Martial arts and Self-Esteem
I have been discussing the benefits of martial arts lately; and this post is going in the same direction. For whatever reason, I feel compelled to promote peace and harmony; to remind readers that there are immense benefits of self defense, of course; but that when you also learn martial arts, you gain more insight into tradition and history and peace. With that combination, I believe you quite simply become a better you.
Kids in general have struggles in school, on playgrounds, and on the street. It seems as though they know no other way to deal with their individual internal struggles than to fight; to pick on someone else. For too long now, the behaviors of bullies and angry kids has been written off. When boys act out, we hear “boys will be boys”. To some extent, I believe this to be true. However, I have witnessed that when a boy will learn martial arts, he can experience an internal change that makes him more respectful.
Girls may be different; although we see many more “catfights” today than ever before. I have heard of high school girls fighting right in the classroom or in the middle of the mall. The joke about this behavior is “when you see a girl take out her earrings, you know it’s on”. Does this seem funny or frightening? Of course I believe that a girl has the inherent right to defend herself against violence. That’s why I recommend that they learn martial arts or self defense at a young age.
The difference again, however, lies in the fact that martial arts – traditional martial arts – may teach a little more about internal workings and may lead a girl to a better understanding of herself and what makes her tick. The point again is that to learn martial arts is to possibly learn how to handle the internal conflicts as well as the physical conflicts that may present themselves out in the world. When a child learns traditional martial arts, they stand a better chance of learning to respect others by first learning how to respect themselves. In this process, there is an abundance of self-esteem built.
I love self defense. I teach self defense and I always will. I teach that a bad guy does not deserve your respect; because I believe this is true. If someone seeks to hurt me or my family, I will not stand for it. I will not bow and show respect to someone who aims to cause harm. Outside of those circumstances, however, I hold people in great regard. I respect myself and therefore I respect them. Through this respect, I can seek to deflate situations before I need to utilize actual self defense. I can show understanding and I can live more peacefully.
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