Importance of philosophy in the martial arts

When most people think of the martial arts they either think of Bruce Lee flattening hordes of enemies with his fists of fury or an MMA franchise like K1 or UFC. While this may be a perfect example of martial skill and performance but does knowing how to throw a punch create a martial artist or a fighter? In the past there were many great generals and masters of the martial arts and though they were very renound for thier prowess in combat they also studied the other arts that relate to the martial arts such as meditation, philosphy, medicine/the sciences, tactics or a various art of peace such as caligraphy or painting. So here begs the question.... why would these other things make you a better martial artist than just focusing on fighting in tournaments? The answer is self cultivation. A true martial artist is not obsessed by the promise of millions of dollars or by gaining ego from earning victories but by self improvement, the path to perfection. You will never stop learning no matter how much you think you know or have mastered there is always more. I am going to be posting various philosphic topics for you to post on and interact with to activly engage your mind to thinking about principles and thinking outside the box. If you have any questions or even something to add I am happy to help and willing to discuss as we learn together. Remember life is not only about the destination but the journey there that defines us.