Martial Arts and Organizing

Martial arts demand a lot. So does organizing. You can't say "no" for people or decide what they are or aren't capable of. You can't decide they aren't capable of study or doing something new for the first time. You have to give them the chance to do that.

Growth and a willingness to adapt are essential to community building and support. In martial arts, students train and learn together, forming bonds and support systems. Is organizing any different?

However, martial arts also have instructors who essentialize and assume certain students are not capable of advancing. Is organizing any different?

We should encourage growth rather than assume participants want to shrink. It's not ableist, classist, or bigoted to encourage, but it is all those things when you believe people are incapable of more.

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