The best martial art? A parable of sorts

[sirdarksol]

Once an agent of the Heavens was charged with finding the strongest thing in all of creation.
He thought to start with the elephant. Surely there is nothing larger or stronger than an elephant.
Upon asking the elephant if there was anything stronger than it, the elephant said that she had tried for her entire life to knock down one of the giant trees in the forest so that she could get at the leaves at the top, and had never been able to.
So he went off into the forest to find one of these trees, and did not have to work hard to do so, the trees were so large. He asked the trees if there was anything stronger than they, and they responded with a whisper of leaves that the thing that they fear is the storm. The wind and the lightning could do what the elephant could not, and felled a couple of them every year.
So he went into the sky to find the storm, and soon found himself being buffeted by strong winds. Again he asked his question, and the storm responded that, no matter how much lightning, thunder, and wind it threw at the mountain, the mountain stood. In all of its travels across the world, the only thing that could stand against storm was mountain.
And so the agent of the Heavens went off to the mountain. By this point he knew that his search was over, but he was required to ask as a formality.
Upon questioning the mountain, however, he was surprised to receive the response that there was one being stronger than mountain.
"You see, there is a mouse that lives inside of me, chewing tunnels through my body. Every year I feel myself grow weaker, and eventually I will succumb to my own weight."
Amazed, the agent of the Heavens went back to report that the minuscule mouse was the most powerful being in all of Creation.

Think about different styles and different arts in this way. Obviously, there are plenty of creatures more powerful than the mouse, and yet the mouse can bring down some of the greatest beings in existence. If we followed the circle, it would end up back at the elephant. For every art, there is another art and another situation in which it will be defeated.
Because of this, there is no best art, only an art that is best for a particular person in a particular situation.

[Shirindo]

Fantastic analogy!!

Every art in existence, so far as I'm aware, will always have a weakness that can be exploited by another.

Are we here to find the perfect martial art or are we here to use martial arts to try and perfect ourselves?

[chokdee]

hmm very good story.
muay thai= best

[disgruntled]

not that this is the point of the story................. but i did my undergrad at the university of lethbridge which is built in two hills (coulees). but every year the university falls down the hills a little because prairie dogs have made so many tunels under the university. i just find that funny...

but over all very good story and the TRUE point was not lost on me..... even though we all know that i am the strongest thing in all of creation

[sirdarksol]

Your pride may be strong, disgruntled, but your humility is weak.

[eYoon]

pffft... storms can wear down mountains by erosion!!!

[sirdarksol]

You were probably the kid that the librarian taped to the chair with a sock in the mouth during story time, weren't you.

[eYoon]

Originally Posted by sirdarksol

You were probably the kid that the librarian taped to the chair with a sock in the mouth during story time, weren't you.

nope but i'm sure they would've wanted to.... hahahaha