To Get Involved Or Not ---- Chief Instructor Blog December 2021

 

In Gichin Funakoshi’s book, “The Twenty Guiding Principles of Karate”, his third principle is Karate Stands On The Side of Justice.In Gichin Funakosh’s book, “The Twenty Guiding Principles of Karate”, his third principle is Karate Stands On The Side of Justice.

I have seen several people in blogs, articles, books, etc. translate this to mean that martial arts should always be used to stand up for others that are not being treated properly, physically as well as verbally. 

Funakoshi writes in his third principle “To avoid action when justice is at stake demonstrates a lack of courage”.  So, one may interpret this to mean one must always use one’s martial arts skills to protect and defend others.  However, in the same principle, Funakoshi states “Karate practitioners must stand on the side of justice at all times and only in situations where there is no other choice should their power find expression through the use of their hands and feet as weapons”.

The discussion on how to express yourself in those situations where others are being physically or verbally abused gets lost in others people’s interpretations.  So, yes, Funakoshi says a martial artist should always help others but that does not mean to always use their physical skill.

You need to assess the situation, determine if weapons may be involved or is a crowd forming, and then get involved.  In both of these scenarios, you probably do not want to engage physically to help others. If you wander into a situation where two people are fighting one another, do you honestly know who the aggressor is?  This may be a critical piece of information you do not have.   So, in those scenarios, what can you do to stand on the side of justice without physical altercation.  Simple ones are calling 9-1-1 or even stating the police have been called and are on their way.  This, in of itself, can be a distraction to stop the act or verbal abuse.

When to get involved physically and when not to get involved physically is going to be dependent on the scenario.  It may depend on time of day, location, who you are with.  The best way to determine if you may or may not get involved is to think about the various scenarios and what you might do or say to defuse a situation where you are the witness.  And if you struggle with what those scenarios are, go out on You Tube and look for videos, or in any TV show, news, or movie you are watching and a verbal or physical altercation occurs. think about if you came upon that situation, what you would do.

Bottom line is standing on the side of justice does not necessarily mean to act physically but it also does not mean just walk away and do nothing.  But what will you do?  No one can tell you what you should or should not do in any scenario and you will not know unless you think about various scenarios and think through it so if you encounter those scenarios or something similar you will know.

Regards,

Kelly

"To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the highest skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the highest skill." ~ Sun Tzu (6th Century BC), Chinese General, military strategist, and author of The Art of War