Taekwondo comes from Korea and is inspired by the ideals and deeds of famous military and civil leaders. It should never, under any circumstances be used for any commercial or political purpose. Taekwondo’s main aim is to eliminate fighting and to create a more unified and peaceful world. It opposes the oppression of the weak by the strong and seeks to increase humanity, justice, morality, wisdom and faith. The following are guidelines by which all serious students are encouraged to live: 1) be willing to go where the road is rocky and to do things that you know are going to be worth it even though you know that they are also going to be hard 2) be compassionate to those experiencing hard times and be strong to the strong 3) be content materially but always strive to do better skills wise 4) Always finish what you start 5) Be willing to teach anyone who wants to learn 6) Never yield to repression or threat if your cause is noble 7) Teach attitude and skill by actions rather than words 8) Always be yourself regardless of circumstances 9) Teach with your body when you are young, with words when you are old and by moral precept after you are dead. (From The Korean Art of Self Defence)
Before you can call yourself a teacher and hope to help create a unified and peaceful world, you have to find yourself, spiritually and morally and gain the respect of your fellows. You can do this the constant practice of mental discipline. Confucius said “To promote the sense of morality one must treat others with faithfulness and sincerity based on righteousness, and to eliminate completely vicious thinking.” Taekwondo places a great deal of emphasis on moral culture as it promotes a healthy body and a keen mind as well as good sportsmanship and the perfection of moral behaviour.
Virtue is endorsed at all times. Virtue is deemed to consist of these 5 qualities, which must be constantly practiced: 1) humanity – as defined by Confucius: to love people, especially one’s parents, don’t ask others to do something that you wouldn’t do, behave with propriety and self-control, to do what is right regardless of how small it may be in relation to how much effort it may cost, to value the honour of others’ before your own, to value the freedom of others’ before your own. 2) Righteousness – to be able to feel ashamed of unjust acts and to do your duty to others. 3) Propriety – describes a proper code of conduct i.e. in a situation where two men are starving a courteous man would offer the other a piece of bread out of respect and good manners. Confucius said that propriety was necessary for the proper development of personality and that to lack sincerity was to lose respect as a gentleman. 4) Wisdom – To able to judge right from wrong most especially in matters regarding yourself. To do what is right no matter how small it may seem. To never do what is wrong, no matter how small it may seem. 5) Trust – to be able to keep your promises to everyone and not only to the one’s you love. Trust forms the basis on which your principles are built and without it you become merely a liar and a cheater.
Man is given several tenets that will help him to discover his nature and then, ideally, improve upon it. We shall only look at a few. Be humble, one of Lao-Tzu’s teachings is that lofty virtue is like a deep valley that collects all streams of water; likewise a virtuous man will attract the respect of others while one who is selfish and egotistic will lose respect and become isolated. Respect of elders is vital in order to build a nation’s cultural and social order, without respect it could risk plunging into chaos. Respect the rights of others is a basic tenet that rings true for societies all around the world, without it we also risk chaos and anarchy. Be frugal, leaders must learn to be frugal and live moderately, which is a lesson all world leaders should learn. An adage I just learnt goes, “if the water is muddy upstream so it will be downstream.” Be discreet, do not be impulsive or reckless, and rather be patient and thoughtful in the things that you do and the decisions that you make. An old proverb says, “He who acts without thinking at least three times, will later regret his action.” Develop peace of mind, in Taekwondo that means that we do so in an active way by reflecting on past mistakes in the silence and privacy of our minds and try to continuously improve ourselves. This active, silent thought process is called “Jung-Joong-Dong”. Be firm of mind. To have strong convictions is to be unsuspicious and unafraid, it is to have the moral strength to admit when you are wrong and to have the courage to stand up to great opposition if you believe that you are right. Strong conviction comes from the broad and deep “Ki” spirit, which is an active form of energy that fills every cell and organ. If “Ki” is nurtured and allowed to grow based on humanity and justice it can enable man to reach new heights of achievement. It also allows us to keep our minds clear and alert when we are strained or confused or are battling to sleep during troubled times.
Taekwondo is in essence about developing moral character and preparing you mentally and spiritually to be the best possible example of human nature for your fellow humans in the hopes that they will learn from your actions. It is about seeking perfection in yourself and accepting flaws in others, which is a very hard thing to ask of anyone. It demands constant discipline and vigil, all in the name of peace and a better world. Is it all worth it? Well you could probably break someone’s neck with one sidekick and a punch to the chest could drive their ribs into their heart, which is instantly fatal. Walking around with that knowledge tucked away in your head must be pretty comforting, and you know its got to help for those situations when you have to face a tyrant and stand up for what you believe in or what you believe is right.
By Sandy Cosser
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The Philosophy of Taekwondo
