Minoan youths boxing (fresco dated to 1600 yrs. B.C.) 


   

                                   modern boxing (World Series of Boxing bout, Los Angeles, 2011) 


   

                                   French savate championship bout, 2013 


   

                                             students training in modern karate dojo 



   

                                                             Muay Thai boxer delivering a kick 



   

                                                            women's mixed martial arts event 



For those who doubt that humans have values, beliefs, needs, etc. that are quite translatable from culture to culture, I offer a short comment today on the universality of combat sports. Every nation has a form of self-defense that it sees as its own and in every one of them there are rules, off-limits areas of the body, referees, and so on. There is a deep need in us humans to test ourselves physically against each other, and it seems to be pretty much universal. But we also all recognize the need for balance and control and the safety of the athletes who compete in combative sports. 

Balance. Courage. Wisdom. And everyone recognizes when one combatant has had enough. Universal. Translatable from culture to culture. Not incommensurable at all. Raw aggression, like raw energy, tamed, harnessed, and directed into useful channels. A safe outlet for anger. A great motivator to inspire young people to train and condition their bodies and their minds. 

There is something very deep here, something about what it means to be human. Balance. 








   

                                        young Thai boxer and his trainer pray before a match 



                                  



































                            boxers Ted Kid Lewis and Jack Britten shake hands before their bout, 1921




   

                            Manny Pacquaio and Floyd Mayweather embrace after their fight in 2015