Loss of past knowledge

As a western civilization, I do not think we fully embrace the loss of knowledge from our elders.  In Kung Fu we honour past masters but what does that truly mean.  Is it just the Kung Fu knowledge that we gain knowing it comes from them?  A technique, a form, a tradition?  Luckily we are a traditional school so there is a lot of tradition and techniques passed down but there is a lot that is lost with each generation.

My grandma will not be with me much longer nor my best friend’s mom whom I am also very close to.  Just this Christmas she wanted to teach me how to make her bread and already it’s too late to get the full knowledge from her. 

We know that we will lose knowledge as our instructors and family age but we always think we have more time with them than we have.  I can tell you, things change very quickly and watching that knowledge slip away brings tears to my eyes. I only know that I have lost learning to bake her bread but there are so many other things I have lost that I don’t even realize.  This is from someone embedded in my life, and I see how it compounds through generations. 

It is a reminder of the consequences of putting something off and what I need to prioritize in my life.