I was asked by Pawel to write a post about this past weekend’s seminar with Darren Levine and to share a few thoughts. I decided to go a different route than a standard AAR or something similar. All-in-all, an amazing experience that opened my eyes to how fortunate we are to be taught by Pawel and the instructors that he has selected.
TG
P.S. There will be a couple of photos too but I actually got to train this time.
We live in a massively populated world. Our surnames have become few among many. People that we do not know carrying our names. People that are worlds apart, yet are linked by a name. It’s easy to pull up a family history. Simply enter a few birth dates and names and family trees unfold in front of us on screen. Clicking on little green leaves to go further and further into history. Generations, centuries back. Gone is the way of storytelling and sharing family histories.
Not for us. Our history, our lineage, is part of our lives on a regular basis. We often celebrate the past that has led us to where we are. We celebrate by preparing ourselves for unfortunate possibilities. We celebrate by increasing our knowledge and skill set. We celebrate by readying ourselves to look over others.
The more familiar you are with your family’s stories, the more you know the nuance. The more you know the antagonist. The more you understand the struggle. The more you comprehend the threat. Familiarity grants you preparation for what may come.
The tales this weekend were woven with intricacy and detail. Sewing together sentences of dismantling aggressors, punctuated with pugilism. Paragraphs defining aggression and intent. Pages of technique. Chapters of mindset. The story of turning the tide against those aiming to destroy the herd and becoming the avalanche. Removing doubt from the far reaches of the mind. Keeping at bay the darkness in the places we sleep and gather. Stories that we will carry with us through the varying walks of our lives.
Many of these stories we have heard within the walls of our family home. Told with passion and fervor. Told with attention to detail. Told with love and empathy. Stories that have been preserved and recited with the utmost care and importance. These stories not being fabricated. These stories not being of a false nature but passed directly to us from their origin. Passed to us from the mouths below the ears that heard the story the first time it was told.
Our lineage is brief. Our lineage is distinct. Our lineage is as follows:
Imi Lichtenfeld
Darren Levine
Pawel Cichowlas
Our family isn’t based on surname. Our family is based upon the stories we listen to and share. Our family is based on our individual, yet shared past. Our family is based on the sweat, tears, blood and agony we share, making one another strong. Preparing each other for the worst and elevating us to our best.
Our family comes together under one crest. The crest emblazoned on our chests each time we come together. And when we come together, be sure to listen to the stories that are told. Listen closely and intently as our history is near. Listen at every opportunity given. Remember them so that someday they may be shared with family members yet to come.
