Martial Arts for you?

Normally, I don't reveal that I do Chinese Martial Arts such as Taiji and Xingyi. Not that I'm shy or reluctant to share but this kinda falls into the question category where there are no simple answers. Most are not interested to know anyway, why bother? Furthermore when they start probing into my reasons for doing MAs, I know some have kind intentions which is why the intention to get them to bugger off diminishes tremendously. Usually.

The usual repertoire of comments, however well intentioned, makes me cringe. The depth of their understanding is as superficial as the veneer of any used teak furniture.

"Playing tennis is as good as doing MAs." Oh really? I suppose a good forearm could smash the muggler's nose in just as well.

"Martial Arts are very violent! and violent people learn them to beat others up." Go look at parliament sessions of Taiwan. Imagine that one of them would whip up some Karate or any snazzy Kungfu moves and beat the shit out of all of them. Think of all the ratings! People would pay to see these uncensored parliament sparrings. But these same people think that kickboxing matches are violent. Duh! This point is moot.

"Why do MAs?" "Why not play tennis?" ehm... I'm interested to improve myself and through MAs, I learn more about our physiology, emotions and psyche. "Huh? What?" ... Never mind... see what I mean.

Recently, developments at work and pursuing interests have left me with scarce time to practice. While it's a shame, this has also made me realise I have left a treasure trove behind but it's still within reach.