COURTESY
Treat others with the respect that you expect to receive
yourself. If you do treat other people with respect and courtesy and you
will receive it in return. Tae Kwon-Do
students should
attempt to practice the following elements of etiquette.
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To promise the spirit of mutual
concessions.
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To be ashamed of one's
vice. Contempting that of others.
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To be polite to one another.
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To encourage the sense of
justice.
INTEGRITY
Integrity is honesty, but not just with other people. More
importantly integrity is more about being honest with yourself.
Integrity is the ability to be truly honest, truthful and trustworthy
without compromise. In Tae Kwon-Do, the word
integrity assumes a looser definition than in a dictionary. One must be
able to define right and wrong and have the conscience, if wrong, to feel
guilt.
Listed are some examples where integrity is lacking.
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The instructor who misrepresents
himself and his art by presenting improper techniques due to the lack of knowledge or apathy.
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The instructor that teaches and
promotes his art for material gain.
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The student who gains rank for
ego purposes of the feeling of power.
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The student who requests rank
from an instructor or attempts to purchase it.
PERSEVERANCE
Perseverance is about not giving up. When asked to do a task,
do not fall at the first hurdle or put false impediments in the way.
Perseverance is about doing everything within your power to achieve the
desired result and to keep practicing until you get it right. There is a old Oriental saying ,
"Patience leads to virtue or merit" - "One can make a peaceful
home by being patient 100 times". Certainly, happiness and prosperity
are most likely brought to the patient person. To achieve something,
whether it is a higher degree or the perfection of a technique, one must set his
goal and constantly persevere. Robert the Bruce learned his lesson of
perseverance from the persistent efforts of a lowly spider. It was this
perseverance and tenacity that finally enabled him to free Scotland in the 14th
Century. One of the most important secrets in becoming a leader in Tae Kwon-Do
is to overcome every difficulty by perseverance.
SELF-CONTROL
Where would we be without self-control? This tenet affects many
things that we do and in martial arts it is vital. This tenant is extremely important
both inside and outside the do-jang, whether
conducting oneself in free sparring or in one's personal affairs. A loss
of self control in free sparring can prove disastrous to both student and
opponent. An inability to live and work within one's capability or sphere
is also a lack of self control. Self-Control is about making sure you stay
within the rules that life lays down to ensure that you remain healthy,
happy and safe.
INDOMITABLE SPIRIT
Indomitable Spirit is
about having the courage of your convictions. A serious student of
Tae Kwon-Do will at all times be modest and
honest. If confronted with injustice, he will deal with the belligerent
without any fear or hesitation at all, with indomitable spirit, regardless of
whosoever and however many the number may be.
"Here lie 300, who did their duty", a simple epitaph for one of the
greatest acts of courage known to mankind. Although facing the superior forces of Xerxes, Leonidas and 300 Spartans, at
Thermopylae, showed the world the meaning of indomitable spirit. It is
shown where a courageous person and his principles are pitted against overwhelming
odds.
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