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COURTESY (Ye
Ui)
Taekwon-Do students should attempt to practice the following
elements of courtesy to build up their noble character and to
conduct the training in an orderly manner as well.
1) To
promote the spirit of mutual concessions
2)
To be ashamed of one's vices, contempting those of others
3)
To be polite to one another
4)
To encourage the sense of justice and humanity
5)
To distinguish instructor from student, senior from junior, and
elder from younger
6)
To behave oneself according to etiquette
7) To
respect others' possessions
8)
To handle matters with fairness and sincerity
9)
To refrain from giving or accepting a gift when in doubt
INTEGRITY (Yom Chi)
In Taekwon-Do, the word integrity assumes a looser definition
than the one usually presented in Webster's dictionary. One must
be able to define right and wrong and have a conscience, if
wrong, to feel guilt. Listed are some examples where integrity
is lacking:
1)
The instructor who misrepresents himself and his art by
presenting improper techniques to his students because of a lack
of knowledge or apathy.
2)
The student who misrepresents himself by "fixing"
breaking materials before demonstrations.
3)
The instructor who camouflages bad technique with luxurious
training halls and false flattery to his students.
4)
The student who requests ranks from an instructor, or attempts
to purchase it.
5)
The student who gains rank for ego purposes or the feeling of
power.
6)
The instructor who teaches and promotes his art for
materialistic gains.
7)
The students whose actions do not live up to his words.
8)
The student who feels ashamed to seek opinions from his juniors.
PERSEVERANCE (In Nae)
There is an old Oriental saying, "Patience leads to virtue
or merit, One can make a peaceful home by being patient for 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 or a technique, one must
set his goal, then constantly persevere. Robert 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 fourteenth century. One of
the most important secrets in becoming a leader of Taekwon-Do is
to overcome every difficulty by perseverance. Confucius said,
"one who is impatient in trivial matters can seldom achieve
success in matters of great importance."
SELF
CONTROL (Guk Gi)
This tenet is extremely important inside and outside the dojang,
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.
According
to Lao-Tzu "the term of stronger is the person who wins
over oneself rather than someone else."
INDOMITABLE
SPIRIT (Baekjool Boolgool)
"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 his
300 Spartans at Thermoplylae showed the world the meaning of
indomitable spirit. It is shown when a courageous person and his
principles are pitted against overwhelming odds. A serious
student of Taekwon-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.
Confucius declared," It is an act of cowardice to fail to
speak out against injustice." As history has proven, those
who have pursued their dreams earnestly and strenuously with
indomitable spirit have never failed to achieve their goals.
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