The Issue of Respect
Put best, if every person on earth lived with more respect (for themselves, for others, for the earth) then we would have no violence; no wars; quite likely even no poverty. But alas, life is what it is and we do live in a world where violence exists. Many people do not live in respect of themselves and others; to the point of many people actually seeking to cause harm rather than do good.
The good news is that the world is a mix of good and bad. Sometimes even good people are pushed to the brink and find themselves doing bad things they would never really intend to do. While stress is no justification for doing harm to any person, it does play a part in why certain crimes take place.
What I would like to point out is that there is a very strong correlation – at least I believe – between martial arts training and respect. Starting so long ago, the martial arts were as much about respect as they were about war. Sure, every form of martial arts contains fighting techniques; but martial arts training typically also touches on the issue of respect.
For instance, when you walk into any dojo, you will witness students bowing to their instructor. You will also witness students bowing to one another before any match. Why? Because they are taught to recognize that those who teach them are to be respected. Furthermore, martial arts students are taught to respect themselves.
Unfortunately, the evolution of martial arts training over the past several years has brought about a change in how respect is taught in a studio, if it is taught at all. It serves any person well, especially the individual who is interested in fighting, or in MMA, to spend some time studying in a traditional martial arts studio.
A traditional martial arts studio is one in which students and instructors can be seen bowing at the door in respect of their training facility. In traditional martial arts training, students are spoken to with respect, called “Mr. Smith”, or “Ms. Smith” instead of by their first names.
Does all of this traditional training really make a difference? Well, based on my assessment of respect in the world at large and the correlation between this and violent crimes, the answer would be yes.
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
