Daughter Reina is the safest happy girl in Atlantic City between friends Chuck Zito (see him on “Entourage” with Dennis Hopper?) and Dan Severn (see him win the UFC TV cagefight championship?), our neighbors on the Action Martial Arts Hall of Fame celebrity table aisle

A business friend recently asked how my family was doing, and I told him we had a reunion with both our east coast daughters at the Action Martial Arts convention in Atlantic City.

He was surprised. “Martial arts convention?! Over 1,000 cage fighters, fung-fu wizards, kendo swordsmen, MMA pounders, jujutsu wrestlers, karate champs, movie star action heroes, and well, yes, some ninja too, all in one spot? I can imagine all those tough guys with huge champion egos must have made for the most dangerous place to be on the east coast that weekend.”

Interesting how many of my non-martial friends have this belief about the connection between toughness and fighting prowess and ego.

From my perspective, I find just the opposite to be true. Get a bunch of hardcore total commitment to excellence fighting champions together and you’ve got one of the best parties imaginable. That’s been my experience.

If you know you are a winner because you have proven yourself for years, being tough in everyone’s eyes is no longer the point of life. You are looking for friends and allies with whom to celebrate further advancement and success.

On the other hand, if you seriously doubt your ability to command the space when a possible threat confronts you, you will constantly be posing as an angry tough guy in hopes of bluffing others into balking at a face-off. I’ve known some sad characters like that.

Daughter Marissa with our friend Michael Jai White (see him in “Batman; the Dark Knight”?) our other neighbor on the Action Martial Arts Hall of Fame celebrity table aisle

Event sponsor Alan Goldberg, himself a Wing Chun Kung-fu master teacher, told me this event and banquet brought in record-breaking numbers of martial artists, even in the midsts of the economic hardships so many face in America today. Positive martial artists want to spend time around others who inspire them and make them proud of their commitment to the warrior arts.

Strong aspirations seeking out strong inspirations. How noble is that spirit!