"One does not need buildings, money, power, or status to practice the Art of Peace. Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the place to train"
--Morihei Ueshiba

As a teenager I was fashinated by asian aestetics, this was before the anime and manga fandom really hit Sweden.

I practiced karate on an amateur level, mostly cus I needed some kind of sports activity to keep at least somewhat fit. I was never any good at it. I am not strong, I do not have a lot of stamina and I seem to be rather bad at remembering specific movements. The fact that I am nearsighted which turned karate training into "simon says - white blob edition" might have contributed.

however, I am still a fan of martial arts, and especially of aikido. I like how its less about physical strength and more about redirecting the opponents energy. The principles of aikido can be useful in just about any context.

In general I recommend checking out eastern philosophy, or western philosophy for that matter. Anything that can give you a new perspective on things.

The kanji on the sides reads "My hovercraft is full of eels". Well, acrually it does not, but I have no knowledge of japanese, I can only hope it is something resembling a coherent sentence and that it does not insult somebodys mom.... anyone familiar with kanji is welcome to try and translate.