Okay, okay, I have learned enough!

Many, many years ago in Japan, there lived a gentleman who had a small son. The son was very bright but tended to be a bit arrogant.

One day, the father approached the son and said, “We have a very important guest coming over to dinner tonight. His family name is “Man” (meaning ten thousand in Japanese). I would like to teach you how to write Man-san’s name so you can present him with a scroll welcoming him by name.”

The son said, “Very well Father, teach me to write numbers.”

So the father began with the number one, which is written like this: 一

Then the number two: ニ

Then the number three: 三

At this point, the son said, “Okay Father, I have learned enough!”

The father shook his head but thought that this would be a good lesson for his son to learn, so he gave him a brush and ink, and a ream of new paper, and left him to do his work.

Mr. Man came to the house and was escorted in. The father chatted with him while waiting for the son, but the son never showed up.

Dinner was served and still the son never showed up.

The father and Mr. Man had dessert and tea, and the son was still absent.

The father excused himself and went to look for his son.

He found the son busily writing with the brush, sweating like a pig, and ink spots showing everywhere, on the paper, on his clothes and on his face.

The father said, “Where is the scroll with Man-san’s name on it? We have been waiting for you to come in and show us.”

The son said, “Father, do you know how long it takes to draw 10,000 lines? I have already run out of paper once and had to tell the servant to bring me more. I will come out with the scroll as soon as I have finished!”

All around the room, were sheets of paper with lines drawn on them. The father figured that the son was about half-way finished.

In fact, “man” ( 万 ) is written with just three strokes.

This is the story I often tell when people in the martial arts claim to be experts, or others claim that so-and-so is an expert. They know a little, sometimes about only one art, and yet they are experts.

I also say, “I don’t like using the word “expert”. “Ex” means “former, and a “spurt” is a drip under pressure.

I’m not always known for being tactful.

But I was able to hold my tongue when a family friend asked me, "Say, you're in krate, right?" (she pronounced in ka-rotty). Then she told me her 12-year old nephew had just received his third degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. She added that he and I should get together to chat, because we have so much in common.

I’ll leave you all to decide for yourselves, what I was probably thinking. But the smile never left my face.