Al-Fatihah
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of, Allahyarhamah Che Puan binti Matdin, the wife of Allahyarham (late) Pak Guru Zainol Abidin Endut and mother of Pak Guru Sani Zainol Abidin of Silat Kuntau Tekpi at 4:35pm today.
She was the pillar that supported two generations of masters and she will continue to be so in our hearts. The Tekpi family will miss her greatly.
Codemasters has a presence in Malaysia, working with local outfit VisionNew Media. And Electronics Arts is setting up shop with the nation's southern neighbour, Singapore. These are gaming industry heavyweights that would be a boon for the local creative content development industry ifthey decide to grace our shores.
There are, of course, notable games developers in Malaysia such as Phoenix Game Studios and GameBrains. But it seems that in most cases, the local games development industry still lacks its own intellectual property (IP).
Most projects handled bylocal players are outsourced jobs, with the IP belonging to foreignentities. The interactive entertainment industry is very enticing, especially when one considers the fact that video game software worldwide sales reached a staggering US$9.5 billion (RM30.4 billion) last year.
Compare that to the Top 10 Hollywood blockbusters, which generated US$2.6 billion last year, and the excitement in the gaming market immediately becomes relevant. Unless the local gaming industry gets a boost, it is likely that the games development industry will remain at a service provider level for along time.
Not owning unique IP can spell disaster if a games developer decides to shift to other places that offer lower wages and other incentives. But there is hope, as established foreign games entities realise Malaysia's potential to produce quality work. There are some resources in the country in terms of multimedia and animation talent, but it takes more expertise to make a computer or videogame.
A game requires more people than a movie production. In that respect, relying on an established gaming engine is a good way to jumpstart the gaming industry.
Growing Gaming Developers Community
Datuk Abdul Hamid Mustapha, executive chairman of Online e-Club Management Sdn Bhd, which owns NOESISInteractive Sdn Bhd, believes that one of the best ways to break into the games industry is by creating mods, or game modifications. Mods is a key reason why games such as Counter-Strike (running on theHalf-Life engine) refuse to die.
In 1996, alterations to id Software's Doom resulted in modified versions. These mods extended the life of the game beyond the point where its excitement would have died down. Since one must have the original game to play mods, sales went beyond the shelf life of normal computer games.
Using this template, Half-Life has made Valve Software's revenue stream steadily increase. Valve Software is based in Bellevue, Washington, US. Valve Software mainly attributes its success to three mods: Day of Defeat, Team Fortress and Counter-Strike. In the first year, Half-Life sold two million units. In its third year after launch, it sold 3.8 million units. Overall, the franchise sold over11 million units.
NOESIS Interactive intends to offer gaming development courses through franchisee universities and colleges. Courses are scheduled to start in June. Leveraging on partners Valve Software and NOESIS Interactive USA, NOESIS Interactive believes that it has an ecosystem to welcome a new generation of games developers from training, community development right through to digital distribution of games for commercialisation opportunities.
In simple terms, it means that budding games developers can take up the course from participating universities and colleges and get a certification in respective programmes such as 3-D content creation with Softimage XSI, character design and integration with Half-Life 2, custom props and animation for source-powered games, advanced character animation for games with Softimage XSI, and advanced source level design bundle and source level design essentials. These certifications mean that the holder can work on games that specifically use the Half-Life engine.
Besides Softimage XSI, other three-dimensional animation tools such as Autodesk Maya and 3ds Max-based courses are offered. Such project-based training is open to all students, teaching professionals or those who want to upgrade their skills.
"NOESIS Interactive is a project conceived, produced and managed by Online e-Club Management to address the inadequacies of the Asian electronic games industry. Currently, there is only a handful of local game titles that have been released in this region," Abdul Hamid says. This, he thinks, is largely due to lack of resources and more crucially, lack of access to any game engine.
Also, NOESIS Interactive believes that the pool of skilled designers, artists and coders is small and scattered, with most young talent yet to be discovered. The company hopes to leverage on its connections in Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam since Online e-Club Management is the regional official distributor for ValveSoftware.
With that, locally produced IP coming out from this collaboration has a good chance of being distributed as mods to these countries. The IP rights will also remain with Malaysians.
"Malaysia can use this opportunity to market its unique culture and IP as well. Placement of facts or cultural objects can pique one's curiosity and influence them to find out more. This has a similar effect to placing products in movies," Abdul Hamid points out.
Cultural Advantage
Silat, the Malaysian form of martial arts, forexample, has been eyed by a Dutch-based company DGames. According to its adviser Azlan Ghanie, also a respected martial arts expert and chief editor of local martial arts magazine SENI BELADIRI, DGames representatives are keen to create an online computer game where players from around the world can band together to fight the "forces of darkness".
DGames is synonymous with child prodigy Paul du Long, who created his first online game when he was only 11 years old. His father, Glenn duLong, intends to have his son mentor local talent, as he has done for thousands of children in Europe.
"We are scheduling the launch of the proposed game sometime in May or June in Kuala Lumpur," Azlan says. DGames is keen to have Malaysia as a hub for developing online games.
Clearly, Malaysia has hidden gems which can attract established names from the gaming development industry. But to build up the industry, it takes more than a bunch of companies. The pool of talent needs to be polished enough to gain the confidence from the would-be employers from overseas.
And players in the local gaming development industry need to first learn what they can from the tried-and-tested formulas, just like the Japanese animators, before branching out on their own.
Written by Hazimin Sulaiman
Sourced from New Straits Times
Recently, I persuaded Ustaz Saiful Muhammad to publish his article Journeying In Silat: A Master's Monologue in this blog, the SMC Forum and his own website. He asked that I edit out a reference to Silat Bongsu being the 'mother of all martial arts', but I argued that it needed to stay in, because I wanted provoke a reaction from readers. No one wanted to take the bait, except in the SMC Forum, and that started his explanation on the actual meaning of the statement.
In fact, there's nothing inherently wrong with the statement itself. It just sounds too much like a brag. The problem is, depending on who is reading it, it's often confused with the 'best of all martial arts' statement or the 'my style is more authentic than yours' statement. Thus, the problem doesn't lie with the words, it lies with the reader.
Words are a human being's channel of communication. It is unfortunate that, unless you share similar experiences with another person, you will never be able to communicate with them using those words. Because of the variant differences between silat styles, no one can claim to have the exact same experience in studying. Therefore, what silat means to me, will not be the same to you.
For many people, the 'mother' is an event, an occurence, when they achieve that 'eureka' moment, when all strands of life suddenly merge into one, and they see what silat really is. In reality, their understanding has bypassed silat's original meaning at the lower level, that of a fighting form.
But silat has many levels of definition, depending on who is defining it. The paradox is that, there are so few people who attain the higher levels of silat and will publicly define it from their perspective, that the majority definition becomes the default. That means, it is the beginner students who tell you, "This is what silat means" when in fact, it should be the wizened masters who define it for them.
Democracy over truth, I'd say.
Ustaz Saiful defends his statement by saying, "The word mother of all this and that sound so good or great to others, in truth, in our style, it is just mean that the style is open for evolution process."
"It can easily be evolve personally according to practitioner understanding and experience. The versatility in it makes it easier to adapt practitioner’s own ability and necessity."
So what does it mean? If you're still reading, then you still might not get what he means. Look at it this way. 'Ibu' or 'mother' denotes that something gives birth to another being, but in itself does not become part of the new creature. It only gestates and helps bring it into the world. The new creature only slightly resembles the mother, but takes in many other influences from other people, events and things to become an individual.
Thus, the 'mother' of silat is something that allows an individual to make his or her own choices based on the wisdom and knowledge of the past accumulated by the mother and their mothers before that. They are still dependent upon the mother's DNA (the unchangeable aspect), but they need to imbibe food and knowledge from outside the mother in order to survive (the changeable aspects).
When a child stands next to her mother, the resemblance is easy to see, but so is the individuality. This is the reason silat people can recognise various aspects of silat in other hybrid or eclectic arts, (oh, you must have studied silat before) even though it has been subsumed within another style.
So, what is the mother of all silat? It is the knowledge, that is held tightly with ultimate sureness of its truth in the breast of its practitioner. It is the understanding of where you came from, your purpose in life; which is to survive (and the purpose you survive) and the development to keep surviving in order to achieve that purpose.
For Muslim pesilat, all this is a moot point. They would summarise the last 12 paragraphs into only one word: Islam.
The following article was written by Ustaz Saiful Muhammad in response to my article "Control".
Silat is supposed to be an art of control. Controlling oneself will be the fundamental in Silat. Today Silat practitioners lack this knowledge and skill of control. Today Silat practitioners, whether among beginners, experts or masters, seem to be ignoring this very important part of Silat. Many easily lose control when confronted with their own fear or anger.
Fear and anger towards others can become completely uncontrollable. Even those amongst masters can easily lose control just by a few words from others or from the opponent. Mastering Silat is supposed to assist the attainment of wisdom within oneself. Wisdom will be the key in mastering the art of control.
One is supposed to gain wisdom when the understanding of Silat is attained. Let us all ask ourselves, where is our understanding in Silat? Would it be enough just learning the knowledge of "skin" which is the physical knowledge? What is the real essence of Silat?
As Melayu, we can learn so much, too much, from our ancestors. Their history proves to us the effectiveness and efficiency of Silat knowledge as knowledge of survival. We don't need any tournament or others to recognize the wonder of Silat. We can also learn how our ancestors mastered the art of control. We are also blessed with the knowledge of Islam. Islam gave us more meaning in our life, even in Silat.
With the guidance of Islam, we gain more understanding and clearer purpose in life. The art of control will be perfected when we embrace Islam in every part of life. Why don't we look deeper in learning, understanding and spreading Silat with the wonder of Islam knowledge?
Among the most important traditions in the Silat community that has existed for more than a thousand years ago will be embracing the diverse Silat styles and philosophies. Let us share the wonder of Silat diversity. Let us stop looking towards others with such negativity. Let us master the art of control. Let us embrace Silat with the wisdom of Islam.
"Berlapang dada, bina wibawa" (Open heart, build dignity)
Written by Ustaz Saiful Muhammad
Apapun silat aku pelajari
Manfaat amalan hingga sebati
Aku bersilat hingga ku nafi
Buah, bunga, tapak dan tari
Baru silatku menjadi murni
Berjuang aku ke titis muktamad
Bergantungku hanya pada Illahi
Syahidku moga diredhai Al-Ahad
Walau dicerca, walau dibenci,
Tetapkan iman, kuatkan hati,
Aku melalui lorong berduri,
Untuk kembara menuju firdausi.
Walau tiada lagi pengikut,
Aku teruskan berjalan jua,
Tidak ku sunyi, tidak ku takut
Kerana Allah ada bersama.
Kaulah Kekasih, Kaulah Teman,
Aku sangat cinta padaMu,
Kan kuhancur segala kebatilan,
Demi menegak kebenaran yang satu.
Para pesilat saudari-saudara,
Marilah kita bersama-sama,
merasai agungnya hikayat cinta
Yang pasti kekal selama-lama
Cetusan Hati :Pok Nik yang hina disisiNya
Vietnam, the world’s top pencak silat nation, will hold the first Southeast Asian championship in Ho Chi Minh City next May.
The government has given its approval for holding the event, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and entrusted the organization to it.
To prepare for the event, members of the national team will train at the National Sports and Training Center.
No. 1 in Hanoi besides taking part in the National Pencak Silat Championship to be held April 10-15 in the northern province of Hai Duong.
Vietnam bagged 12 gold, eight silver and three bronze medals at the world championships last October in Malaysia, to finish top of the medals tally.
Malaysia followed with seven golds and Singapore was third with three.
Silat Melayu: The Blog is officially 2 years old today! Many happy returns and hope you'll last much longer than your predecessors!
Having combat experience doesn’t necessarily improve one’s ability in Silat. In fact, sometimes real fighting or combat experience contributes extremely little to the mastering of true Silat Melayu as a whole. One must broaden one's understanding of the word “experience”, this is particularly true in Silat.
Acquisition of knowledge in diverse Silat styles can be used as a tool in improving oneself, by focusing intently on the knowledge acquired. This can be done by finding the key components in every Silat style learned, and trying to gain a deeper understanding of it. Through extensive practice and under proper guidance, one will find the best way to deepen their understanding of Silat. True understanding only comes when proper knowledge and guidance is involved.
During my first few years of training in Rumpun Seni Silat Syeikh Ali, I was instructed by my masters in a variety of very strict methods of physical, mental and spiritual training that were exceptionally difficult, but also required both a deep understanding and great determination to perform to their satisfaction. This began in 1987. I subsequently received permission to teach (known as Ijazah) the first level of Rumpun Seni Silat Syeikh Ali in 1989, almost 3 full years after I completed the first level of Silat in Rumpun Seni Silat Syeikh Ali, which is the Seni Silat Bongsu style.
During those 3 long years, I committed myself to learn, master and feel my newly acquired knowledge. This is the key to embracing the pure essence of Silat; learn, master and feel. I was asked by one of my masters, Cikgu Muhammad Khairuddin of Hulu Langat, Selangor, Malaysia, currently the Guru Besar Utama of Seni Silat Bongsu, to make Seni Silat Bongsu literally as if it were the very clothes on my back (“sebagai pakaian”) whilst in practice. In other words, it must become second nature whenever utilizing Silat.
Whilst under the tutelage of my late grandfather, Allahyarham Tuan Haji Ibrahim, the Guru Kaka and Guru Besar of Seni Silat Peninjauan, he forbade me from practicing any physical aspects or techniques of Silat. This was always the case throughout my early years of life and whenever I occasionally trained with him right up until he passed away 3 years ago at the age of 90 years old. But at the same time, I had to master my Silat, both physically and spiritually. Throughout his 60s and 70s he would always ask me to spar with him, but would never allow me to train myself in the physical techniques of Silat.
During my study-years at “sekolah pondok” (a type of traditional malay college for Islamic studies), I had the opportunity to learn more about Silat, both physically and spiritually. I met a master that was well known for his expertise and skill, named Ustaz Abang Solihin of Guar Cempedak, Kedah, Malaysia.
Even though he was a much respected Silat master and Islamic scholar, his character was remarkable for his utmost humility and simplicity, both spiritually and physically, words and actions. I had the good fortune to study his exceptional and very rare “Ilmu Jurus 17” that was famous of the deadly results achieved from its techniques and feared by many. He taught me for one week and said I had already completed the course. It is so simple but it yet took me many years after that to understand it fully and be appointed as a master of.
There were many other Silat related episodes in my life that shaped the way I look at Silat. All are unique and very precious to me. I was forced to view many different and similar things in very different ways with each following master I studied under. Many of their ways were at that time unacceptable to me, largely due to youth and, of course, ignorance. Their ways often seemed strange or startling, but were also very rewarding experiences and proved so effective in achieving the goal that I was supposed to achieve. These were among the stories of my simple and humble journey through Silat that contributed to my personal Silat evolution.
Evolution and progression (of one’s skill) in Silat can only occur when one truly focuses and reflects upon those lessons learned through the course of their Silat studies. This evolution must always be guided by true masters, both physically and mentally. Evolving in Silat is actually a personal journey for each individual. It will develop in a very unique way, and solely for that individual.
The proper traditional Silat Melayu adab (or manners) has always been not to create new styles but to teach the traditional styles, whilst only sharing the core of one’s own evolution with others. Guiding others in their own development is the traditional way that Silat Melayu has been passed down since time immemorial. Not by creating another different style.
By creating another style, one only dilutes the original Silat knowledge which always guided others towards their own unique journey of Silat anyway. This transformation, which occurs jointly by attaining proper knowledge and understanding of authentic Silat, is a wonder that has been in practice since times of yore in the Silat world. Silat is a survival art that may have a beginning but seems there is no end, with regards personal development. By creating another style, we are in fact contributing to the destruction of each individual’s chance of personal evolution in the ancient and time tested systems.
There is nothing that is not combative in Silat. From the basics (ie, tapak, kelok, buah, langkah, bunga, etc.) until the more advance techniques (e.g. rasa, rapat, sobok, gompo, tinjau and many others) everything is versatile and very effective as a combat technique. The only weakness will be in one’s own understanding and explanation of the deeper secret of Silat, physically and spiritually.
If one has the key of understanding in any martial art, there are no ineffective or useless techniques. The blink of an eye, the sound of breathing or the slightest movement will always have seen and unseen effects. Even not moving at all can be considered as an effective technique.In our Silat School style, we use the techniques of “tepat sipi, sipi lepas” when facing opponent as the fundamental of defense. “Tepat” literally means accurate, which mean assuming the accuracy of opponent strike. “Sipi” means inaccurate, which mean we will make the opponent’s strike inaccurately or missed with techniques. After doing the “sipi” we will do the “lepas” which means escape safely from any kind of current and future threat from the opponent.
In offensive mode, we will adapt the techniques of “umpan, pecah, Silat”. “Umpan” means luring the enemy in static, movements or striking but with such effectiveness that it can even end the fight if it accurately land on the opponent.
“Pecah” means breaking (while bridging) the enemy’s defense or plan mentally or if really necessary, physically. This breaking can result from “umpan” or can be done using another techniques followed after “umpan”, which is in “pecah”. “Silat” will be the final result meaning the closing in ending the fight with wisdom.
Result doesn’t necessarily come from kicking, punching or locking. It can also come from just a simple movements or not moving at all but result with severe physical or mental or spiritual effect to the opponent. “Silat” can also mean not fighting at all, just an act of wisdom in gaining victory. In fact the word “pendekar” which mean “pandai akal” literally means intelligent (“pandai”) mind (“akal”) signify a higher level of “pesilat”. The absolute truth is Silat is always about knowledge and wisdom.
Experience doesn’t necessarily mean what we want it to be. It can be just the understanding of knowledge itself, and not its applications. Development can only occur where there is a proper source of knowledge, constant practice whether in reality or training and understanding (that is the fruit of the whole process). Guidance must always be at the core of any kind of journey towards knowledge, guidance that comes from a true master, a true scholar, guidance that is in harmony with the teaching of Islam that is accepted with humility and sincerity by students.
Written by Ustaz Saiful Muhammad, President, Pertubuhan Seni Silat Telapak Nusantara Malaysia
One may liken ‘silat pulut’, (a series of self defence moves stylised into a ceremonial dance for celebratory occasions performed to the strains of traditional instruments) as our very own version of capoeira – the Afro-Brazilian combination of martial art, game and dance.
Baharudin pours lime water on a student's head to symbolise spiritual cleansing after a sparring. Recently, a silat pulut graduation ceremony held at the Seri Samudra flats along Jalan Samudra Timur 1 in Batu Caves, revealed how the art of self defence can also present itself as a graceful dance form.The father of four, who is also the leader of a dikir barat troupe, also sees this as an opportunity to engage his community in some sort of activity. According to Baharudin, one must realise that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.
Blowing his horn: Shafic Aminuddin playing the serunai to inspire the exponents.
“The core lesson taught here is how to control one’s emotions. Another important aspect that we want to impart is for the young to uphold values such as courage, discipline, fairness and to maintain harmony. If you notice, before every silat performance, the exponent will shake hands with the audience to seek their blessings,” he explained.
Baharudin added that after each bout, the exponents will hug each other as a sign that the confrontation in the arena has been forgotten and they will not hold grudges against each other.
Offerings: Bunga telur, yellow glutinous rice and roasted meats to give thanks for safety and goodwill within the arena.
In explaining how ‘silat pulut’ got its name, Baharudin surmises that it may be due to custom that requires the offering of yellow glutinous rice as gifts to the ‘pesilat’ (silat exponents) during the graduation ceremony.
Another influencing factor may have its links to the exponent feeding newlyweds or VIPs with sticky rice upon completing his steps. But far from being a showy attraction at public events, Baharudin reveals the ‘silat pulut’ is in actual fact a sport that requires skill and agility. Though the soft movements may appear harmless and satirical, it hides an intricate game of steps and techniques that could be devastating when applied in combat.
Dwelling back into history, Baharudin reveals that the martial arts was developed as an avenue for practitioners in colonial times to fool others into believing that it was merely a harmless folk game.
Seeking blessings: The silat exponents must get the blessings of the audience before a sparring round.
At a time when the colonial masters were receiving opposition from Malay freedom fighters, silat teachers were cautious in letting these defence skills out in the open for fear that they may be used against them in times of battle. Thus, in order to preserve tradition, teachers disguised the steps as a dance form so that the art may live on.
Today, rather than teaching his students on how to engage in combat, ‘silat pulut’ has become an effective form of exercise to nurture body and soul. As for adult practitioners, not only have they found a way to de-stress but an opportunity to be the star of their own performance at weddings and VIP receptions.
By Grace Chen Sourced from http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2008/3/13/central/20615814&sec=central
Silat master Azlan Ghanie (right) teaching Human Weapon hostsHuman Weapon, an expedition-type documentary which charts journeys to foreign continents in search of martial arts, comes to Malaysia for its premiere episode. By SHEELA CHANDRAN
People all over the world have always had a fascination for martial arts. Even at the movies, it is frequently used as a subject matter. From Seven Samurai to Enter The Dragon, Blood Sport and Karate Kid, martial arts movies can draw in the crowds. Hong Kong stars Jackie Chan and Jet Li as well as Hollywood celebrities like Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Segal, Chuck Norris and Cynthia Rothrock have all made names for themselves as martial arts exponents, and not just movie stars.
What exactly are martial arts? They are defined as codified practices and traditions of training for combat. Although the art forms have been studied or passed down through many generations, everyone who learns the art shares a common goal – to defeat a person physically or to defend oneself from physical threat. Martial arts can be divided into three categories – striking (boxing, shaolin kung fu and capoeira), grappling (judo, sambo, aikido and wrestling) and weaponry (fencing, silambam and jukendo).
With so many martial arts techniques around, it's no surprise The History Channel has embarked on a journey across the globe to reveal the history behind one of humankind's most ancient skills – the art of hand-to-hand combat.
Titled Human Weapon, the 16-parter programme will see hosts – martial artist and professional fighter Jason Chambers and former professional football player and wrestler Bill Duff exploring the history and practice of various time-honoured combat forms from around the world.
Throughout history, martial arts have had a significant impact on world events; cultures and civilisations have emerged and perished as a result of military prowess, especially when it came to hand-to-hand combat. It was not only seen as an art of self-defence but also served as a platform of preparation for young men to move into adulthood. Through this training, a child learnt important values such as self-respect and self-dependence.
Each episode on Human Weapon charts an expedition through various parts of the world to unveil distinct forms of combat where viewers will see some of the gruelling training the hosts undergo.
The series premieres tonight with the ancient art form of silat, which is an umbrella term used to describe Melayu martial arts form.
Silat is a combative art of fighting and survival and it has evolved in Indonesia and Malaysia civilisations for centuries, and has seeped into social culture and tradition. In ancient times, silat served as a self-defence tool as well as a platform of preparation for young men to move into adulthood.
The first episode sees the hosts travelling to Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Melaka where silat is practiced. Part of their training requires them to undergo rigorous silat techniques – Silat Seni Gayong Malaysia, Lian Padukan and Silat Melayu Keris Lok 9 Malaysia, while learning the culture behind this heritage. At the end of the journey, one of the hosts will face the ultimate test – trying to survive a fight with six silat masters.
“Silat is one of the world's and diverse martial arts form. One of the key characteristics of silat movements or aliran demonstrates the gracefulness of how exponents fence and defend themselves,” said silat master Azlan Ghanie who practises Silat Melayu Keris Lok 9.
Azlan added that the documentary was recorded over a span of 10 days last September. He explained that prior to the filming, the hosts had never heard of silat and had no expectations of the martial art form.
“They assumed it was a 'gentle' form of martial arts. They only realised how tough it was after receiving a few hard kicks, which left them close to tears. After undergoing training, they now say silat is an indescribable and tough experience.”
In the following weeks, the hosts learn about different art forms from around the world. Stick with them to find out more about Thailand's Muay Thai (Thai Boxing or “Science of Eight Limbs”), Philippines' Eskrima (involving stick and sword fighting techniques), Japan's famed Judo and Karate, France's Savate or French foot-fighting, Greece's Pankration (a combination of boxing and wrestling) and Israel's Krav Maga (a form of hand-to-hand combat).
Sourced from http://www.star-ecentral.com/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/13/tvnradio/20599181&sec=tvnradio
Pesilat were surprised today to hear of guru Mohd Fairus Khairuddin's appointment as co-deputy Chief Minister of Pulau Pinang following the recent upset elections, which rocked Malaysia.
A martial artist goes through about the same progression throughout his life, pesilat or otherwise.
He starts out thinking of silat as a method of combat. Then as fair combat. Then he realises that fair combat can only exist in a social, physical, cultural and religious vacuum, which is impossible.
He realises that too many variables contribute to the outcome of a battle and seeks to master and control those other variables, either directly or by proxy.
And most often, he discovers that, he controls nothing, but exists as a dot on an intricate web of reality, insignificant, and stops struggling, acheiving exactly what he gave up trying to achieve in the first place.
Control.
I admit, I'm a coward. Many people are surprised by my admission, and often assume I'm just being humble. Unfortunately, as many close friends know, humble I'm not. For many a year, I struggled with this complex, which drove and guided my self-development and the directions I decided to go in.
The late Ustaz Hanafi of Silat Cekak once asked, "Where does fear go when courage appears? And where does courage go when fear appears?" Although the matter was couched in question form, but I never found an answer for it.
Guru Azlan Ghanie runs a column in SENI BELADIRI magazine titled 'Berani Kerana Benar' which means Courage In Truth. The obverse of this would of course be Cowardice In Falsehood. I asked him once, how do we become courageous when we are in the wrong? He answered, "Apologise".
From a purely Islamic point of view, the concept of taqwa exists. When translated into English, it approximates Fear. However, the nuance is Godliness, not simply fear of Allah's displeasure and pining for His pleasure. Fearing Allah and only Allah forms the basis of the fearlessness of a Muslim.
"If you fear man, you harbour the illusion that you can instill fear in men. But if you fear Allah, you are under no such illusions. Do not contrive to instill fear and Allah will instill fear of you into the hearts of men."
I've been trying to access the official PESAKA website for the last couple of months. Unfortunately, it seems permanently true that they have not renewed their domain name.
And anyone who understands cybersquatting knows that they'll never get that domain name back again. It's not the first time it's happened. The first time the PESAKA website was launched, the current Prime Minister was still the nation's deputy and was hosted at pesakamalaysia.com.
When they allowed THAT domain name to pass away without renewal, the name got squatted and they were forced to register pesakamalaysia.org instead for the second version of the site. This happened to senibeladiri.com once upon a time, and now we're forced to contend with the .com.my suffix.
I'll try my best to make sure that SilatMelayu.Com doesn't suffer the same fate.
Persatuan Silat Melayu Keris Lok 9 has announced that it will organise the Silat Melayu Keris Lok 9 Family Days on the 9th-11th of May 2008 to be held in Cherating, Pahang. An Adab Melayu Seminar will also be conducted on the 10th of May 2008. More details as we get them.
