In my life I have been involved in many things ranging from Basketball to being a school library aid. While everything I have done in my life has impacted me in some shape or form over the years, however one thing has stuck out for me.
Karate, I had started at a time in my life where I had been going through bullying and low self esteem in general. But in eighth grade when I started, although the change wasn't immediate, I was able to grow my confidence with the help of my instructors and fellow students. Joining with my father also helped as were able to help and push each other.
Doing karate, I learned so many things not only about the traditions and forms, I also learned about myself and what I was capable of.There are seven central ideas of the art of karate I took called tenets. I will explain all seven briefly.
The first tenant I would like to delve into is Integrity. Integrity is the quality of being honest and having good morals. This pertains to my life by how in school we have academic honesty. This is not cheating on tests, homework, assignments, or anything of the like. This plays a big role in education.
Another Tenant is concentration. Concentration is being able to do what has to be done without being diverted from the task at hand. This can be put into my life in many ways, one of which includes homework assignments or other tests. Much like this one.
Another tenant is perseverance. Perseverance is pushing through situations even when it gets really hard to. This is especially when you get a fresh injury or are recovering from an old one, which makes everything harder. But as they say “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” This is very true for all aspects of life. Emotional pain can make you stronger too and make you want to push harder and prove your self to yourself and people who hurt you.
The fourth tenant I will delve into is respect and obedience. Respect and obedience are two very close elements. If you respect someone, say a teacher or instructor, you are more likely to follow and obey that teacher or instructor. Respecting one another helps us not only grow as people but also as Martial Artisits.
The fifth Tenant is Self Control. Self control is restraining yourself in times of anger or from things you may regret later that seem fun and okay at the time. It’s like when were little and really want a cookie that is sitting on the counter. We really want the cookie but we restrain ourselves from taking that cookie. Nowadays as one gets older the problems get more taxing. Self control is a very admirable trait to have, since many people seem to lack it, especially when peer pressure is around. Self control can also keep you calm when you are faced with anger. Anger can make people do crazy things. Having self control can save lives.
The next tenant is humility. Humility is being honest with yourself and others about your skills and not bragging about them. Humility is a value sharpened through years of hard work and determination. For most of us, this value and precious skill is hard to reach and far from our grasp. Humility is a skill that requires patience, perseverance, integrity, and self control to develop.
The final tenant is indomitable spirit. Indomitable spirit is what keeps the body going when you feel like it’s time to give up. Indomitable spirit can drive people around you as well. Because if one person works hard others will follow by their example, one great work ethic can fuel another less than impressive work ethic. This can put this at the top of the list of the tenants that a Martial Artist should have, because of something called Monkey see Monkey do. No one wants to get out shined right? It is human nature to be the best you can be. This carries people through the toughest of situations. This is a skill a leader or other people in high positions should also have.
These are all amazing things you learn from Tang Soo Do and there's more to it then that of course! Everyone should take karate of some sort in my opinion as it is so worth all the countless hours of training and learning about a culture different from our own. It really teaches people to be better and helps them grow.
I have made many friendships through karate and I can honestly say I would not give up my experience with it for anything in the world, everyone should take a class as you never know what it may do for you.
