MMA - Makes Me Angry

Earlier today I was speaking with a woman who, because of her boyfriend's involvement with MMA, has an automatically negative view of martial arts. She was telling me that she worries for him, but puts up with it because of the money. Now I asked her a very simple question that she could not answer. The question was this, and mind you I only asked her this because I have been talking to her for some time before hand about the true nature of martial arts as I understand it and how it should be approached physically and philosophically.. but anyway, the question I asked her: Knowing what you know about martial arts as we've discussed and having agreed with me on how it should be, what is the benefit to allowing for MMA to exist as it does to society as a whole? The answer of which she could not say was that it doesn't. By removing each person's dignity and allowing them to become entertainment in this way is no better than the Romans with their colosseum in biblical times. Martial arts as a whole is something to be respected and approached with a cautionary reverence. In its study, you will reach down into the core of yourself and see who you truly are. Once in that state of vulnerability you see just how insignificant you are. It is then that you can begin to be remade by either yourself or God. The bible often speaks of humility as being the goal to strive for. I believe this is right in line with the true martial arts philosophy. It is not glory we should seek fellow todai! It is not our own self-righteousness, honor or praise we should desire for ourselves, but to build each other up in humbleness. It is only then that we can begin to truly understand what we are learning and go beyond it to teach those around us directly through study and indirectly through action.