Willingness to Take / by Alexander Lyadov

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Which is more important, the art of healing or immunity? Means of salvation or survival instinct? The accessibility of food or the availability of hunger? These are not abstract questions — they help to prioritize life.

American Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) coach John Danaher never competed and never was a champion, but he became famous through his work with the MMA fighter Georges St-Pierre and his students’ outstanding success. Despite their youth, they were methodically "ripping" the best fighters in the world.

John has recently released a series of online training courses that have revolutionized BJJ and raised the paradigm of the sport to new heights. Every minute of his video tutorials is packed with wisdom that cannot be found elsewhere. John also generously shares his secrets through free videos and posts.

So I was surprised to find sparks of dissatisfaction with John's "academic" style of presentation and "excessive" terminology in the reviews of John's online courses on the forums. There was a time when John was a postgraduate student in philosophy at Columbia University, and at night he worked as a nightclub bouncer. Probably this paradoxical combination of interests allowed John to rethink fundamentally and enrich this sport.

But some consumers are still not happy. It's not enough for them to get a well-cooked, juicy steak. From John they demand its careful chewing up, dissolving in enzymes and, to the sound of a charming harp, injecting the nutritious mixture right into their esophagus. They want to gain knowledge without any effort.

They want to gain knowledge without any effort.

How different it is from the old parable about a young man praying to a martial artist to take him as a pupil! The master refuses three times, but the pupil returns again. Finally, the master allows him to observe classes while doing the dirty work of cleaning the dojo. The pupil eventually becomes his best student, glorifying the master and the martial art.

Of course, the world is full of changes. But some things remain the same. You can't pour water into a full cup. There is no learning without curiosity. There is no recovery without immunity. Only a hungry person will benefit from food. Only the one who is hungry to live can be saved.

People are ready to help you by willingly sharing their experience and knowledge. Much more important, however, is your willingness to take.

Much more important, however, is your willingness to take.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander


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