What it Means to Be a Bayani Warrior Part 3
I don't know when I will die...but what I DO KNOW is that I DON'T want my tombstone to read: "Here lies Michael Andrew Pana. He was very good at fighting with weapons."
I want my life to be more than that.
When I started Bayani Warrior, something in me wanted it to be more than just a martial arts group. I wanted it to be a vehicle to utilize my life's passion, Filipino Kali, to help improve people's lives. I want to teach Filipino martial arts so that it can help people the way it helped me--how it showed me the true window into the beauty and relevance of my culture and how it showed me the strength and focus that one attains from training in it. I wanted people to unite under one common cause...to develop them into a group of people that would support each other both in the physical and emotional battles that life brings. It may sound odd, but I want to use violence to show people how to learn to be at peace and in control with themselves...to train them to face fear and even horror and to see them persevere through it so that they see who they really are. By doing this, I find that people can live more productive lives because they can work past their fears.
Bayani Warrior exists to teach people how to find the Bayani (hero) within themselves by training in the use of weaponry. Training in weaponry, particularly in the Filipino methods, requires one to realize that violence is not a fantasy or a game. It is serious. It is life and death. As a result, those who train with us aren't the barroom brawlers looking for a fight. They realize that they need to fight for something far more important: the protection of their family, friends, and the innocent. The very act of preparing oneself to protect others is what develops the Bayani within them. It makes them realize that the training is not simply for their own self-gratification. Rather, it is for the benefit of others. The act of persevering through the training due to the rigorous physical and financial demands the training requires develops character and focus. It brings a collective cohesiveness to the group members. They begin to feel as a unit. This is what develops the Warrior. Warriors recognize the importance of the group over themselves and how to focus through challenges.
The values that we try to live by in the realm of Filipino martial arts training translates to the way we treat others in the community. Recently, Bayani Warrior has moved into the foray of community service projects, the most recent being the Typhoon Ondoy Relief Clinic we held which raised canned food and money for the Typhoon Ondoy victims. I hope to continue using Bayani Warrior not just as a means to teach people Filipino warrior training, but also for helping the community.
I know I am not perfect. But, I believe that Bayani Warrior can change the world around me, because it changed the world within me.
I want my life to be more than that.
When I started Bayani Warrior, something in me wanted it to be more than just a martial arts group. I wanted it to be a vehicle to utilize my life's passion, Filipino Kali, to help improve people's lives. I want to teach Filipino martial arts so that it can help people the way it helped me--how it showed me the true window into the beauty and relevance of my culture and how it showed me the strength and focus that one attains from training in it. I wanted people to unite under one common cause...to develop them into a group of people that would support each other both in the physical and emotional battles that life brings. It may sound odd, but I want to use violence to show people how to learn to be at peace and in control with themselves...to train them to face fear and even horror and to see them persevere through it so that they see who they really are. By doing this, I find that people can live more productive lives because they can work past their fears.
Bayani Warrior exists to teach people how to find the Bayani (hero) within themselves by training in the use of weaponry. Training in weaponry, particularly in the Filipino methods, requires one to realize that violence is not a fantasy or a game. It is serious. It is life and death. As a result, those who train with us aren't the barroom brawlers looking for a fight. They realize that they need to fight for something far more important: the protection of their family, friends, and the innocent. The very act of preparing oneself to protect others is what develops the Bayani within them. It makes them realize that the training is not simply for their own self-gratification. Rather, it is for the benefit of others. The act of persevering through the training due to the rigorous physical and financial demands the training requires develops character and focus. It brings a collective cohesiveness to the group members. They begin to feel as a unit. This is what develops the Warrior. Warriors recognize the importance of the group over themselves and how to focus through challenges.
The values that we try to live by in the realm of Filipino martial arts training translates to the way we treat others in the community. Recently, Bayani Warrior has moved into the foray of community service projects, the most recent being the Typhoon Ondoy Relief Clinic we held which raised canned food and money for the Typhoon Ondoy victims. I hope to continue using Bayani Warrior not just as a means to teach people Filipino warrior training, but also for helping the community.
I know I am not perfect. But, I believe that Bayani Warrior can change the world around me, because it changed the world within me.
posted by Mike Pana at
8:11 PM
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