PixlBit

Great blog, you should definitely keep the series going if you would like to! Your story is interesting. I think it's cool you were raised Buddhist. I've never met many Buddhists in Colorado, so I never get to learn about them and study them. It's sad that the kids bullied you when it came to religion, sad that they bullied you in any fashion. My environment has always consisted of Christians of all different types. My whole family belongs to that particular faith and some of them are really great people, some of them are dangerous. I've found that religions don't make people good or bad, and magical forces don't make people good or bad. People make their own choices and have to be held accountable for how they treat others. Even though I was raised in such an entirely Christian environment I was never attracted to faith of any kind. I learned a few very important virtues from the Christians around me, but I never wanted to become a practitioner of the mythology.

I've grown up to be a non-spiritual person, I worship nothing, I curse at nothing, I beg for nothing, I don't want eternal life, and I don't believe in any deities. I gravitated towards science instead, and when I study science and study the world around us I find things far more mysterious and beautiful than anything I ever learned about in religion. Mythologies and religions are often beautiful to study and learn about though, and I always wanted to learn about Buddhists since they are so hard to come by around here. They always seem so peaceful, patient, open minded, and disciplined. Buddhists seem to exhibit many philosophical traits I appreciate a great deal and would love to see in more human beings.

I always felt alone as a kid because everybody around me just followed in line, never asked questions, and everybody was always told what to think. I always wanted to ask questions, think for myself, learn about science, study people, the planets, and not be told what to think. Teaching people how to think is better than telling people what to think.

Like yourself I found ways to let out my emotions and deal with them on my own terms. I'm glad you found things like martial arts and music to be creative outlets. I know what it's like to fuck up and disappoint my parents, I did that all through high school. I would ditch a ton of classes, run away from home, and make them worry. I never got into fights, I wasn't violent, and I never stole anything from anybody, I wasn't a trouble maker at all in the sense most people think. I never did anything bad or destructive, I would just disappear and go be by myself. When I ditched school do you know where I went? I went to the University library lol.

Whenever I ditched classes and left school I would take a walk through the bird sanctuary (a small forest-park in between my high school and the University) and I would spend a few minutes there in forest just looking around. There were birds and small creatures there wandering around that I would look at. There were trees you could climb, and there were also fallen logs you could just sit on to relax. It wasn't the wilderness because it was actually surrounded by housing and schools, but all the trees and the creek made it very secluded and peaceful. Whenever I sneaked into the sanctuary it was like I was hidden away from the world for a while. Once I was done wandering around the forest I would walk up this huge hill and when you got to the top you were able to walk across a road and the University was right there.

I always looked older than my age so nobody bothered me or told me to leave, I looked like a college freshman. I would spend the whole day in the library reading, drawing on the chalkboards, using the computers, or sitting in the nooks listening to music and looking out the windows. When it was time to go back to school and get picked up for a ride home, I would just make the short trek through the forest and sneak back into the school. My teachers and advisers were always confused as to why I would ditch school so much. I was very intelligent and respectful, but I never showed up for their classes.

Once I left high school and began college a couple years ago I really started learning about who I was, what I wanted to do, what I didn't want to do in life, and it was a much better environment for me. All along the way listening to music, playing guitar, playing video games, and learning about space became hobbies and passions that helped me stay busy and happy.

Thanks for the well thought out response! 

Buddhism is very hard to learn when your environment doesn't permit it. Sure you can read a book, but it's not the same as learning how an individual translates it to their life. It's hard to describe, but Buddhism is more of a way of life than an actual religion. The only religion that fully embraces human nature, and is, ironically, deeply rooted in a pseuydo mythology/science. There is no god in Buddhism, but that doesn't mean your not allowed to believe in one, or more. 

 I skipped many classes when I was in High school, but I always found myself in incredibly ridiculous situations. I would, just like you, often go to a park, or even just cruise around. I'll talk more about those experiences in future entries.

I didn't have too many problems in school itself, but people were afraid of me because of the bruises, and bandages I often came to school in. There were times where ended up in fights that were a bit too much for me, but I learned my lesson, and became stronger because of it.

I'm surprised by how rich my experiences during those years were. I really did do a lot of things.

Thanks for the read, there's only more to come.

Sweet beats, Xayvong.

That's a kickass nickname. If I practiced Taekwondo I would go for the head too, I love jump kicking... I love jumping in general. Funny enough I ended up practicing Kendo. It's such a ground based martial art, but you do have to leap forward. Fun times.

Thanks! I'm glad you liked them.

I have quite a few precious memories in Taekwondo. Back at the height of my Taekwondo career, me and my teammates were actually considered top 10 in the state in terms of skill.  I specialized in feints, and inside fighting. Because of my short height, I couldn't afford to try and duke it out with someone who could hit me first because he had longer legs. I became very good at dashing to close the distance, and I had to feint effectively in order to find opportunities to move in, or attack. What actually made me notorious was the fact that I could kick you in the head with only a foot of space between me and my opponent. I also scored many knockouts because I was good with counter kicks towards the head ( both opponents kick at the same time, but one person connects with a kick using their momentum, and your strength to give devastating strikes).

Kendo is a great martial art. You develop strong arm and back muscles, while strengthening your core to do more effective slashes. I did a bit of Kendo at one time, and even learned a bit of Fencing. Fun times indeed.

I have to say, if I were practicing Taekwondo right now, and were  at a level that I could challenge you then I would want to fight against you. You're way of fighting is awesome.

Kendo also develops your legs. I used to think that I had good, strong legs from practicing Soccer for so many years (I am Portguese, and lived there for many years), but Kendo has shown me otherwise. Also when doing a kiai (fighting spirit vocalized) in the proper manner it can develop your lung capacity too.

I actually do get quite a few challanges, and I train other martial artists on their kicks and footwork!

Kendo does seem very hard on your legs, I wish I could have practiced it more, but there seems to be a shortage of Kendo schools in my area.  

I'm not surprised at the lack of Kendo schools in your area, or in any area except Japan. Kendo can be expensive (it's the bogu/armor), so not many people practice it.

Swimming's an excellent exercise for leg strength. I bet it's much easier to find pools than a Kendo school haha.