I am saddened to hear that Sifu Harry Wong has passed away.
The best martial artists are down-to-earth. When a person is kind, unassuming, and friendly, we call them “down-to-earth.” In Japanese, hanashinowakaru (話の分かる) means "down to earth” but it translates as “share time.” Therefore, a person who takes the time to share a moment with you could be considered down-to-earth. In the world of martial arts, it is easy to get a big ego and step on others especially when we are skillful or popular. Malcolm Forbes once said, “You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.” Recently, I learned that Sifu Harry Wong passed away. Harry Wong was a long-time friend of my teacher, Rev. Kensho Furuya. When I was a student, he would often drop by the dojo to bring Sensei gifts and hang out with him. Regardless of martial art styles, the two of them shared a mutual admiration of one another. As students, we could see Sensei’s fondness for Harry because Sensei would address him by his first name even though he was a high-level instructor. Conversely, Harry was unpretentious and always showed Sensei respect by addressing him as “sensei.” I don’t know how they addressed each other in private, but I think Harry called him “sensei” in front of us so as to not usurp Sensei in front of his students. Sometimes they would watch class and other times I would hear them talking or watching TV in Sensei’s office. Harry was around so much that he was almost like family, so we just knew him as “Harry” and not Sifu Wong. I just remember that he was just this super cool Kung-fu teacher who dropped by to see Sensei. He would often come to our Christmas parties and was always nice and approachable. One year, I messed up something with the gift exchange and Sensei got mad at me in front of everyone. When I came back to the table, Harry patted me on the back and said, “Don’t let it get you down, man.” Sensei could be kind of strict and seemed very stoic, yet Harry and Sensei often teased each other. He was one of those guys that could make Sensei laugh and was one of the few people that could get Sensei to break character. After Sensei died, Harry would drop me a line from time to time that just said, “just thinking about you” but I hadn’t seen him in 15 years. Honestly, I can say that I didn’t really know Harry, but he knew me. Last year, Harry nominated me for the David Chow Humanitarian award and when we spoke, he said, “I believe in you.” I was taken back because he was a well-known Kung-fu teacher and Sensei’s friend, and I felt like a nobody. The last time I saw Harry was March 4th when he showed up at Sensei’s gravesite for Sensei’s memorial service. He said, “I have come here several times, but can’t find Sensei’s grave.” Sensei died 16 years ago. Harry didn’t have to visit Sensei’s grave but because he did and that showed what kind of person he was. It is true that “You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.” From what I have read on the internet, I wasn’t the only one Harry touched. Harry was a martial artist among martial artists and each of us should work hard to be great but still strive to be down-to-earth like Harry. Rest in peace, Harry!
Today’s goal: Do something for someone who can do nothing for you.
Watch this video from Harry’s Dynamic Strength DVD