When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences does a Tom Hanks retrospective, I hope they quickly pass over the cute movies, like “Big” and “The Burbs” and “Sleepless In Seattle,” as entertaining as they were.

I think they should go straight to a montage of the tough, gritty guys he’s played in movies like “Saving Private Ryan,” “Road to Perdition,” “Apollo 13,” and “Forrest Gump.”

Did I just say “Forrest Gump”?

Yes, I do!

I love this movie, because the main character is emblematic of who a martial artist is and what he does.

Let’s start with who Gump is.

To say that he is average is to overstate the case by about 20 or more IQ points. It’s what people in a kinder, gentler era called “slow.”

That makes it the perfect material for martial arts, not because we are dumb, but because we have to always cultivate and retain “a beginner’s mind.” That’s Forrest’s specialty; he’s a here-and-now guy, which is right where you need to be to handle a fight or avoid one.

Forrest also has a big heart. You can see it right there on his sleeve when he’s dealing with his childhood crush who seems to do everything in his power to squash his love to the ground.

He stands by his comrades in battle, and afterward, when their bodies have broken, and worse, their spirits as well.

Although “The Times Are A Changing” in this Vietnam-era epic, Forrest never does.

Though most people mistake him for being dumb as a rock, he’s as solid as one, as shown in scene after scene, as the decades roll by.

There is a story told by Pema Chodron, a Buddhist nun. She says that there are three kinds of horses. The first is quick to respond to the slightest stress on the kidneys. It is believed that this is the best horse.

Then there is the horse that is a little slower to respond but still reacts relatively quickly to direction and this is a good horse.

Finally, there is the worst horse. This one looks like an idiot, he is as slow as possible to respond to instructions.

Pema says that we all want to be the best, fastest and most responsive horse, but really, it’s the worst horse THAT IS THE BEST PRACTITIONER.

He tries harder and keeps trying, and though mastery comes slowly, when it does come, it’s long lasting.

In your martial arts training, you can try to be the best, like Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris.

But you might be better served by modeling after the worst, someone like “Forrest Gump”, because like that box of chocolates he talks about, you never know who you’re going to become until you look inside!