How the Tenets of Taekwondo apply in the real world

Hey there everyone Scififantasyanimeman here again. Is it 10 posts already? Wow, not bad and where does the time fly? Anyway again I’d like to thank all of you out there who’ve taken time out from your lives to read my posts. As always I am honored and humbled by your patronage. Now to the subject of this post.

As many of you who’ve viewed my previous blog posts know I practice Taekwondo. Or if this is your first time viewing my blog let it be known now that I’m actually a 1st degree black belt in it. Taekwondo has been an important part of my life since I first started doing it back in the 90’s. Having observed our world from a martial artist’s perspective I find that in these strange and at times troubling and frightening days that more than ever we could apply the tenets of Taekwondo I follow to everyday life and not just in a Taekwondo school. So I’m going to share with you those tenets and their real world applications right now.

COURTESY-Be polite and have good manners. 

It seems that more and more these days in the real world and on the Internet attacks are becoming more and more vicious, for even the most nit-picky of things. We’ve blogs out there brimming with profanity and hatefulness, we have law suits running amuck, and people on edge about their next move being the one that gets them in trouble. While I’ll admit I don’t agree with everything Mike Huckabee says, I do agree with him that in politics (and most definitely life) we need to get back to a sense of civility. It’s okay in this country if we disagree with one another but let’s do it in civil and respectful tones…and then go out for a drink,  a burger, or whatever afterward. On the Internet courtesy is most definitely needed. Some people seem to believe that once they get on the Internet that all semblance of civility should fly out the window and that justifies bullying and insulting people. Comic book writer Stan Lee wrote in the first issue of Spider Man, “With great power comes great responsibilty”. This is most certainly true of the Internet where we must understand that the people we send IM’s, Texts, and E-mails to are living, breathing, feeling flesh and blood human beings on the receiving ends of  such negativity. And they’re capable of being angered and hurt  by disrespectful and profane Internet chatter. There’s a reason why the word “Civil” is in Civilization. COURTESY IS A MUST!!!

INTEGRITY-Always tell the truth.

In our world today we need people more than ever who will stick by their guns, keep their word, and tell people in an honest (yet courteous) way the truth. There’s an old adage from a good book that says “The Truth will set you free.” And such words in my opinion have never been more true. In this age when  lots of people are selling out in the name of greed and/or lust for power we need to understand the fundamental difference between right and wrong. Stealing from your employees is wrong. Forcing agendas of any kind on people who are unwilling to follow is also wrong.  Propagating fear is also wrong no matter who you are. We need to be honest with ourselves and with each other if we ever hope to get anything done around here. That means holding your friends and family accountable when necessary, owning up to a mistake you made, or making a promise and then keeping it. 

PERSEVERANCE-Always try your best.

Now it’s a well known fact that it’s the nature of human beings to make mistakes. We all have times in our lives where we literally or proverbially fall flat on our faces. We’re human being we’re imperfect, and that’s how we learn. People seem to think that for the sake of appearances you can’t afford to be imperfect. I’m here to tell you that’s a cheap unrealistic sell out! Everyone sooner or later makes mistakes or even fails as I said that’s how learn. As the late singer Alliyah once sang, “If at first you don’t succeed, you dust yourself off and you try again”. And that’s oh so true none of us are going to succeed all the time,  we all come crashing down sometimes. The important thing is if we’re shooting for a goal or a record of some kind we never give up we get back up and we try and try again until we succeed. I think I can sum this up to a saying I read once, “You’re not finished when you lose, you’re finished when you quit”. Why don’t all of you think on that one a little.

SELF-CONTROL-Control your emotions.

Okay I admit I have some trouble with this one. I’m a human being I’m very emotional and the same is true of everyone else out there. We all have thoughts and feelings. But sometimes we need to keep our emotions in check. Someone may be trying to lure us into a bad deal, or into an argument just so they can make you look like a fool and try to paint themselves as the victim. Family members of mine have often warned me about these passive/aggressive types. Sometimes the best thing you can do is take a long, slow deep breath, smile, turn, and walk away. Whether child or adult, real or cyber bully nothing drives them through the roof faster than being ignored. Oh being ignored and even considered an anathema drives bullies insane. So if you ever feel the need for a sharp retort, a take a moment, or take 5 minutes away to consider your actions carefully and just relax. because a person in control of their emotions can handle any situation far better than someone who’s been riled up.

INDOMITABLE SPIRIT-Having the courage to do what is right.

Okay doing the right thing isn’t always going to be a walk in the park but the thing is whether today, tomorrow, or the next year having the courage to do what is right will eventually allow to sleep the sleep of the just. Meaning that by doing what’s right you can go to bed with a clean conscience. This definitely means holding friends, loved ones, and even yourself when necessary accountable if you’ve done something wrong. Indomitable spirit  can also be rewarding when your helping out a friend ot loved one who’s feeling down or needs help. That means while I’ll do it in a civil and respectful tone anyone who I call friend I will stand up for if some bully comes by and tries to harass them. As an adult and a martial artist its just simply the right thing to do. And I’ll fight (proverbially or literally) with every ounce of courage that I have. As I said is the right thing to do.

Well that wraps up how my Taekwondo tenets apply in the real world. As always if you can put your comments in the comments box at the bottom of the screen. And do please comment, as long as the comments are constructive or praise filled I’m always happy to hear from people. And please understand that if you troll me I will erase your comments with extreme prejudice. That’s the way it goes. Until next time this is Scififantasyanimeman saying I will see ya‘!

~ by scififantasyanimeman on 10/08/2009.