When I moved to Vegas, I attended to the Lohan School of Shaolin for almost a year until my daughter arrived to fundamentally rearrange our lives.
I was primarily studying Tai Chi, but I got to know the Kung Fu guys, even dabbling a bit in sparring.
A couple years ago, I slid into a YouTube rabbit hole and came across several videos that included the Arhats. I had watched their earlier work when they were starting up, and it was impressive to see their progression.
This is the path of Kung Fu (功夫) — to work hard and maybe (or not) succeed.
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It’s odd watching a video when you know the stunt actors. The dramatic actors are naturally the focus of the film but one’s eye is immediately drawn to the individuals that you know. So I’m rooting for those guys as they get slaughtered by the protagonists. Unsettling.
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Even though the short only has two actors, the behind the scenes video shows a large team is involved throughout the process. Normally, my mind quietly ignores the background crew, but you can’t when you’re personally acquainted with each person. It’s a good reminder of the massive effort behind each of these productions that are indiscriminately published on YouTube.
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As I finally publish this post, things are a bit quiet on the social media front, but I ran into one of the Lohan teachers and was told things are going well. The films are flashy, but the foundation is the school and the temple. Everything comes from training the mind, heart, and body.