What follows are highlights from the Milton Society Spring Session.
As hands go, Chinese Culture holds painting, poetry, calligraphy, tai-chi, and medicine to be the royal straight flush of beneficence, known as the five excellences.
Cheng Milton Chang was such a man; an accomplished teacher of teachers, continent hopping from Taiwan to America in the sixties to plant the first seeds of Tai-chi in ready spirits of Westernized bodies. He practiced each of these five sublime Arts over a long lifetime with glee and steady wonder.
Underneath those classic forms flies the gaggle of skills and virtues needed to put such gifts together in peak style: pulse reading, silk reeling, muscle testing, aura perception, adherence…Time, and a keen attunement of the senses, along with clarity of heart/mind brings good things to fruition. And a full count of the good things has never been made. The sages refer to them as the 10,000 things.
Underneath all that, suffused within, was of course, uniquely, the man.
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Keenan Milton - only the good die young, oh how that saying stings..., a swimming accident shoots down a supremely radiant skate star; what a shame, what a gift he gave the world. And don’t you know, one always gets as good as they give.
Milton, the prodigal master of five skate excellences:
Downhill, Freestyle, Vert, Street, Sliding
And underneath that, the long river of superlatives that go into the stoke: timing, carving, cruising, pumping, coasting, sticking, grace…
K. Milton of NYC was such a guy: fearless, carefree, raised amidst trouble and able to transcend it by riding away, and riding high.
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What these Miltons have in common is a lightness of touch, and an unimpeded flow. The power of relaxation mixed with an unhurried thoroughness. They teach us to reach within, and let our natural bounty shine.
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At the close of the induction ceremony several members came forward with a ratified petition to amend articles of nomination. The reasons being were dilated in this discussion- from the transcript.
-It seems his name was Cheng Man-Ching.
-Not formally a Milton?
-Yes, well, but given translation issues, the first and last letter of the name being present we feel it appropriate to sustain the induction.
-The letters exactly in order shouldn’t be the primary criteria. Any version or combination, containing both Vowels and Consonants…
-Shouldn’t the first or last name at least begin with an M?
-We should try at least to get close to that.
-For the time being, let’s agree on that.
A motion was made to review for nomination at the next plenary session, the following individuals.
Miller, Henry- American expatriated vagabond, literary genius, vibrant soul, and Brooklyn’s BFF.
Monroe, Marilyn- Dedicated actress and unwitting icon, took secrets of power to the grave.