Don Quixote

Many martial art masters are similar to Don Quixote. They remember their past, but, as more and more years have passed, their remembrances have become distorted, usually in their favor. They do not purposefully lie; it is just that they, like most of us, only remember what they want to remember, and they usually only remember things the way they wish they had happened.

Just as martial art masters may be compared to Don Quixote, the followers of the masters may be compared to Sancho Panza. They are loyal to their masters, believe everything their master’s say, follow their masters’ teachings, and consciously or unconsciously aid their masters’ distorted, delusional thoughts.

Regrettably, the masters do not parallel Don Quixote’s life to the end. Instead of confessing their follies on their deathbeds, they go to their death still believing their delusional pasts. And, even more regrettable, is that since there were no confessions of the delusions, the followers of these masters continue to promulgate the delusions to their own students. Then, at some point during their martial arts careers, they begin to have their own delusions and their own Sanchos.