Action Is the Self Engaging With the Environment (Patreon)

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò explains why you should do a thing more than be a thing

Lots of people lately are talking about being a thing more than doing a thing. In the past two days alone, I've seen at least a dozen posts like, "Here I am, world! Here is my political identity. Join me! And people I don't like, I'm gonna reduce you to an identity, too!"

It's no surprise that a fellow martial artist and friend, Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò, makes the case in "Donald Trump and His Allies Don't Really Care What Kind of Leftist You Are" to not prioritize being a thing over doing a thing. In a fight, all that counts is actions, not how you saw yourself or how you saw others. Build and wield power, and don't confuse the power of hegemony with the power to fight back.

Olúfẹ́mi trained with us for a week at the LMA Learning Lab, and his analysis is very similar to LMA's external focus on doing rather than focusing on the self and overinflating your sense of self or ego. Action is the self engaging with the environment.

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(I write daily about martial arts and other topics from a liberatory perspective. If you like my work, please support me on Patreon or Substack, or make a one-time donation on Ko-fi. Find Southpaw at its website. Get the swag on Spring. Also check out Liberation Martial Arts Online.)