The practice of balance.
There are many misconceptions about Kung-Fu, but at the end of the day it's about balance.
As you may know, I have spent many years of my life training Kung-Fu. I even had my own Kung-Fu school at some point, although I was way too young for it.
The philosophy of Kung-Fu always appealed to me, as did its approach to martial art, and it has been a big part of my self-discovery.
There are many styles of Kung-Fu, and they all have their strengths and weaknesses.
Some are hard, some are soft. Some are complicated, some are simple. Some are traditional, some are innovative and modern.
No one is more correct than the other, though. It's a matter of finding the style that suits you.
Yin and Yang
However, they all share the same philosophy, which is what makes Kung-Fu so interesting.
The concept of Yin and Yang is present in any style and as a result, Kung-Fu always seeks to create balance between the dualities of life.
In other words, whatever your style is, your job is to balance yourself through practice.
There is a lot of personal growth in that process, which is why I fell in love with it as a teenager.
It's also why I think Kung-Fu is still relevant. It acts as a carrier of wisdom that stretches way beyond martial art.
Energy and time
Actually, the term Kung-Fu just means energy-time, which refers to anything that takes a lot of energy and time to master.
Using it to refer to Chinese martial art is a Western misunderstanding with a life of its own.
It would also be more correct to spell it Gong-Fu to fit the original Chinese pronunciation.
Nonetheless, Kung-Fu has become a term for the practice of Chinese martial art, and thereby the process of balancing Yin and Yang.
So, whether you like the martial art or not, I urge you to take a look at your life and find out what you can do to give it more balance.
That would be your Kung-Fu.