I fell in love with MA when I was a kid and never looked back.
It's been an amazing ride and I have trained in Europe, China and Japan and have friends in the MA that I have known for decades.
It's been a painful ride at times, the numerous broken bones and concussions and being choked out and hit with sticks have been worth it for sure.
BTW, firearms are also a MA, same goes for archery and spear work.
MA is about edged and impact weapons and firearms and to be a complete martial artist is to know all the aspects of combat.
The paradox is that the more you are exposed to fighting, the more experienced you get at it, the less you want to do it !
I often felt conflicted about my MA and my faith and then I read this:
Psalms 144:1
Praise be my Lord my Rock,
He trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle !
Of course, as my wife can attest, I am much more civilized and easy going since I found Our Lord, before that I was, well, I was very comfortable with violence ( still am to an extent).