Depth

Depth is something that is unique and ever-changing. Just because we view something at a certain depth at one point in time, doesn't mean that we will always view it as such.

This is true with poetry, art, movies, and with our own hobbies. We can grow fond of a certain hobby and over time either lose interest or not view it at the same level of importance.

One of my favorite things about depth is that it's a journey of personal discovery. No one can tell you what something means to you, you have to discover that for yourself. If you lose the level of excitement or depth that you once had for something, you might start to ponder why.

This leads to questions of change, if too much time has elapsed between you and that hobby. For example, if you used to play pool everyday for a month and you stopped playing and you go back to it after months, you might not have the same enthusiasm due to the time lapse. Once you start to play, you could either gain the enthusiasm back, or lose all interest entirely.

That's just one of the examples I could think of. Personally, I practice Ninjitsu and I find it being one of my favorite hobbies. I used to practice when I was younger, but because of my issues with my father, I felt myself turn into him. I felt like I needed to distance myself. Now when I practice I feel more free than I used to, most likely to the fact that I train by myself.

Martial Arts is a very meaningful and deep hobby (to me) because it deals with emotional as well as physical balance. While you are perfecting your balance and strikes, you also have to be aware of your own emotional vulnerabilities. I do not have a sparring partner unfortunately, while I would love one, I believe that I have only acquired the white belt in official training.

Back when I visited my father for the summers, he took me to those classes. I quit due to my feelings of rebellion. Starting it back up, home training, everything started to come back to me so I don't know how my partner would react to that. They would most likely be less advanced than me (not saying that in a cocky way) I'm saying it in a way that I'm not sure what to expect from them.

It's kind of stupid, but the game Knights Of The Old Republic: The Sith Lords is one of my favorite games. It talks about a fictional version of unarmed martial art called "Echani." One of the characters that you meet in your journey, Handmaiden talks about how you cannot truly know what lies in someones heart without battling them. She is one of the most well trained Echani characters and a force to be reckoned with.

I hold that game close to my heart because I believe Handmaiden's view without a doubt to be true. When you spar with someone you discover their own tactics such as their footwork, their strikes, and overall aggression. These components in the art are essential for telling how your partner feels about you because if they are more aggressive in their style, it could mean that they either feel overly intimidated by you, or that they are bringing personal issues into it.

It's essential to be on the same level with your partner(s) because if there is any discrepancy between you both, it could lead to one of you hurting the other or an emotional wall between you. Sparring is intimate whether or not you like it because it's like dancing. You both learn from the other and with each session, you gain more information and if you both continue to be on the same page, sparring is a more intimate form of communication.