Purity of Purpose
by August Turak , in Uncategorized
It's a long story that should be book: A book I'd write if I thought anyone would believe me, but I once met and befriended an American man who had spent 17 years fighting to the death in an Asian underground martial arts circuit.He happened to be staying at my house for his birthday so I threw a small party for him replete with chocolate cake. Taking a big fork full of cake he grinned and said, "I love chocolate cake. But for 17 years I never had a slice because I was always in training."
"How often did you fight?" I asked.
"Two, maybe three times a year," he replied.
"So do you really think skipping a couple slices of cake made a difference?"
"No I don't," he said suddenly very serious.
"So why'd you do it?"
"Because if I was lying on the mat listening to my life's breath being squeezed out of me I didn't want my last thought to be, "I wonder if it was that piece of chocolate cake?"