Introduction
Several years ago I wrote an article for the Kwan Chang Chronicles on How Children Become Adults (http://www.hwarangdo.net/news/2004/Nov/1104Kids.php). It began:
Children today are at great risk. While society frequently pays lip service to putting kids first, the reality is that we are raising generations of dysfunctional young adults. We cater to children,give them too much freedom, not enough boundaries,and rush them into a false sense of maturity. Many parents are too busy working to notice that they are not spending much time providing guidance. We have all probably heard the sad statistic that mothers only spend about 10 minutes a day talking to their kids; and for fathers it is even less.
I went on to point out that with limited parenting time, children are severely lacking discipline and guidance. Society unfortunately, does more harm than good by extolling glitz and glamour over substance. Sadly there are few places that actually do teach these important, life affirming values — and I’ve seen none better than Hwa Rang Do.
For the sake of brevity, I ended that article with a quick list of things that I’ve learned through Hwa Rang Do:
Those who put in more effort are rewarded accordingly. What is most important about a martial art is not learning kicking and punching. What you learn about yourself passed through the ethics and philosophy of the martial art is what combines to make you a better human being. It is interesting that, paradoxically, while learning self-defense techniques intended to injure another person (if necessary) students actually develop a greater concern for the welfare of others. By developing the inner strength to do what is right you learn to stand up for those in need. You also learn: that hard work pays off; that there are consequences to your actions; that discipline is something you should seek not avoid; to be loyal to those around you; to be the best student, teacher, brother, sister, parent, child or friend you can be; to look up to and respect teachers, parents, mentors and big brothers/sisters; to care for little brothers/sisters, children and those weaker than you; to be strong and decisive; to know right from wrong and have the courage to do what’s right even if it’s hard; and to recognize the fragility of life and learn to cherish and protect it. To me, this is what it means to be a mature adult and these are the lessons that I have learned through Hwa Rang Do.
It’s this list that I’d like to revisit in more detail now that space isn’t a constraint.
Role Models
Sadly, I feel that the US has been coasting off-course for several decades in a number of key areas. Perhaps the most important of these is in how we raise future generations to care for each other, the country, the rest of humanity and all of mother nature. It’s not my goal to delve into too much politics but it seems clear to me that many of our current problems stem whole or in part from this — from our economic meltdown, to the deniers of Global Warming, to the various wars fought in our name (in Iraq, on terror, on drugs, etc). This is a worldwide problem but as the only superpower (soon joined by China) we bear more than our share of the responsibility. Of course, there are many complex root causes to these issues. Nonetheless, I strongly feel that we all need to refocus on what’s truly important, take responsibility for fixing these problems, and regain some of our humanity — before it’s too late.
Today we are truly lacking in role models: heroes, mentors, true champions – not so much because they don’t exist but because we as a society don’t celebrate them. Sure, we’ll make a big deal about sports heroes like Olympic gymnast Keri Strug who made a personal sacrifice for her team to win the gold in the 1996 Olympic Games. But I doubt that many Americans would have noticed if she had been competing for another country. Would it even have aired had it occurred in a less popular sport? A shining example of selflessness such as this should surpass such common issues as popularity or the desire to win. We should still be hearing of her today. So why don’t we?
More importantly, what about those pushing forward other boundaries of human knowledge — academics, scientists, artists, inventors. What about those doing social good like teachers, firefighters, policemen, doctors? What is it about humanity that draws more attention to lowbrow tabloid “news” instead of the recent launch of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN? More people seem to know the names of Brangelina’s babies than recent Nobel laureates. It’s maddening that we do so little to celebrate those who are literally advancing the limits of human knowledge.
After I had written the above, Master Lee coincidentally sent me a New York Times article making the very same point:
A big part of the problem, Dr. Mertz and others say, is that while the young math Olympians are wooed by elite colleges like Harvard and M.I.T., as well as the country’s leading hedge fund firms, they are mostly invisible to the public. “There is something about the culture in American society today which doesn’t really seem to encourage men or women in mathematics,†said Michael Sipser, the head of M.I.T.’s math department. “Sports achievement gets lots of coverage in the media. Academic achievement gets almost none.â€
(more info at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/14/opinion/14herbert.html)
It’s not just academic achievement that’s being overlooked but nearly every area of substance. Sure, we know of Mother Theresa, Gandhi, etc. Most of know that Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are giving millions to the needy or that Paul Newman quietly donated over $200M to poor kids around the world. These are incredible examples of how we all should act. But what about the school teachers in poor neighborhoods or those who donate an organ to a stranger or just donate their time and efforts to help the needy? Society should be focused upon elevating our sensibilities, continually reminding ourselves what is good and challenging us to do better.
Unfortunately, from the likes of popular TV shows like Cops or Jerry Springer, it seems that more people prefer to focus on the worst in humanity. This has the added undesirable effect of giving us all excuses for being mediocre because “at least I’m not as bad as those people.” This is probably why these shows are so popular — by focusing on the bottom of the barrel, they make even those below average complacent in their underachievement.
This to me speaks to the heart of what we as a society stand for. We should celebrate those who quietly do the right thing, especially in the face of adversity; those who give without expecting anything in return; those who elevate the human condition. In Hwa Rang Do we do this every day. We may not make a big deal out of such actions, in part because they are expected of every student; but we recognize the behavior on a regular basis and applaud those who embody these traits. In a general sense, everything we do revolves around this principle.
To be continued…
Part 2 of this Sam Dan Essay, will explore further the benefits of Traditional Martial Arts training