Of all the jobs I’ve had, my favorite and most frequent is that of a Martial Arts instructor. First off let me say that martial artists are inherently meritorious and some of the most disciplined and principled people I have ever had the privilege of knowing. When traveling to new cities, it is my custom to procure a job at a martial arts studio because hey, there just aren’t a lot of black belts out there. Beyond that, there are few things more worthwhile to teach a person than a martial arts system.
I generally abhor teaching martial arts at most dojos and gyms because at the end of the day they function as a capitalistic model; I mean the owner has got to eat I suppose. To me, charging money for martial arts is about as blasphemous as it gets and the fact that it is not a compulsory curriculum for the masses is quite sad for me.
I would like to argue for and petition for putting a martial arts curriculum into a public/private school system as a replacement for the joke that is physical education today.
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Martial Arts systems are inherently meritorious by nature. The progression of a white belt to black belt is only gained through mastery of skills and knowledge that can be demonstrated in front of the instructors as well as the martial arts community as a whole. Achievement of a black belt is rewarded with nothing more than the respect that a black belt deserves, regardless of age, gender, race, or religion. A lower belt will always respect a black belt, not just for the fact that they too desire and respect black belts, but because a mastery of respect and a continuous demonstration/incorporation of respect into daily life is required to test out of the basic belts. There is no black belt that is ever disrespectful because the act of disrespect invalidates their status.
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Martial arts focuses on self discipline, which the obesity crisis in America has clearly shown to be a character flaw of the American people. Our physical education system, I want to say, started out as a means for keeping kids physically fit and active to balance out the academic studies that predominate their day. The merits of self discipline are continuously echoed in every aspect of an individual’s life, not just in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but in every interaction, every task, every goal, and every breath. Virtues like respect and self discipline are left to parental discretion however the martial arts systems of the last couple millennium have honed the teaching of such virtues into a science that, even if there were a majority of parents concerned with teaching virtue (there is in fact a minority), they could not hope to compete with. This science is enormously beneficial. An example; Parents with “add/adhd” kids frequently sign their kids up for martial arts in the hopes of “training” them to be more docile. We do not do this, rather we focus on teaching children (and adults for that matter) how to focus and control their energy into something productive. How to harness the energy to create motion and to expel. I am quite proud to say that with a little bit of meditation, a little bit of mutual respect, and a little bit focus, I have personally been responsible for keeping kids off of the various add/adhd medications which no child should be on. Imagine a school system that didn’t advocate doping kids!
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Schools should teach virtue and the philosophy thereof. Martial arts already does this. Each month we pick a virtue, be it respect, courage, compassion, determination etc. and we train on it along with their martial curriculum. We have little sayings that are easy to remember and repeated for the month and we build exercises that allow students to practice with each other. On top of that, this is always done in a group setting so things like self confidence and public social skills are enhanced. Traditional Physical education teaches kids how to play sports and effectively is a joke if considered to be effective at anything other than indoctrination into OWO subjugation. We have all been to school and PE and recess are almost always the favorite subjects because they are essentially mindless. As any great athlete will tell you, the mind is everything in achieving greatness. We encourage and nurture this in martial arts and to put this on the scale of a public school system I think would have a monumental impact on the quality of student/athlete/citizen that is produced.
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Physical fitness…pretty self explanatory however the martial fitness doesn’t involve being the biggest or strongest or fastest or any other hyper masculine mentality that predominates high school and college coaches/teachers. The fitness is focused on using the body itself, understanding your strengths and weaknesses and learning to approach your limits, stretch your limits and eventually surpass your limits. This is always personal, each person has their own limits and goals and by performing exercises that are not competitive with classmates but rather internally competitive, we can see consistent improvement in even the most unhealthy of children. Beyond that, the exercises do not require a gym membership, or expensive gear, or anything but your own body weight and mind. The habit of personal training outside the dojo/gym is emphasized which leads to people learning to build and maintain good personal habits.
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This is something that I hope to be able to articulate but will be happy to expand on further if I am unclear. Fear, violence, and the fear of violence are diseases to humanity. Violence represents the most basic form of human communication. First, many people (traditionally hyper masculine males with ego problems) have trouble adequately expressing their emotions in a productive and healthy manner. They inevitably degenerate to physical violence because hey, if they aren’t getting that I disagree, they will certainly understand once I punch them in the face (or so the logic goes). This mentality dictates foreign policy and militarism as the logical application of such immature emotional discipline (or lack thereof) and we can watch it grow from playground fight to full scale warfare. Martial arts seeks to end all war through a mastery and understanding of fear/violence itself. We accept that our most basic instincts often lead us to physical violence (if undisciplined) and rather than ignore that, we train to control it. We reject the idea that our impulses have any control over how we interact and subsequently it becomes a taboo for someone trained in the martial arts to resort to violence for conflict resolution.
The inherent fear of violence is prevalent in the masses (indeed in human nature itself) and it is that fear that is preyed upon by the militaristic governments. We have military in the first place because supposedly, the average citizen cannot/doesn’t want to take stands and fight for themselves. Martial arts rejects this and teaches us (man, woman and child) that everyone is a weapon in and of themselves. This weapon is the mind itself and by training in things like sparring and board breaking, we teach ourselves that our fear is solely in the mind and that we are stronger than we initially give ourselves credit for. Entering into combat is one of the most daunting experiences of a humans life; I mean the knowledge that you are face to face with another person whose goal is to physically harm you, even kill you…that is crippling to many people. So we train with pads and with partners and peers we trust. We trust in the self discipline of martial artists (and sometimes the protection of instructors) that the fight will stop once one concedes and we are rewarded because that self discipline is maintained. Once a student reaches a certain rank they must start to fight one another, it is compulsory if they hope to advance to the next belt. This may seem barbaric to some but the emphasis is never about winning the fight, the emphasis is about putting yourself out there and demonstrating that when it comes to fight or flight, you fight. Why? Because we all can and we all should, we just need to realize it ourselves through to mode of learning that is experience.
The structured environment that embraces violence as something to be mastered and controlled breeds people of fortitude who can stand and fight in all the battles of life, physical and mental. It teaches inner strength and confidence and more than anything else, how to master fear. Fear itself is possibly the most detrimental facet of human nature if left unchecked. Obviously fear has a place, but to a martial artist, that place is a state of heightened awareness that allows us to transcend our reality to push our skills to the next level. In fact, there is nothing more dangerous than a martial mind that has the tingle of fear. Fear is always confronted by the marital artist and in the sense of a teaching curriculum, would be the most consistent lesson reinforced at every level. I can punch through cinder blocks of concrete, which is impressive if you saw me (I’m kind of a skinny guy). I can do this not because I have become strong, in fact it doesn’t really take that much strength to break a board or a brick (I have taught 5 year olds to do it). What it takes is an ability to unlock your mind and to follow through your target. Bungee jumping is difficult because it goes against our nature/impulses to jump off a bridge, and yet we can swallow that fear and trust in the rope to catch us and make the leap. So to is it inherently against our nature to hit a solid object with all the force in our body and yet, by starting small and cultivating that “leap off the bridge” mentality, we can see small children break boards and kick through cinder blocks because they have let go of the fear that controls their impulse and harnessed it into raw energy/power. This is a skill and it will stay with the individual for life and find application in all facets of society.
A citizen population that embodies the virtues of martial arts with the mastery of fear is a population that will never allow for corruption to enter its leadership. Indeed is it a population that embodies ALL virtue as the basis for daily habit.
- My last point is the pledge of allegiance. Rhetoric that is required for all children to recite daily and begins the process of brainwashing. Martial arts does the exact same thing but below are examples of typical martial arts creeds that are recited before and after every class that I offer as constructive brainwashing:
I will give my best effort in all endeavors. Perseverance is the foundation of my success.
I will act with courtesy and respect at all times. Humility is the mark of a truly confident person.
I will fight only to defend my safety, or the safety of others. I will never strike out in anger.
I will dedicate myself to pursuing excellence,
And will avoid anything detrimental to my mental or physical health.
I will strive to maintain my integrity and principles During both good times and bad.
Neither failures nor losses will defeat me, For I possess an indomitable spirit!
I intend to develop myself in a positive manner, and avoid anything that would reduce my mental growth or my physical health.
I intend to develop self discipline in order to bring out the best in myself and others.
I intend to use what I learn in class constructively and defensively, to help myself and my fellow man and never be abusive or offensive.
I have self discipline
I take responsibility for my actions and my attitude
I will use what I learn in class constructively and defensively and will never be abusive or offensive
I will develop myself in a positive manner and will avoid anything that could harm my mental growth or physical health
I am focused. I have speed, power and accuracy
I am dedicated to the dreams and goals that are most important to me
I am excited about my future and will always enjoy improving myself as a martial artist and as a person
This is a Black Belt school. We are on a quest to be our best
You get the idea. Imagine if kids said this everyday before school instead of pledging allegiance to something they aren’t even old enough to understand yet.
Anyway, that’s my two cents on martial arts a productive addition/replacement for PE in schools. I would love to discuss the merits of martial arts more and other possibilities of incorporating martial arts into the school system as well as ways to fund community martial arts schools that are free of charge.
I would also like to posit some of my favorite martial arts proverbs/quotes as a meritorious slogans/mantras:
Steal Sharpens Steal
Only a warrior chooses pacifism; others are condemned to it.
I dislike death, however, there are some things I dislike more than death. Therefore, there are times when I will not avoid danger.
If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril
Use only that which works, and take it from any place you can find it.
Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.
A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.
The nation that will insist upon drawing a broad line of demarcation between the fighting man and the thinking man is liable to find its fighting done by fools and its thinking by cowards.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.
The ultimate aim of martial arts is not having to use them
Weapons are the tools of violence;
all decent men detest them.
Weapons are the tools of fear;
a decent man will avoid them
except in the direst necessity
and, if compelled, will use them
only with the utmost restraint.
Peace is his highest value.
If the peace has been shattered,
how can he be content?
His enemies are not demons,
but human beings like himself.
He doesn’t wish them personal harm.
Nor does he rejoice in victory.
How could he rejoice in victory
and delight in the slaughter of men?
He enters a battle gravely,
with sorrow and with great compassion,
as if he were attending a funeral."
Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching