Question 118: Horizontal v. Vertical fist

Even if every boxer in the world used vertical punches in the 1800’s, it still does not mean much. You and I were taught that there were nine planets, Pluto being the smallest. That was the consensus of the experts in astronomy for decades. Now we are told that there are only eight planets, and that, while Pluto exists, it not really a planet. So, is Pluto is still a planet because science books of years past say it is, or do we accept the science of today. If you look around the world today, people are doing all sorts of stupid things and believing all kinds of weird, illogical, and unreasonable things, just because everyone else is doing it or because some “expert” said it was the right thing to believe. People either want to fit in or be different; there is little original thought. Most people are sheep and regrettably, there are few shepherds to protect them from wolves or themselves.When people try to rationalize their beliefs, they tend to pick and choose what they feel supports their beliefs and reject anything that does not support their beliefs. Police investigators search for and present facts, no matter if they help the prosecution, or the defense. When analyzing any martial art’s way of doing things, we should look at all the facts, ones that prove the martial art’s contentions as well as those that disprove them, and then draw conclusions based upon the gathered facts and current science, not just believe what some proponent of the martial art says.