One of the concepts Mr. Kim stressed as a tenet of the Han Moo Kwan Club was giving back to the community. This is one of the major reasons that Mr. Kim never asked for payment for any of his instruction, why the Club Instructors continue to serve the Club without payment, and why the Club operates as a not-for profit organization.
General Choi Hong Hi, Founder of International Taekwondo Federation, wrote in his book Encyclopedia of Tae Kwon Do The Art of Self Defense that “By contributing labor to the community, especially to the poor or disabled, the student learns charity, humility, comradeship, tolerance and a sense of generosity."
So why is community service and learning charity, humility, comradeship, tolerance and a sense of generosity important in studying martial arts?
Charity, according to dictionary.com, is “generous actions or donations to aid the poor, ill, or helpless”. Learning and understanding charity supports the notion of using martial arts to defend those around you that are in need. This may mean actually using your skill or ensuring police or security is called so they can protect those unable to protect themselves. Or just showing presence and peacefulness can sometimes calm down a difficult situation, and attract people to another way of being. This is one of the true essence of the martial arts spirit. Sun Tzu in The Art of War, stated “The best victory is when the opponent surrenders of its own accord before there are any actual hostilities...It is best to win without fighting.”
By learning humility, one learns to be respectful, keep their pride in check and not be arrogant. These attributes can save your life if you ever have to use your martial arts skill to defend yourself. By being respectful and keeping your pride in check you will not let your ego get in the way; you will respect the potential skill the other person may have as well as only do what you need to do to stay safe. If your ego gets in the way, you may either underestimate your opponent or do more damage than is necessary because you felt slighted. Neither of these situations will result in a positive outcome.
Comradeship is critical in learning martial arts. Learning martial arts by oneself is near impossible. It is the sharing in the classes and session that you truly are learning and growing as a martial artist.
Tolerance allows one to have according to dictionary.com “a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward opinions and practices that differ from one's own“. This is also critical in learning martial arts. By keeping on open and objective mind you are more open to learning new ideas and thoughts. In our Club this is especially important when learning or hearing about the energy side of the martial arts. At first these ideas may seem impossible or against what you think or think you know; therefore it is critical to be open to what may be possible if you want to really learn the full extent of the art form.
One of the definitions of generosity in dictinary.com is “freedom from meanness or smallness of mind or character.” If you are confident in yourself and not vindictive, you will ensure you use martial arts for what it is meant to be used for – only for self defense and only if you feel unsafe or feel those that are with you are unsafe. If you use martial arts for any other reason, you will no doubt find yourself in trouble with the law and dishonoring the teachings, that have been shared with you.
As the holidays are upon us, I encourage you to not only ponder how community service and these five attributes described by General Choi may improve your martial arts or the study of martial arts, but to also participate in a community service act.
Regards,
Kelly
"True karate is this: that in daily life one's mind and body be trained and developed in a spirit of humility, and that in critical times, one be devoted utterly to the cause of justice." ~ Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957), founder of Shotokan Karate
References
1. Encyclopedia of Tae Kwon Do The Art of Self Defense by General Choi Hong Hi
2. http://www.dictionary.com
3. The Art of War by Sun Tzu
Thursday, December 1, 2011
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