Interesting comments. I do not understand this one. What is it about their personal standards that did not allow them to take a black belt?
Usually, they performed as well physically as the black belts, but, during long journeys studying various martial arts (looking for the truest “way”), had set a much higher bar for themselves spiritually and in terms of self-discipline and self-control.
Believe me, I’ve seen black belts who were very good fighters but who had a ways to go regarding the spiritual side and self-control. And, as I said, many brown belts who were far beyond them because they had set the bar so high but still didn’t believe that they’d attained what they were seeking.
When you’ve been a black belt for a while, IF you continue your studies, you learn that black belt is really “mastery of the basics.” Now, don’t get me wrong, “Basics” is a loaded term, and, if you study a good system, you will learn a lot and be able to do a lot.
By “basics,” what you learn are the general principles that enable you to find your own way. And part of the “basics” is a certain level of self-mastery, humility, self-discipline. The point is that you can master the physical part far earlier than the spiritual part, but when you are ranked as black belt, you should have mastery over both the physical performance and the meditative/focus/spiritual aspect of the art, and from there, your journey is to combine them all harmoniously throughout your life.