No. I don’t mean the song but instead, how to avoid being noticed in a crowd. Ever notice that some people seem to dress not for success (like in the book) but instead to stick out of the crowd as far as possible and to be noticed? If not then you need to go talk to Sensei about working on your zanshin (awareness in all directions) and learn situational awareness.
When in crowds (shopping at the mall or in a sports bar) or large groups of people (like a football game or a concert) “sticking out” and being so noticeable that no one can “not” see you may not be the great idea of the day. Pickpockets, small groups of miscreant troublemakers, the random “two drunk guys with a bad attitude” tend to look for someone that is easily seen and noticed, who catches their attention, and who is not just blending in with everyone else. Blending in could and should be looked upon as a form of military or warrior camouflage, such as blending into the background like an antelope trying to avoid being seen by the cougar.
When I started martial arts in 1969 it was with a fresh-faced innocence and a totally open mind. Like most of my generation, I had been raised on Bruce Lee in the tv series “Green Hornet” (“Hey Kato, get the car!”) along with steady doses of The Pink Panther who had his own Kato for comic relief (“NoooooOOO Kato, Not Now!), and David Carradine in the tv series “Kung Fu” (“When you can take the pebble……”) so bottom line, I wanted to be like them and as a real "newbie" white belt, all excited and such, I wanted to share my excitement and maybe a little of that pride the new guys sometimes have. After lessons from Sensei and other very senior ranks I reconsidered and tried to learn from my elders. Concepts such as humility, avoiding problems, staying in the background and not having long, loud discussions with belligerents arguing about what will and won't work on the street began to make a lot more sense than they did my first month in the dojo.
I liked the ideas of humility and avoiding unnecessary issues and in my mind the whole idea of “blending in” fit those ideas. Then one day Sensei made some conversation about the idea of not sticking out and attracting problems just based on how you look, and he gave us some ideas of what that means in the practical sense. Such ideas included:
Our mental attitude. That is, watch and notice others but don’t stare. Many people who are insecure, who have overly prideful attitudes, or feel like they must defend themselves in front of their peer group, may take offense at being stared at and just might walk over to mention that to you in a rude and direct fashion. Be "not there" and don’t push-out your emotions. Act like an experienced senior martial artist by thinking and acting like you are a ghost they can't see.
Not telling people that you train in martial arts. To this day none of my clients or neighbors know my training, my rank, or that I own and run a dojo. They don't need to know so it avoids a lot of unnecessary conversation.
The physical appearance can attract the unwanted. Wear clothes that fit the season or the occasion and that don’t blatantly portray wealth. The wife of a former client that I worked with years ago almost had her hand chopped off. She was fond of wearing some real “bling” on all ten fingers and loved the gaudy diamond rings her husband bought her. One day she was accosted by two men who demanded all her jewelry and when she couldn’t get all the rings off they threatened to literally cut off her hand. She finally took off skin as she jerked the rings off so today luckily, she can still hold a cold beer in one hand and a cigar in the other.
Consider how you advertise your personal interests and activities. There is a meme out there in “Social Media Land” that has one picture of a guy wearing a shirt that is plain and without any verbiage or pictures and the caption reads, “MMA/BJJ Black Belt”. The second picture shows a guy wearing a t-shirt that has pictures of men fighting and the shirt says, “Tap Out or Break” and the caption under that one reads, “MMA/BJJ White Belt”. The captions show the difference between a beginner and an experienced player and additionally shows how to avoid that stranger walking up and saying, “So you think you’re tough?” and, it also shows the classic idea of public humility and not advertising what you know or do.
Many people don’t think about their vehicle. While following political campaigns may be a fun leisure activity, bumper stickers are only guaranteed to insult and infuriate half the population of the universe. During the last election for POTUS half the country voted for one candidate and the other voted for the other (candidate). So bottom line, no matter who your bumper sticker supports, you are just about guaranteed to offend half of the people who walk by your parked car or pass in traffic. Can you say “Road Rage” or "loud discussion in the parking lot"?
So, think about camo whether that camo is outward (clothing, jewelry, transportation) or inward (mental attitude, words, actions). It just might make you “invisible” enough to avoid that potential problem that is walking around out there looking for someone to go off on like a bomb.
L.F. Wilkinson Kancho
The Aikibudokan
Houston, TX
August 20, 2019