Comparing apples and oranges –
The idiom, comparing apples and oranges, refers to the apparent differences between items which are popularly thought to be incomparable or incommensurable, such as apples and oranges. The idiom may also be used to indicate that a false analogy has been made between two items, such as where an apple is faulted for not being a good orange. (wiki)
Comparing objects scientifically is easy. For example, you can easily describe the texture, acidity, the genetic code, etc of both apples and oranges. However, for things like preference for food, art and music, it is very personal and is up to a person to experience – it often defies logic and you talk in terms of popularity and not necessarily “The truth”.
If you resort to thinking of a style of martial arts as ART, then learn to simply appreciate and respect other people’s choices and approaches. If you prefer to think of martial arts as an exhibit of an effective application of scientific principles, then principles can be explained and replicated. If you think of martial arts as a means to dominate and conquer, you are not in the right class or style.
Trash talk before a professional fight is a way to generate attention – don’t learn from them. On YouTube, you can see tons of comments of people bashing each other. All matters are breakable. Therefore, in my mind, no matter what the style is or who the person is, everything has its place in the sun. Look at the dinosaurs, they are huge and probably king for a long time but human, one of nature’s weakling, actually survive and flourish.
To take the highroad and say we are not going to compare ourselves to anyone else is not being realistic either. To excel, you have to always know the strength as well as weakness. In physical objects / products, their strength and weakness are relatively static. In martial arts, what you consider as strength against one opponent may be a weakness in a different situation. Therefore, it is important to truly understand every principle in its simplest form so that you do not have an arsenal of plenty but none assessable on demand.
Exercise
-Compare between other’s long stick and ours. Can you make sense of the differences?
-Compare any other style (your pick) and what we do, how are we the same and how are we different?
-What do we value most?