The air on the Santa Monica pier is usually alive with the emissions of countless biological organisms, giving it that fresh, faintly fish-smelling sourness that lets you know that you’re in the midst of life; and this despite the fact that tons of raw sewage are dumped from there into the Pacific Ocean every day. It was a natural choice, therefore, a few Saturdays ago, to head to the sea for some lunch and sea air.
As I approached the end of the pier, I noticed a large barrel by the door of one of the restaurants. As I moved closer, I could see that the barrel was full of live crabs-clawing, clanking, crawling all over each other. I looked around and saw no one near the barrel, and I thought to myself, “How could anyone leave a barrel full of crabs outside? Wouldn’t more than one of them with aspirations of sweet freedom crawl from the barrel and take a headlong dive into the deep blue sea? This was bad business practice,” I said, so I went inside to tell the manager my thoughts.
I found the head honcho and began to explain. What were you thinking? A bucket full of live crabs near the water? I told him he was a fool to leave so much of his business to chance, and at the sound of these words, the man replied emphatically, “You’re the fool,” he told me calmly. “Go outside and watch those crabs!”
I wondered what he was exactly saying. Perhaps, there was someone outside watching the beasts to make sure they wouldn’t escape; some young teenager, perhaps, in need of a summer job to pay for his martial arts classes. Perhaps, there was a clear lid on top of the barrel I had missed during my earlier observation.
As I walked outside, I noticed that there was no one watching the crabs and no lid over them, but what I did see was remarkable. If one of the animals attempted to crawl over the side of the barrel during their orgiastic clambering, then the others around it would latch onto it and pull it into the abyss of crab Hades. None of the crabs could escape because the others made sure it didn’t; it’s in their nature.
There was a lesson to be learned on that pier. There are crab equivalents in my life, I thought. There are those around me that try to pull me back when I have my eyes on the prize; the kind of people who, not always intentionally, draw me from the goals I’ve set for myself.
We all want to escape the bucket; in fact, we go to great lengths to make sure that someday we will. We all have crabs around us, however; boyfriend or girlfriend crabs, mother/father crabs, best friend crabs, and the people (crabs) who invite us to a movie when it’s time to train. Maybe, it’s in people’s nature as well; after all, no one wants to go to a movie alone.
I then realized there isn’t much I’m able to do to minimize my contact with some of those people because they’re so close to me. What I can do, however, is keep my eyes on the prize, stay focused on my vision and follow my flight plan. The crabs may grab my body with their claws, but if my mind is able to escape their grip, then the body will soon follow.
The grip of prying claws may not be easy to escape, but there are great rewards beyond the boundaries of the confining barrel. If you’re able to identify those who are keeping you back and free yourself from the allure of non-action, then you will find a vast ocean of opportunities waiting for you, as well.
Fariborz Azhakh is the owner and head instructor of Team Karate Centers Inc. in Woodland Hills, California, and produces martialinfo.com, one of world’s largest and most prestigious martial arts Web sites.
