the touch of a finger.  The answer is not in making life easier.  Continually looking for some gadget to solve the difficulties of life will lead to continual disappointments.

The answer is the same as for other difficult tasks, to study, plan, learn, train, ask for help.  In short, the answer is not in making life easier to handle, but in making yourself better able to handle it. 

Would you expect an Olympic sprinter who wants to set a new world record to wish that the current record were not quite so fast, or to train with the difficulty of beating it fully understood?  Would you expect an Olympic sprinter to train alone, or to train with a coach and teammates?  Would the right path to breaking that record being use of steroids, or training the body with honesty and integrity?

Life is one of those very, very difficult tasks, so live every day in a way that makes you strong enough to handle it.  Become strong enough to ask for and accept help when you need it.  Practice patience so you can lend help when needed.  Strengthen your financial situation so you can give to charities.  Strengthen your emotional well being so you can be a pillar for others when they are weak.  Make yourself strong, so others can lean on you. 

How can all this be done?  Practice.  If you have an extra quarter, drop it in the Salvation Army bucket.  If you have a free Saturday, help a friend move.  If you are feeling secure, listen to someone who is struggling with life.  Practice in little ways every day.  Pick trash up from the ground and throw it in a can, hold a door for someone, buy someone dinner, play someone a song on your guitar, cut off your hair and donate it to Locks of Love.  Ask for help preparing supper.  Let someone else vacuum the carpet this time.  There are millions of things you can do. 

Start now.  

Real Self Defense

There is a crowd out there that strongly believes that the only purpose for martial arts training is to learn to fight.  There are people who look at the “good old days” of how they trained.  They glorify the fact that they went home from their kung fu classes with bloody noses and cracked ribs.

 

There is a crowd out there that believes that the purpose of martial arts training is to win competitions.  For some it is point sparring in tournaments, for others it is kickboxing, and for still others it is MMA in a cage.  These people train to win competitions.  Some of them have great sportsmanship, others much less so.  I have personally seen some embarrassing behavior at tournaments.  I have seen embarrassing behavior on the parts of competitors, on the parts of their parents, even on the parts of their instructors.

 

There is a crowd out there that believes that the purpose of a martial arts school is to make lots of money for the owner.  They reward their successes with Rolex watches, expensive cars, and homes that could house their family times ten.

 

I’ve never really been one to follow the crowd.  I believe in following an ideal.

 

There are some martial artists out there following ideals.  Personally I look back to the Shaolin or Siu Lum temple and why they started training in martial arts.  I look to the ways in which the martial arts can preserve and improve lives. 

 

According to legends the Shaolin monks had beliefs they wanted to spread to the world around them.  When they attempted to travel they would be attacked by bandits.  They started training in the martial arts.  They gained a reputation as the fiercest fighters in the land.  As a result of their reputation, they didn’t have to fight.  People learned not to mess with those bald headed guys in robes.  The original purpose of martial arts was to be able to fight in a world in which its practitioners needed to fight.

 

Do we need to fight today?  Sometimes.  There are, however, bigger threats to our health than physical attacks.  How can we address the things that assail us in today’s world?  I believe that self empowerment, self discipline, and self esteem are some of the best weapons we can develop today.  Through these we can improve our physical health, our mental health, and our spiritual health.  Improving these can stave off the real threats to us: heart disease, diabetes, depression, addiction. . .

 

Can we achieve these goals through martial arts training?  Yes.  Is it the only way?  No.  It is, however, the vehicle I choose to use to teach self empowerment, self discipline, and self esteem.  At the same time, we get to practice an ancient cultural art and learn practical self defense if we are attacked.  AND.  It’s fun.

White Belt Eyes

White belt eyes.  The eyes of the beginner.  

To have white belt eyes is to see that all the skill one wants to achieve is yet to come. 

 It is to accept that all the knowledge one wants to learn will come through time, training and hard work.

To have white belt eyes is to put ego aside and accept someone else as a teacher:  To "empty one's cup".

To have white belt eyes is to believe that the knowledge one has is a raindrop compared to the ocean of knowledge one will learn.

Having white belt eyes means one has stepped out of one's comfort zone, has walked into something new and unknown.

One who has white belt eyes has sacrificed the known and the comfortable for something new and unkown and quite possibly scary.

When is the last time you looked at the world through white belt eyes?