AMERICAN GOJU FAMILY

This letter is to all whom it concerns
USA GOJU, NISEI GOJU, KANZEN GOJU,
CHINEESE GOJU, SANSEI GOJU


The Art and the Organization above the Artist

For a tree to proliferate the branches must grow to gather nutrients for the trunk. There are no favorite branches and all are loved, all are part of the living tree. Some branches will survive the winter, some the rain, some will bend with the wind and some will break. Some of the branches will plant seeds. All are needed and are viewed as part of the one, part of the Toa, the natural order of life. It is within this natural order of life that all things must follow, and we as USA Goju-Ryu lineage must learn to work together one way or another.

We will use the following analogy as a beginning point, as an understanding of our Karate, our discipline, or family united by thought and technique. In this scenario the family of USA Goju-Ryu began in the mind of its founder in the United States, with the thought of giving us the opportunity to express ourselves in movement in the further development of the intrinsic and extrinsic way of the hard and soft. He was a pioneer in the way of modern combat systems. Understanding that the roots and the trunk of this tree are the foundation in the developing of modern Goju-Ryu Karate in America and the brotherhood to which they belong. All branches which have developed throughout the years and all its practitioners, thereafter, owe our birth to Sensei Peter Urban.
Some would recognize that many of the systems of Karate are the absolute true system or the predominant way of thought in a particular style, however, the strength within this art form known as Goju-Ryu is in its diversity, its modernization, and its adversity. It’s the principle of dualistic reality, in simple terms all systems must exist and coexist in order for any one system to exist.
Today our organization has been split up into many factions, not all of whom see eye to eye. However, there are many greats and many unknowns. Our goals and objectives in Karatedo is the same in that of the Toa. You cannot deny some of the differences of life or in Karatedo there will always be those or that which do not understand and those who do. The key, the objective is to achieve harmony. Every system has a base, an originator, and many propagators. All Karatedo are fundamental, your approach, your philosophy, and how you practice and teach your art makes the different. USA Goju-Ryu and all its branches is what it is today because of its leadership worldwide, its strength, and diversity. Every major city has a Goju-Ryu Dojo. All share the same common goals, to heighten the awareness, to show responsibility to the community, belief in human potential, to instill in its practitioners the importance of the work ethic and self actualization of the individual. Here in America we have come full circle, we began as students, we have gone through the ranks, we have paid our dues, we have battles fought and lessons that we’ve learned from our teachers. We have also questioned them, we are not complacent, and we live in current reality and are critical thinkers. We are educated, we are modern traditionalist. We do not follow blindly, nor do we teach blindly, we seek to produce leaders, not followers, now we ask, “Is there a better way.”
The misconception is that the art form we study is an art form that is owned by a country or race, this is far from the truth, Karatedo is an international possession, a human possession.

We are waiting for a few of the leadership to say enough is enough and work in unity against those who have always been against our organization, we have always had to fight that fight, the so called traditional fight.

Gichin Funakoshi Sensei always said the most important aspect of Karate is the development of character. What is character in terms of the philosophy of Karate-Do? Character is simply exercising discipline, exhibiting honor, duty and self-control, and continually adhering to humility. Without character and a strong foundation, nothing of substance can be accomplished. To develop character is to understand life.

I like to be the first to say call me I want the atmosphere of unity to begin now. 1-786-623-8802
United we can do so much more

The ties that bind us together are stronger than those that would tear us apart.

Manny Saavedra

TO THE MEMBERSHIP

REAL LEADERS ARE ORDINARY PEOPLE WITH EXTRAORDINARY DETERMINATION

I shall advance the hypothesis that envy of non-achievers against the creative minorities is the mainspring of the destruction in Karatedo, that this envy is incited and exploited by alienating achievers and attempting to destroy them, and that the result is the murder of productive, gifted and high-achieving people--along with consequent leadership decline.
I do not mean destruction of artificial status. I use the term to denote the extermination of what Thomas Jefferson called "the natural leaders among men" grounded on "virtues and talents," and constituting "the most precious gift of nature for the instruction, the trusts, and modern of society" (Jefferson, 1813). Jefferson believed that the preservation of these leaders was of cardinal importance. They possess not only high intelligence, but also "virtue"--in more modern terms, character and humanity.
Envy should be distinguished from ambition. Envy is not the desire to excel, but the spiteful urge to pull down the more gifted. Christopher Marlowe wrote in Dr. Faustus: "I am Envy. I cannot read, and therefore wish all books were burnt." In his brilliant and thought-provoking study of the role of envy in human societies, Shoeck (1972) defined it as the resentment inferiors feel at the higher status and greater rewards of their superiors, and quoted Davidson's apt description (p. 15):
Envy is an emotion that is essentially both selfish and malevolent. It...Implies dislike of one who possesses what the envious man himself covets or desires, and a wish to harm him. Graspingness for self and ill will lie at the base of it. There is in it also a consciousness of inferiority to the person envied, and a chafing under this consciousness....
Since envy cannot be extirpated, the great religions have sought to control it and deflect it into comparatively harmless channels. Christianity offered hope to the virtuous poor by promising that the meek would inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5), as did Judaism (Psalms 37:11). The poor were assured that it is "easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" (Mark 10:25).
It remained for the messianic totalitarian movements of our century--Nazism and Communism--to exploit envy on a massive scale as a vehicle for attaining power. Propaganda of both movements depicted the envied people as bestial and unfit to live. Nazi ideology stressed the extermination of the Jewish people on the grounds that they were "sub-human."
The Jew was shown as a hideous lecher in the Nazi press. Red artists made capitalists appear comparably odious and despicable. The enemy must be made to seem vile so that his future murderers (who may possess remnants of decency and morality) can feel justified in their crimes.
Dealing with Jealousy
The information below is intended primarily for people who finding themselves feeling jealous and would like to know how to stop being jealous rather than for those who encounter jealousy in their partner or someone else:
What is Jealousy?
A definition of jealousy may describe it as: one person's fears and anxieties around attention that they perceive is being given to someone else who is important to them. Thus for example a woman might experience jealousy at the sight of her husband or boyfriend dancing with another woman. In some cases, jealousy can lead to violence - for example, some jealous men may become sexually or physically violent towards their partner. If you are on the receiving end of such an experience my advice in most cases would be to leave the relationship, or if that is not practical or you feel not appropriate, then to seek independent advice as soon as possible.
Although most commonly discussed in the context of sexual and romantic relationships, jealousy can also be present between other groups of people - for example, in family situations where sisters or brothers compete against each other for the attention of a parent and one feels left out.
Jealousy, Envy and Insecurity
Jealousy is not the same as envy. Usually envy involves wishing that you were someone else or admiring them. Envy has a tendency to the wistful or dreamy. Jealousy has a tendency towards difficult, painful emotions such as:
· Anger
· Fear
· Feelings of humiliation
One view of jealousy is that ultimately it arises out of insecurities - particularly if the jealousy your are experiencing is unfounded. This view informs the suggestions below as to what you can do to help overcome jealousy and stop yourself being jealous or acting in a jealous way.
Overcoming Jealousy
I recommend a twofold approach to trying to deal with jealousy for the person who experiences it:
Finding ways of Making Yourself Feel More Secure
If your jealousy arises from feeling insecure or from feeling that your worth is dependent on the opinion or praise of one individual then you can try to improve your sense of self esteem and belief in yourself, independently of your partner or whoever is at the centre of your jealous fears. For example:
· Write a list of your positive qualities and achievements and read it through on a daily basis, or when you are feeling insecure, to remind yourself that you do have worth
· Spend some time doing some reasonable activities or pastimes that meet your own wishes or needs - what you will enjoy will depend on you. This might be exercise or talking to friends or music or going to a health centre - whatever you would like to do for your own enjoyment.
Dealing with Jealous Thoughts
Try identifying situations when you find yourself feeling jealous and write down for yourself:
1. When the feelings and jealous thoughts arise.
2. What actual thoughts go through your head.
3. (a) What you might say to yourself (b) What you might do in terms of actions - to prevent the jealous thought from taking over and to retain your dignity.
You might for example:
· remind yourself of those positive qualities that you do have and that these are not dependent on the approval or interest of the other person
· count to 10 before opening your mouth in anger to allow you to collect your thoughts
· if there are others present, look at the other people in the room who are not involved in the situation and not even aware of it and start to wonder what they might be thinking about, as a way of taking your mind off the situation
· remind yourself of similar situation when you have managed to stay in control and try to do again what you did then.
Jealousy Counseling, Jealousy Psychotherapy &
Coaching for Jealousy
If you find it difficult to manage your feelings of jealousy on your own, you may want to seek support from a counselor, coach or psychotherapist. Counselors and psychotherapists work by seeking to look back into your past for the origins of jealousies. Life coaches, and good Karate educator , tend to work in a more forward-looking practical way - seeking to look with you for specific practical actions that you can take to begin to address or manage your situation. Given the importance of thought processes and feelings in jealousy and jealous action, break down your thoughts, feelings and behavior into manageable parts which you can then address.

Frank Ruiz, Hanshi Founder Nisei Gojuryu

Frank Ruiz, Hanshi

Shihan Frank Ruiz was born on July 2, 1934 and grew up on the streets of New York City. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1951 to 1954, during the Korean War, He was highly decorated. A student of Master Peter Urban, a pioneer of American karate on the East Coast, Ruiz competed successfully in the first wave of tournaments promoted in his region. His credits as a fighter included the Gheez Championships, the 1961 Tri-State Championships, the 1962 New Jersey Championships, the 1963 U.S. International in Florida and the 1964 Staten Island Championships. in 1969 Shihan Ruiz, along with Harry Rosenstein, founded the Nisei Goju Organization, as a springboard to promote his personal style of karate. The association has enjoyed widespread appeal and has maintained branches in New York, Florida, Colorado, New Jersey, Texas, California, the Virgin Islands, and the Bahamas. Shihan Ruiz is noted particularly for having trained some of the best-known fighters of the seventies. The veteran coach fostered the careers of former National Champion Louis Delgado and quite a number of other notables including: Ron Van Cleef, Malachi Lee, Owen Watson, Earl Monroe, Wilfredo Roldan and John Giordano.