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 Why do I want a Black Belt?

     This is a question that Sifu Brinker asked me during our one on one, and it's a question that I didn't really have an answer for. It's something that I have never really thought about. It is similar to the question "What has Kung Fu done for you?". I joined Kung Fu right before I turned three years old, so I've never had a life without Kung Fu. I haven't had the experiences someone would have without the mental part of Kung Fu, so whenever that question gets asked, all I can say is "I don't know." That's the main reason why I can't answer someone when they ask me why I want a Black Belt, because I don't truly know what Kung Fu has done for me. Around 5-10 years ago, to me the difference between a Black Belt and a non-Black belt was that the Black Belt was the Instructor, and the non-Black belt was the student. That's what I thought the difference was, so if you asked me the same question back then, I would've said that I wanted a Black Belt because I wanted to teach others. I now see that being an instructor isn't the line between Black Belts and Que Belts. The line isn't as much physical as it is mental (although it is still pretty physical). It's more of a next step in your journey in Kung Fu that can lead you wherever you want it to.

That's my answer to the question. I want a Black Belt because it is the next step in my Kung Fu journey.