Crouch, Touch, Pause, Engage!

My name is Kenny Tang, and I officially have named my blog something outlandish and weird. I'd leave it at that, but I think my first post merits a purpose statement. Maybe not for me, but perhaps you might enjoy it.

As I move on from one school/city/circle of friends to another, I am also transitioning in the way that I think about things and how I learn. Journaling has been something I deem important but have never found the time to follow up on. The things one learns can be thought, dissected and expressed about in a blog entry. There are a lot of disparate elements in the narrative of one's life experiences, and I am no exception. I could use a little more critical thought, and certainly plenty of critical feedback to grow as a student.

The blog is named after the four words that the referee mentions as a preface to a Scrum, perhaps the most visually memorable set-piece in Rugby. In my time playing Rugby, I have realized a great many things, not just about the game, but the life lessons embedded in it. In a Scrum, a total of 16 men/women (8 from each team) face each other and lock shoulders, pushing against each other and with their teammates to contest for possession of the ball as it is put into play. The scrum is reflective of man's purpose on the earth: to play for something greater than him, to fight for the things that he values, and ultimately have a tight-knit relationship with his fellow players and their shared earth.

This blog is set up as a reference to the Scrum, a narrative of my engagements with people, place, circumstance, religion, politics, food and culture. The four words the referee states before a scrum are things that I will always remember, Rugby or not.

Crouch: Get low, in a posture for forward motion, anticipation of what is to come. People are expecting things, and being ready for whatever circumstances that await is of vital importance.

Touch: When the two sides meet, they touch each other to ascertain their distance from each other, and relative to their contexts, they will know if they are close enough to engage. Man investigates, ascertains, and feels out his environment and his relationships to time, space, and matter. As all things have a context in which they exist, seeking to understand those parameters is the beginning of understanding what exists in the world.

Pause: By sizing up the opponent, the players become expectant for the next word, preparing their entry into each others shoulders and contemplating the consequences of one's words and actions. It becomes important to consider a position in an argument, the pitfalls in choosing the wrong elements, the other side of what one is being told.

Engage: By being diligent in one's preparation, the players begin their battle of possession and territory. Cleats dig into the ground and shoulders collide. The product of critical thought is, at best, positive, and at worst, provoking.

My blog is, like many blogs out there, an assortment of cultural expressions. I'm hoping to really take in the things I learn, and I hope you're with me for the ride.