Practicum One: Loyalty

Kellen Fujimoto

My first practicum was on Loyalty to my friends. I spent the week doing three main things as a way to further my knowledge: I paid special attention to my close friends, kept a daily private journal of where I practiced Loyalty that day, and I contemplated what Loyalty means to me every night for 10 minutes before I went to sleep. Through doing these three things, I gained a further sense of what Loyalty means to me, and what influence it has on my life.

The first aspect of my practicum, paying special attention to my close friends, played out as me spending more time with several of them, and if I didn't do that, making sure that they were doing well and having a nice conversation with them. While this is what I do on a day-to-day basis, I rarely do so consciously. Some of my conversations took place over the phone, which I've only done several times in my life and I don't think I'll continue in the future. During the week, I also made a concentrated effort to take care of my body, so that I could be more fully present for my friends. There were also times where I got angry at my friends, and I made the decision to handle the situation in a more compassionate way than I usually would. I do not think that I will deliberately change anything about how I life my life as a result of this week. I am satisfied and proud of the kind of friend that I am right now, and if anything about how I interact with my friends changes, it will not be deliberate.

I found it difficult to keep a journal of what I did involving Loyalty, because I wasn't in the habit of doing so. I will not be sharing the entries that I wrote down, as they all involve privileged topics. Common themes in them were about spending time with friends, walking them through situations where they didn't know what to do, and understanding when they weren't at their best. I suppose keeping a daily journal would be a good idea, not to reflect on Loyalty only, but to process this point in my life, which is at times stressful and difficult to deal with. Through the journal that I kept for this week, I realized how important my friends are to my life. Nearly every waking moment I am interacting with at least one of my friends, often several at a time. Another thing I've noticed is that I'm always thinking about my friends, they're always what I put first. While I knew before this week that I valued my friends immensely, I have come to the realization that I can't be content unless I have some form of contact with the people that I care the most about.

In my nightly reflections, what I accomplished was to develop a deeper understanding of what Loyalty means to me. During the course of my reflections, I found that Loyalty for me can be broken down into three distinct parts that stem from this principle: Caring, Integrity, and Respect. These three are all intertwined: combining Integrity and Respect leads to Caring, Caring and Respect to Integrity, and Caring with Integrity to Respect. They are united under the underlying principle of Loyalty, and for me it cannot exist without these three essential components. While I already practice these things on a very high level with my friends, I do feel I can sustain this “higher level” of Loyalty to my friends.

This week was a wonderful experience for me. I feel that I got the opportunity to explore this idea fuller and flesh-out what it really means to me. This week also gave me the experience of what my life would be like if I operated at an optimal level of Loyalty all the time, which I will strive to sustain in my everyday life. I find practicing it a very fulfilling personal experience, and I strongly believe that it makes my friend's lives better. The greatest gift that this week has given to me is clarity on what exactly this idea means to me. It has always been difficult for me to put my deepest concepts into words that adequately describe them, which is why I love to write about my beliefs so much. Being able to put words to what it means to be Loyal gives me a better way to practice it in my own life, which makes my world a better place to live in, that is what I believe.

First Text Study

I chose to do my first text study on the Tao Te Ching, an ancient text of the Taoist philosophy. The Tao relates to three core beliefs that I have: the ineffectiveness of words, Parkour, and being responsible for more than just myself. The Tao is where I first encountered the idea that words don't mean as much as society thinks, and this belief of mine traces back to reading about it there. In studying this text for my inquiry, I discovered that there are many aspects about Taoism and Parkour that are similar. Putting the interest of something greater than yourself is a common theme in the Tao, and is similar to my value of Loyalty.

The idea of words not having as much power as we think they do is an underlying theme in the Tao. The first two lines of the whole book read: “The Tao that can be told / is not the eternal Tao.” Chapter two talks more about labels, “When people see some things as good, / other things become bad” “Long and short define each other.” This has profound meaning to me, describing “good” and “bad” as a spectrum gets at the core of my belief of the ineffectiveness of labels. Chapter 11 describes how the some of the things we label (pots, houses) aren't actually what we use. In 33 it talks about labeling other people meaning only what they are in comparison to something else. Chapter 81 ends the book with how complex words and phrases aren't as true as simpler ways of saying the same thing, as complexity can cause confusion.

There are several chapters in the Tao that relate to Parkour philosophy. Chapter 30 talks about accepting what you can't change and changing the only thing you can control: yourself. This is exactly like Parkour's philosophy of overcoming any kind of obstacle. Chapter 68 speaks to friendly non-competition, an idea of competing without worrying about what the other people do.

Acting in the interest of others instead of one's self is described is the Tao Te Ching as humility, which makes sense to me. Chapters 30, 61, 79, and 80 talk about this in great detail. A great metaphor that the Tao uses is that of water, it is content with being lower than others, and moves that way as a matter of course, without second thoughts or doubt about it's worth.

I often use the Tao as a guide for my life, because it is so similar to my own beliefs. The one problem I have with it is it's indifference. I believe that passion and caring is an important part of life, and the Tao's disagreement with me, while having the same outcome, is disconcerting.

1st Credo Interview: Cody Allison

For my first credo interview, I chose to interview Cody Allison, a person that I met through Parkour about a year ago. We had to reschedule several times, but we finally were able to meet one Sunday morning at his house in North Seattle. Cody is a 30 year-old man who grew up in California, and has lived in various cities around the country, including New Orleans and Denver. After high school, he joined the Army and served for 2 years, he attributes the Army for giving him many of his core values and beliefs.

Cody considers his life to have started when he joined the Army, before that he was simply in school, but had no sense of purpose. During basic training, the Army strips away your identity and replaces it with what they want you to be. When the Army tried to do this to Cody, he realized that there was a part of him that was his identity, and he refused to let go of it, in spite of all the Army made him go through. Since then, he has often expressed himself through writing quotes and narratives inspired by his own experiences. He told a story about the first time he put pen to paper and wrote his first quote: He was in basic training, and bought candy from another unit. Candy is banned in the first several weeks of boot camp, so he and the rest of his unit who had bought the contraband hid it in their barracks. The drill sergeants, having seen this happen countless times before, found it and asked who had bought the candy. Cody and several others admitted to doing it, and because of that Cody lost the opportunity to be squad leader. Several days later, he wrote “The greatest torture a man can endure is that which he gives himself,” he was very disappointed with his actions, and vowed to do better from then on. Since then his ruling core value has been that of selfless service: he always operates with other's interests at heart.

Shortly after Cody left the military, he discovered another defining part of his beliefs: the Tao Te Ching. What he likes so much about the Tao is how simple it is; because the Tao is as simple as it is, it requires the interpreter to read with thought, and to reflect on what the words actually mean. Like me, he believes that words are limited in their meaning, and the intent behind them are far more important than the words themselves. One of Cody's favorite quotes is from Gandhi: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” This runs to the core of Cody's personal beliefs: the belief of simply being, and letting the rest of the world perceive him how they wish. Cody believes that there is no excuse for passively wishing for what you want. On the surface, this would seem to conflict with the Tao, but they are reconciled by how the he doesn't interpret the Tao as being about passivity, but being truly ones self and letting others perceive how they will. This falls exactly in line with Gandhi's call for acting upon your beliefs.

Cody started training Parkour when he moved to Seattle, about a year ago. Since then, he has become a major force in the development of the Washington Parkour community. Cody contact juggles and spins poi in addition to Parkour, he describes them as different forms of dance. He feels so passionately about Parkour because he sees it giving traceurs the same benefits that he gained in the military. They gain discipline, self-motivation, and a sense of identity, of self-worth and awareness.

Cody believes in helping others above all else. He doesn't discriminate who he helps, everybody is family for him. His Good Samaritan nature is rooted in his service with the Army, where he learned to act for the good of the group, instead of his own personal gain. He told me that this is his ultimate value: selfless service. Whenever he is involved in something for the sole intent of his personal gain or enjoyment, it ends up not working out in the way he intended. Cody is proud of his life so far and especially how many people he has helped because of this belief.

While many of Cody's core values align with my own, none of them ring as true as his belief in selfless service. This falls almost exactly in line with my belief in loyalty to my friends. I have thought a lot of what I really mean when I say that loyalty is important to me, and considered what Cody had to say, and selfless service falls on the other side of me on that spectrum of self-interest from what I feel most of the world believes. I think that I apply my brand of 'selfless service' to my friends, those that I choose to associate with.

I look up to Cody as a role model, somebody I aspire to be like when I am older. We share the basic values of caring for our friends, discipline, movement, self-improvement, respect, and presence. To me this interview was like talking to myself a decade into the future, which combined with the awkwardness of having never interviewed somebody before to make this whole experience a very bizarre, and rewarding, one. The more I talk with him, the more I realize how similar we truly are.

action plan and reflection, week ending 11/18

Reflection:

What I completed:

• I made a detailed schedule with what I need to complete for my project to happen, as well as outlining a plan for me to stay on track. I have not posted this yet, I will decide on a distribution method and post the calendar this week.


• I interviewed Cody Allison as my first credo interview, and it went well. More on this by Monday.


• I chose 11 chapters from the Tao Te Ching to use as my first text study (I chose chapters ch 1, 2, 11, 30, 33, 53, 61, 68, 79, 80, and 81, for those of you playing along at home.)

What I did not complete:

• I did not follow up with Shannon, she has pneumonia and I did not want to bother her when she was ill. Nevertheless, I did not do what I said I was going to do, so it goes here.


• I did not apply for a passport with Shannon.

This week:

Actions I will take for my senior project:

• I will have $200 put towards my trip by Monday, November 17th


• I will e-mail Tyson about possible PNWPA funding for my trip


• I will talk with Andy about what I will need to do to ask the PSCS community for possible donations of airline rewards miles


• I will follow-up with Tyson on Friday, November 14th regarding the PNWPA funding possibility

Actions I will take for my credo:

• I will transcribe my interview with Cody


• I will write my report on my first credo interview and post it to my blog by Monday, November 17th at 12:20 PM

Other actions I will take:

• I will work at least 10 hours on Scobie's website before Monday, November 17th

action plan and reflection, week ending 11/4

Reflection

What I completed

• I applied for a job at Barnes & Noble


• I talked with Shannon about sponsoring me:
  
  
  
  • She said that she'd be willing to sponsor my passport and walk me through that process
  
  
  • She also said that she would consider helping me further financially, and that she would get back to me by the end of the week. I have not heard from her
  
  


• I talked with Cody and scheduled my interview with him for Saturday the 8th


• I visited STA travel services in the University District and they told me that the ballpark figure for the plane tickets would be $800, I edited my project proposal accordingly to match these figures


• I submitted my project proposal by the deadline

What I did not complete

• I completed everything on my list that I committed to finishing, though in retrospect I believe that I should have called Shannon when she did not call me

This week

Actions I will take for my senior project

• I will follow up with Shannon about further sponsorship and schedule a time this week where we can apply for my passport


• I will write a detailed plan for my senior project, which will include:
  
  
  
  • Specific deadlines so I can keep on pace for my trip to London
  
  
  • When I will switch to staying in the US for my trip
  
  
  
  


• I will turn in my passport application

Actions I will take for my credo

• I will interview Cody for my interview


• I will pick the chapters (I estimate between 5 and 10) from the Tao Te Ching that I will be using as my first text study

Project Proposal

1.What personal passion does this project advance? What is your experience with that passion?

My senior project advances my passion for Parkour. I have been an active traceur in the Seattle area for 2 years (starting October 2006) during which time I have learned the basic aspects of the discipline: how to utilize the basic movements that are used as building blocks of how beginning traceurs overcome obstacles, how to see potential routes should I need to use the movements that I've learned, the basic history of Parkour, and studying the underlying philosophy that serves as a guide to traceurs.

I have also been teaching Parkour for 8 months. I first started sharing my knowledge with fellow PSCS community members, through a class that I offered for the final schedule of the '07-'08 school year. Through teaching I gained a further understanding of the discipline, by explaining how and why traceurs move I had the opportunity to analyze my own body and how I personally learned so much about how to move in an efficient manner. Beginning this summer, I started a teaching apprenticeship at Northwest Crossfit, where I learned how to teach in a more constructive and practical way. The Crossfit classes taught me a specific structure of teaching Parkour that further increased my love for how intricate and elegant Parkour is beneath its spectacular surface.

2.How does this project challenge you? What risks will you take in completing this project? What will be your biggest obstacle and how will you overcome it?

In spite of all my skill, I have much more to gain from Parkour. While I have mastered the basic movements, the essence of Parkour isn't really about that. The movement that is “Parkour” is moving in the most efficient way from one place to another, specific moves that are taught will never be used in the exact same way twice, and are adapted to the present circumstances. This project will challenge me to improvise movements to obstacles that I have never experienced before, and that has been one the greatest obstacles that Parkour has presented to me so far.

Physical fitness will also be a challenge for me. The traceurs that I will be training with and learning from in Europe are among the most advanced in the world. As a result of this, the level of strength, endurance, balance, body control, and courage needed to simply keep up with them is far higher than what I am currently at.

The greatest obstacle that will challenge me during the project will be the logistics of coordinating a trip of this scope, something that I am in no way familiar with. The specific challenges are threefold: obtaining funds sufficient to afford my expenses, making contact with the traceurs that I wish to train with, and making sure that what else I need to complete before the trip happens when it needs to. The cost of the trip will exceed $1200; $800 of which I will need by December 15, the latest date which I will be able to reliably book an affordable airline ticket. I will overcome this obstacle by starting work at a part-time job, building web sites, and asking for support from my family.

The traceurs that I wish to include in my project are the owners of Parkour Generations. As owners of one of the largest Parkour organizations in the world, they are extremely busy people, and convincing them to take significant time out of their packed schedules to participate in my project will be a large challenge. To overcome this, I will e-mail Dan Edwardes of Parkour Generations to ask him to help me with my project and to organize the other owners who are interested. As the first trip I've taken to Europe, not to mention on my own, there are many aspects of this project that I do not know of. Nic and the rest of the staff, as well as Shannon, my grandmother, have been a great resource by offering their experience and knowledge to help me make this trip happen.

To further help me meet these challenges, Nic and I meet once a week and go over the things I should do in the coming week. To add more structure to this, Nic has made a sheet where I write down what I am committing to do during that week, and we review how I did at our next meeting. In order to help ensure I follow through on these list, I will be posting them on my blog and will update individual items as I complete them, as well as making note of what objectives I did not follow through on during the previous week.

3.What resources (skills, knowledge, contacts, materials, money, etc.) do you already have that will be useful in completing the project? What resources will you need? How will you get them?

My knowledge of basic Parkour movements, philosophy, and history is a basic and necessary resource. I have a computer with sufficient software to edit photos and video for my presentation of the project. I also have the ability to obtain free software that will do the tasks I need them to if what I currently have isn't enough.

There are many resources I need. The most significant one is the money to fund this trip, which I outlined above. When I make contact with Parkour Generations, I will need them to help me find good places to train in London, as well as the etiquette around training there (for example: what the attitude of the police is towards traceurs). I will also need interviewees, which I will have when I have a contact at Parkour Generations. My grandmother has agreed to help me with obtaining a passport, which includes researching exactly what I need in terms of identification, as well as sponsoring the passport. She is also looking into where I can find cheap lodging in London. I am currently using a clunky camera, which I can use to document my trip, but if I can I would benefit from having a slimmer one that I can fit into my pocket.

4.What will your final result be? How will you measure and evaluate your results?

My final result will be a short video documenting my trip that shows me training in locations throughout London as well as excerpts of interviews with veteran traceurs, a portfolio of photos of me training in London, and a blog that I will update throughout my trip.

I will measure my results by where I end up doing my senior project. I will evaluate it in this way: the ideal result for my project will be for me to travel to London for the duration of the trip, the next best will be for me to travel to Washington, D.C. to meet, train with, and interview members of The Tribe, the least best will be for me to document my training and progression in Washington and Oregon, and interview traceurs in the area.

5.How will you document your progress in completing this project?

I will maintain a blog (separate from my senior blog) from November 3rd to the student showcase documenting the progression of my project; including the lists of weekly objectives that I will also be posting on my senior blog as well, my thoughts on how the project is going so far, and my daily activities during my trip. I will preserve all e-mails, notes from meetings, and other documentation of my activities leading up to and during my trip. I will keep and organize all photos and video of my project.

6.How will you present your completed project to the community?

I will set up a laptop at the student showcase with my video, photos, and blog available on the machine for viewing.

Senior Project: Initial Idea

I will use my senior project as an opportunity to further my passion for Parkour. I will do this by traveling to Europe for two weeks in February, specifically London and probably Lisses, France.

Initial Credo

I believe that all actions are defined by the labels that we give them, and that all things are relative to one another. These beliefs are rooted in the teachings of the Tao Te Ching, a philosophical text written by Lau Tzu of ancient China. I believe that, in the grand scope of things, nothing has any real need to be called 'good,' 'bad,' or any other label, because that description is only true in relation to some other object. Naming things is a way to describe what has happened, but is never really true, by it's very nature. As a result of this, I believe that actions are actions, and how I choose to view them is entirely decided by me, and has no real bearing on what factually took place. I believe that actions speak far louder than any words; and that conscious, supportive presence is far more valuable than anything one can say.

I believe in loyalty to my friends. I believe that my friends, both platonic and romantic, deserve my absolute trust and respect. I will do anything for one of my friends, I will make any sacrifice if I feel that one of my friends is in need. I look at my friends as more important than me in many respects; I will break curfew to make sure that they get home safely, risk my employment to offer my support, cause tension between myself and my own family to make sure that they feel safe. This sense of loyalty to my friends is one that I am extremely proud of; and, I believe, one of my greatest strengths as a person.

I believe in movement. I believe that movement is the natural way that I express myself. Even when I am still, I am always envisioning how I would move through my environment. The introduction of Parkour to me was essential in my development as a healthy adult. Parkour has shown me an elegant, conscious, precise, disciplined and pure way to view the world and interact with it. When I train Parkour, I gain a clarity of mind, and am able to process complex intellectual thoughts with the same ease that I experience when overcoming a tangible obstacle.

This is what I believe.

First text study idea

I think I'm going to use a chapter from the Tao Te Ching as a text study. I've been fascinated by Taoist philosophy for years and have consciously used the ideas from this text to make decisions in my life, as well as contemplating it from and entirely intellectual standpoint.

More to follow as I consider which chapter (or theme across chapters) to study.

First post

homework for September 24th: complete!