Godan Quest

About GodanQuest

It’s simply a personal quest. A 57-year old man (me – Bob Matthews) has set a personal goal to become a Master (fifth-degree black belt) in Sanchin-Ryu karate before he turns 60. That’s it.

And to be perfectly clear, this is definitely not a martial arts instructional site. While, I practice the art of Sanchin-Ryu karate and I am a certified instructor in this style, you definitely will not learn Sanchin-Ryu by visiting this site.

This is simply a personal journal chronicling my personal quest for that red and white Godan belt. That’s it. It’s a place to collect and organize my thoughts each day. It is a place to crystallize on my daily discoveries. It is a place to keep a record. And, most of all, it is a place of communication. In short – I have taken my personal, internal kumite public.

Yes, it has disadvantages over a private journal in that I may have to censor a few things. But it has the greater advantage of forcing clarity of thought. If I have to explain it to you clearly, I have to explain it to me first. And to explain it to you, I have to understand it well enough to be able articulate it and pass it on.

With the building of this website, you and I have become partners in this kumite. As I struggle and triumph on the way to my goal, I will record my honest thoughts here. And as you follow along, I urge you to comment. One of the primary purposes of this site is to create accountability for me. Publicly announcing a goal is one way to give it strength – to give it wings.

And make no mistake. I have put this site up for selfish reasons. I am looking (begging) for support. I chose to make this a public kumite to give my effort additional strength. This site exists to force motivation. If I have to report it – I have to first do it.  And yes, if (when) I do succeed, I will have others to celebrate with.

I’m sure, in time, some of my fellow Sanchinkas will find this site. When you do – PLEASE COMMENT – even it you don’t know me – especially if you don’t know me. It’d be great to meet some new people from doing this (bonus!). Whether you have explicitly stated it or not, you and I share the same goal. Maybe you’re not seeking the same belt rank as me. But you and I share the same goal. To learn. To gain knowledge – knowledge of ourselves. And the belt promotion represents that increase in knowledge.

And even if no one ever finds this site, it will still have done its job – through some sort of “journalistic placebo effect”. Like a diary carelessly left unlocked on one’s desk, this site may never be seen by another – but the possibility always exists. The possibility that it will be studied, scrutinized, copied – even followed (ha!) by someone else. The possibility that it will be discovered by my sensei, or one of my students, or by Chief Grand Master – or even my parole officer (kidding). So even if this is never read; the placebo effect will keep me true – true to my journaling and most critically – true to my quest.

And you? You might pick up some useful personal workout tips by looking over my shoulder. And you might learn some interesting and useful facts about dieting or stretching or how the body works. I don’t know.

Hopefully, what you will learn is a little bit about life – as you watch someone else live (at least a portion of) their life on purpose. And perhaps you’ll learn a thing or two about character as you peek inside the head of a determined middle-aged boomer trying to overcome an aging body – burdened with the normal assortment of human character flaws, limitations and insecurities – all the while struggling to negotiate his way toward a personally-significant goal.

Or perhaps… you’ll learn about total failure, embarrassment and shame.

No matter. Like going to an auto race, we all want to see victory and triumph. But some part of us is also waiting to see the occasional crash and burn.

I don’t know. Perhaps the insights, epiphanies and personal spiritual discoveries I uncover will be so deep that it will feel like you’re reading a modern day Walden - or perhaps there’ll be nothing more profound than something from Where’s Waldo. You be the judge.

Either way, the goal remains “Godan” – not Pulitzer. (Hey! maybe I’ll be on Oprah!)

At the time of this writing, I have approximately two-and-a-half years to complete the quest. Who knows how it will turn out. Follow along as we both find out.

If you want to read more specifics about the quest – read my very first post on this blog…

I seek peace,

Sensei Bob Matthews

Disclaimer:Although I am a certified Sanchin-Ryu karate instructor; this site is in no way officially affiliated with nor sanctioned by the Okinawan Sanchin-Ryu Karate Association. And although they are my instructors, friends and fellow martial artists, I’m sure they won’t agree with everything I say. This site is simply a personal blog with personal opinions, insights and (mostly) ramblings. Please don’t try to read anything else into it…

BTW: If you are interested in Sanchin-Ryu karate, be sure to visit the Sanchin-Ryu official website. I highly recommend it.