terryl965 said:
The main reason I wrote this above is sometimes, well for the most oart is sign Terry I:E on occasions I sign it Master Stoker and when I do it is to put that there so the person uderstand I'm not a newbie withen my Art, not trying to add confusen here.
My last tidbit is this to all the fine men and Ladys on MT and involved in this thread we are just bone and flesh that can be broken and healed over time the body is a mass machine, but the mind is a tiny engine and without positive re-enforcement will be just like a car engine without oil it will break and coolaspe without being able to be whole again it will run but it is never the same!!
Terry
I was glad to see the times when you signed your posts as Master Stoker. The Kukkiwon certification that gave you the rank to sign that means that you are a legitimate expert in your martial art. Personally, I give greater weight to your posts on TKD and MA because of this.
The Martial Arts is NOT the only field that uses the rank master - master denoting a "master" craftsman or expert in their field. In painting in the traditional realist style, the term master is often used. For instance, my painting instructor Frank Covino is generally reffered to and acknowledged as a master painter and master artist. Many portrait and realistic painting organizations have a "master" member level that, while not used as a title before the name, is an acknowledgement of the individual's dedication and skill. I was heavily involved in the West Coast Society of Portrait Artists (which has since merged with another larger group) and we had
members, signature artists, senior signature artists, and masters. Signature Artist would be roughly equivalent to a first or second dan and this is what, after over four years of active membership, and doing well at juried competitions, I achieved. The American Society of Classical Realism has it's own Guild composed of master painters. Whenever a workshop was held that members were considering attending, it would often be remarked that the artist giving the workshop was a "master" or near "master". The Renaissance art studios used such an expression as well.
It is only the self-promotion of many to that title and the false connotation the term for many in the West has of a messiah figure with adoring and obedient disciples that is the problem. The concept itself is sound.
Don't worry, no informed member of Martial Talk would quarrel with your designation, IMO, and I really don't think anyone was reffering to you personally. If so, disregard. Your post level, Moderator Status and Reputation level certainly mark you as a long-term positive contributor to Martial Talk and your knowledge of and dedication to the MA is undisputed.
