Purpose, Mission and Intention

I am a member of a society (the one hundred) that lifts our collective purpose to a new level of mission, purpose, and intention. I am no longer operating in the box of what martial arts training/instruction/schools used to be, what we/they did in the 70′s, 80′s, 90′s, etc.

We are returning to the center. We are re-defining my role in society –for the purpose of increasing our actual value to it. We are not a Curves. We are not a laundry. We are not a “business” in the traditional sense. We are martial arts master teachers in training; we serve our community, uniquely, as warriors for something different, smart, wholesome, and PREVENTIVE.

We serve as role models for an elevated form of thinking –and an elevated, mindful form of living.

We are banding together in a way that has never been done in the martial arts world, never could have been done before now. We are looking at the world’s problems and determining that we can play a more important role in creating solutions.

The young people who come up in our schools are going to be exposed to ideas –ideas about what this training is for —ideas about how to use the martial arts —ideas about how to take what they practice so hard on the mat –and apply it all to real issues in the real world.

We will battle obesity –and the root causes of it. We will battle prejudice, sexism, and other forms of fear and ignorance. Our students will understand the value of small things to make big differences. In this way each of us becomes a Kano, a Ueshiba, a Funakoshi, and a “Great Teacher.”

Now we can turn to martial artists who are starting to represent the human spirit, the spirit of hope, the spirit of change for the better —now I can say, “Do you want to see the best-of-the-best of what the martial arts produces? Look to these men and women, they’re “living it.”

We will embrace peace education like we would a bid to win the world championships. Immerse ourselves in wisdom, surround ourselves with wise people, with Mandela, with King, with people who work for the greater good. Then when someone calls us “Master,” it will be because we are a student of the true masters of humanity.

We won’t have to put a “Master” patch on our uniform –as our life’s work and simplicity with which we live will demonstrate that we have, indeed, learned something from our years of study and practice.

The one hundred was formed not to “teach business,” but to serve as an example of exactly what we hope the martial arts world could become. It is our time.

I, for one, am very excited about what we stand to accomplish –and what we represent.



If you have any questions about martial arts in Mount Laurel NJ, please contact me personally at 856-278-5282 or visit Martial Arts for Adults & Children in Mount Laurel

Thank you for reading my blog.

Peter Liciaga