United States
News:
New Year’s Message
from Chief Master Taejoon Lee
Happy New Year!
Saehaebokmanhee Padusaeyo!
To All my Students, Instructors, and Martial Artists All Across the
Globe;
I wanted to reach out to everyone and wish you a Happy Chinese/Korean
New Year!
This is the year of the Ox or Cow and like the Ox, one should plan
on being more diligent and hard working. One should focus on their
careers and on increasing their economic means. It’s very timely
in our current social/economic climate.
Here’s some trivia I found online:
“Legend has it that in ancient times, Buddha asked all the
animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve came, and Buddha named
a year after each one. He announced that the people born in each animal's
year would have some of that animal's personality. Those born in ox
years tend to be painters, engineers, and architects. They are stable,
fearless, obstinate, hard-working and friendly. Jack
Nicholson, Jane
Fonda, Walt
Disney, and Anthony
Hopkins were all born in the year of the ox.”
“The animal sign Cow in Chinese Horoscope is a female. We prefer
to say 2009 is a Brown Cow Year than Brown Ox or Buffalo Year. Brown
is equivalent to Earth in Chinese Astrology Five Element theory. The
major element in Cow is Earth. It's very clear that Earth comes very
strong in 2009.
Earth is the ground under our feet. The ground is very steady. It
requires lots of energy to make it move. This implies the difficulty
on relying on chance in 2009. Earth is the land. Land is related to
Real Estate property. The major focus in 2009 will be the land related
issues. Hopefully, the Real Estate market will be gradually stable.
Certainly, it's necessary that people put extra effort and time to
work on the problems.”
http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/2009ChineseHoroscope.htm
http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/2009/2009Zodiac.htm
As martial artists this also applies. You should step-up on your
training and be more consistent as that will enhance and multiply
your chances of promotion and just overall skill level. I believe
that there’s one main component to success, HARD WORK! I know
of many talented individuals in all walks of life who are now living
under bridges and/or freeway overhangs.
When an individual knows that they are good at something, they become
complacent and are less motivated to seek for greater improvement.
However, when a person knows that they are not as talented and are
humble, possessing the desire to improve, he/she will work harder
– study an hour longer, do one more set of pushups, read one
more book, skip going out on Friday night and train, jog that extra
mile, work on Sunday, etc.
You get the point…
There are many sayings, clichés that reinforce this important
lesson. Clichés are truths, but they have been made trite and
easily dismissed, going in one ear and out the other. They have been
said so many times and for so long, most people don’t give a
second thought.
But, consider reexamining them. Here are some you may
have heard and some new:
“When you’re not training, there’s
somebody training to kick your a…”
“An empty can makes louder noise.”
“An early bird gets the worm.”
“There’s no finish line in the race toward excellence.”
“The harder you work the luckier your get.”
“Your attitude determines your altitude.”
“The reason why you don’t want to do it is exactly why
you should.”
Fable: In the race between the turtle and the bunny, the turtle won.
Fable: With the ant and the grasshopper, it’s the grasshopper
that dies of hunger.
I have one more that’s neither a cliché nor a fable,
but a true story neither of ancient times nor modern times. It is
a story of today.
Last year I read an interesting editorial, which talked about an
international math exam given to high school students of the top 40
or 50 industrial nations across the globe. South Korea ranked 1st
with United States placing somewhere in the bottom 3, but that’s
not what caught my attention.
After the test, the students were interviewed. When asked, “What
did you think about the test and how did you do?”
All the American kids answered, “The test was not easy, but
I think I did well.”
On the contrary, the Korean kids answered, “The test was not
easy and I am not sure if I did well.”
Imagine, the American kids placed in the last three, but they all
thought they did well whereas the Korean kids were uncertain of the
outcome. In the editorial, “The Big Self-Help Lie,” it
talks about how as a nation we have come to love ourselves, even though
we are terrible at everything or just mediocre.
When my students compete in tournaments, I tell them that you learn
nothing from winning, only gain a bigger ego. It is when you lose,
that you learn – you learn what not to do and discover your
weaknesses. The goal I tell them is not that you win or that you lose,
but at the end of the tournament, you can say, “I did the best
I can.” And, if you did not, then you have lost and failed yourself.
Losing is not fun and it does not feel good, but there lies the lesson.
Not wanting to feel that agony is what will motivate you to do one
of two things – quit or train harder. Of course, the right choice
is to train harder, but that’s not easy and rightly so. It is
worth doing and also it is right, because it is harder. The easy choice
would be to quit and the easy path is what’s usually wrong.
This is why I say that there is no right and wrong; only the strong
and the weak. The strong do what’s right and the weak does what’s
wrong. Of course, we must clearly define what I mean by strong/weak,
right/wrong before one can fully understand, which I will continue
elaborate in upcoming letters and hopefully, in the way of a book
sooner than later.
For now, the message to my beloved students and to my online community
is to work hard and when that fails, as General George S. Patton said,
“… PRESS ON!”
Best wishes to you in this year of the cow.
Hwarang Forever,
Chief Master Taejoon Lee
NO EXCUSES!!!
Please do not disregard. No matter what, please bear it and
read to the end.
When I first opened our school in 1994, we gave
the choice of choosing Tae Soo Do or Hwa Rang Do to the students.
Of course they all chose, Hwa Rang Do even after they were told that
it was more expensive and it was harder. And, most of them never achieved
Hwa Rang Do Black Sash. I think there was only a couple.
Before Tae Soo Do, the 60s through the 80s, a 5
year old student had to start as a Hwa Rang Do white sash and had
to learn 8 basics, a long form, 30 three-step sparring techniques,
2 kicking tests, and had to memorize the entire Hwa Rang Do Mengsae
which included the Nine Doctrines. They did all this for their Orange
Sash test in 4 to 6 months. Compared to now, a 5 year old student
only learns 4 basics, only one of the Hwa Rang Do Mengsae and it takes
them on the average 3 to 4 months.
We now have two programs: Basic Training where one
learns only striking techniques with no weaponry and grappling and
Warrior’s Path which includes everything – striking, weaponry,
grappling. We have no students in Basic Training.
Before our school, we used to have only two classes – one for
juniors and one for adults, 6 days a week. The students came as many
days as they can, averaging at least 3 to 4 days per week. Now, even
with a mandatory attendance of 2 days per week, less than 50% of our
student body meets the 8 classes per month requirement.
What has changed? Did people get dumber? Is global
warming frying our brains? Did people get more lazy? Did time speed
up and so we have less time?
Are there too many distractions? Absolutely…
I have been observing people and their pattern of
living for the last 30 years. What I have learned about human behavior
is through my students and the lessons are many. The countless excuses
and explanations of why they can’t do this or do that from literally
thousands of students for the last 30 years have made me sort of an
expert on the subject.
And this is what I have learned about excuses:
• Everyone has one and they all stink. (There’s a military
version of this.)
• They all think theirs is original.
• They all think the other person doesn’t understand.
• They all say, “I don’t want sympathy, but …”
• They don’t realize that they are wasting the other person’s
time.
• It’s a waste of time to listen to other people’s
excuses because there’s nothing of value.
• One shouldn’t hang around with people full of excuses,
because it’s contagious.
• There is no such thing as a valid excuse because in the end
the validation is not given by the listener, but must be validated
by the self, which of course no self in their right mind would validate;
hence the need for the listener.
• Making an excuse to avoid consequences or trying to make yourself
out to look good is not the same as explanation. Explanations are
given to inform and to improve in the hopes of changing one’s
situation as to not repeat the same offence.
• Giving an excuse is not an apology. An apology starts with
I am sorry. An excuse starts with, but or because.
• An excuse does not waive one’s responsibilities. Because
you missed a class does not waive your responsibility to know what
was taught in that class.
• Time does not repeat, so if you missed something, you must
make it up in a timely manner.
• In the end, the people with the most excuses only hurt themselves
and have lost the most valuable commodity in the universe, TIME.
Yes this might seem a little harsh, but why think
of it any other way. If at the end of reading the bullet points, if
you were able to refute or think that there’s something to refute
because surely there are good excuses, then you’re not in the
right frame of mind. Of course there are always exceptions, but why
waste time thinking about them, especially when it’s not going
help you in a positive light.
Oh, and what about medical excuse. Surely that’s
a valid excuse. If you think this, then your mind is still in high
school. How many times did you make yourself feel sick to convince
your mom so that you can stay home, which didn’t help you in
the long run? You are your own judge and you must self-regulate. You
know when you are too sick or too injured to perform and restrain
yourself from training because you are so eager to get on the mat,
right? Doctors are not gods. They are not always right and they have
to be concerned about malpractice suits. Sure, with a broken arm in
a cast you can’t do things with your one arm, but you still
got one good arm and two legs. Yes, I have been injured. I was bed
ridden for a week after a 50 foot fall onto my neighbor’s concrete
driveway and three weeks later, I made my first film. There was no
way that I was not going to do it. What I did was nothing; be like
Prof. Randy Pausch or Lance Armstrong.
Point being, yes there are medical situations that
limits us, but we can always find a way if we really want it. That’s
the key – how much do we want it! That’s always been the
key, the secret, or whatever other fanciful word you want to use.
The key to unlocking life’s treasure chest is first, knowing
what you want and more importantly, never relenting in its pursuit.
Please realize that time is finite for us, human
beings, as we will all certainly die. The only question is when and
how. We have no control of ‘when’ without being damned
and/or cowardly, so definitely not a choice as a warrior. However,
we can control ‘how’ by focusing on how we will be remembered.
This is my mission, my passion to help others reach
their full potential and get the most out of life.
And, even if you disagree with everything thus far
(which I don’t see how, but I am sure one can find a way), you
must agree that nothing is accomplished by thinking about it. It’s
only through action that anything is achieved. Not just action, but
100% commitment to the action without reservation. One foot in and
one foot out will get you exactly that, one shoe or a pair of mismatching
shoes.
There is so much I want to say and soon I shall,
in the way of a book on life as a warrior is the 21st century. But
for now, I want to get back to what I originally wanted to tell you.
Everyone has an ego and that ego always tells them
that they can do more, be more, and just more of everything. So, they
come to us to do more, to do everything, to participate in one of
the most demanding martial art programs in the world to be comprehensive,
all around, balanced, complete. However, soon after they start training,
they realize that its hard work and the romantic superhero created
by the mind soon diminish as doubt sets in. Often it’s not even
doubt, but one regresses to infancy and just plainly says to the self,
“I don’t like it. I don’t know what it is, but I
don’t like it.” How can they even know that they like
or dislike when they have nothing to compare it to? And, wasn’t
it trying out something new the motivation for starting in the first
place? When doubt sets in, it’s all over. The mind’s imagination
takes over and gives credence to the doubt and sugarcoats the idea
of quitting.
“No, it’s not quitting” and with
that, the gun fires and excuses start racing to see which excuse appeases
the ego most. Please understand that I know this best from self-reflection.
We are all in it together and together we must support what is true
and strong and fight against what is delusional and weak.
This last Saturday’s New Year’s Bootcamp
is a perfect example. Less than 50% of our students participated in
what was a mandatory event. I am sure many who were present were anxious
and frightful of what was to come as I and the Instructors have fed
their imagination throughout the entire week.
“Oh you’re all gonna die,” I said
with a smile. “Hope you guys can make it through without getting
sick.” “I am jump starting you for the entire year!”
etc., etc.
With that we started the class. The class of about
50 students went through everything I could muster. It was reminiscent
of my college years when we conducted a week long hell week, which
was later renamed T&T week for Trials & Tribulations.
This is what they had to do:
• 100 punches/shuffling
• 100 punches/shuffling with 100 climbs in push up position
• 1000 punches, 200 blocks, 100 punch/block combo all in horse
stance
• Approximately 1000 kicks all together
• Punching, parrying, trapping 1000 times
• 20 duck/under pickups on each side
• 400 speed kicks
• Partner training: leg presses, multiple one leg kicking, speed
knees and jumps, ducking, side falls
• 20 forward hip movement drill, forward hip slide several time
across the mat, rear hip slides
• And, 100 group sit-ups… (this is all I can remember
at the moment)
We did all this is 2 hours. Although there were
about half dozen people who had to frequent the restroom, everybody
made it through. Come on, when in your wildest dreams did you ever
think that you can do all that? You can absolutely do more, just like
your ego says, but instead of just thinking it, I am here to help
you achieve it and when you finally do, there will be no need for
the ego.
So, this is my challenge to you for the New Year
and evermore. Don’t think you’re strong – be strong,
don’t think you’re intelligent – be intelligent,
don’t think you’re not lazy – get busy, don’t
think you’re doing enough – do more, don’t get humiliated
– be humble, think less and do more. Remember the more you do
the more you want to do; the less you do the less you want to do.
We have all the classes you need, to be what you
wanted to be when you first started. So, let’s get busy.
Fighting Fit: Tu & Th 8:15pm ~ 9pm – This
class is open to everyone, juniors and adults, and to the general
public. So, you can drag your spouse, your mom or dad, your friends
anytime without joining the full program. This is a great addition
to your training to gain greater knowledge in striking full contact,
build greater stamina and strength.
Bontoogi & Gumtoogi: Sat 11:am ~ 1pm –
This class is a must for all Hwa Rang Do Students and Tae Soo Do Brown
Belts. However, any student can participate with permission. Also,
this class is open to the general public. In this class you will learn
all sorts of weapon fighting with the foundation of Hwarang sword
fencing and stick fighting. Important Note: I must reiterate that
this is mandatory for all HRD students. If you have not yet done so,
start now. The HRD students who do not participate will force me to
take action of negative consequences.
Friday Fight Night – All of you should be
practicing at home, but for additional training with supervision you
can’t pass up Fight Night. First of all, it’s a great
way to form friendships with your student body as it is an informal
setting where everyone is helping out each other. And, it’s
the closest thing you’ll get to a private lesson without paying
for it as it is supervised by Senior Instructors.
So, if you’re up to the challenge and willing
to follow my advice, you will achieve great things in 2009, but most
importantly you will be better.
That’s the best gift I can give you.
With love, Hwarang Forever!
Chief Master Taejoon Lee
West Coast:
A Special New Year’s Bootcamp
“Starting of a New Tradition at the West Coast HQ”
Each year begins with new hopes, a clean slate, lofty goals and
a reservoir of strength, dedication, and potential. Kuksanim’s
goal for this year mirrored his goals for each of the thirty-plus
years he’s been teaching, training, and leading others down
the path of Hwa Rang Do. The special New Year’s Day class he
taught January 3rd reflected his hopes for his students, his beliefs
in love and discipline, and the gift of his art.
Students filed in from the bright California sunshine, filling the
mats with their plans and resolutions for the new year. After bowing
in, the newly re-opened dojang resounded and echoed with the kiaps
and energy of Tae Soo Do and Hwa Rang Do students alike, as Grandmaster
Lee pushed pulled and prodded each participant far past their own
self-imposed limits. From a thorough warm-up, students punched, kicked,
and moved across the mats practicing combinations thereof, following
command after command after command. One student commented afterward
that “if you added up all the kicks I’d done in my lifetime
before that class, they’d only amount to about half of what
we did today!”
Interspersed with the physical exertion of training, or priming our
bodies for the rest of the calendar year (filled with the Musa Challenge,
the Summer Demonstration, the World Hwa Rang Do Championships), Grandmaster
Lee also challenged the intellect, talking about and exhorting us
not to limit ourselves by deciding what we “can’t”
do, and about the excuses human beings make to alleviate the difficulty
of hard work and challenging themselves.
Kuksanim challenged the preconceived notions students held of what
they could accomplish, never relenting in the grueling physical workout,
always calling for fifty more kicks, “point your toes! turn
your hip! full extension!” Flexibility is freedom, and in the
physical and mental exhaustion of the special New Year’s Class,
students found spiritual liberation. The beginning of the new year
is always a delicate time, and the way one begins gives momentum and
credence to the manner in which we tackle life’s daily, weekly
and monthly challenges. As another student put it, “this was
the best class I’ve ever taken!”
The class culminated with all of the students packed in a tight circle,
right legs crossed over neighbor’s left, arms interlinked and
fingers intertwined, in a huge circle of group sit-ups. With Kuksanim
stalking inside and outside of the circle, counting off the higher
and higher number, students were forced to work together, to demonstrate
unity of purpose and action, in order to accomplish something together
than they couldn’t do alone. As they splashed in the puddles
of exertion, pulling themselves and each other up off the mat to give
full-throated counts, they were once again bonded together, and prepared
for the year to come.
Hwarangdo! Hwarangdo! Hwarangdo Forever!
Larry Pershing - Teen TGT Member/HRD Blue Sash
TGT Dinner:
End-Dependency
(Five Stones)
Each month, all of our instructors and assistant instructors, Teuk
Gong Team (TGT), gather for dinner to share ideas and develop greater
bonds. In February, Antonio Goodwin hosted the dinner at his home
in Ladera Heights. The adults were out in the living room, conversing
about our school and students, while the juniors ranging from 7years
old to 11 were in Dominic’s room, Antonio’s son.
After a short while I decided to go check on the children and what
I saw was truly the sign of our times. There were five kids in total
and none of them were speaking, playing, engaged with each other.
They should be playing with each other; that’s what kids do.
I guess not anymore. Each was doing their own thing: reading a book,
playing on a Gameboy, watching a movie on a portable DVD player, playing
with an iphone, etc.
I could not believe what I saw. I had to do something. I said, “What
are you guys doing? Put that stuff down and follow me.”
I proceeded to walk outside as the kids followed, puzzled and somewhat
reluctant. I walked over to a small patch of dirt field (which was
not easy to find) and went hunting for rocks. I found one that was
the size of a marble and I raised it up, “I want you guys to
find rocks about this size.” The kids were even more puzzled,
but soon they were laughing and excited to find a rock that fits the
profile.
“Master Lee, like this one? Is this it?” Each one of
them came over to me to show me what they’ve found. After collecting
a handful of rocks, I picked the best ones and we all went inside.
I cleaned off the excess dirt on the rocks and selected the best five.
I had them all sit in a circle and I taught them Korean jacks, “Gong-gi.”
It’s similar to American Jacks, but a bit more difficult, requiring
greater hand/eye coordination. After I demonstrated what needed to
be done and how to keep score, I had each of them try. It took some
effort, but soon they were getting the hang of it. They were having
a blast, laughing, talking, and engaged in each other’s performance.
I belted, “This is playing. You guys keep it up and if you have
any questions, come get me.” With that, I went back into the
living room.
There in the living room, I also found some of the adults on their
laptops, surfing the web, checking email, etc.
The laughter and the excitement continued to escalate in Dominic’s
room and it soon overwhelmed the chatter in the living room. Some
of them came back out to notify me that they passed another level
with intense excitement in their voices. I was very delighted, yet
perplexed what our children are becoming and where our society is
heading.
With all our advancements in technology, which is supposed to make
our lives easier and better somehow, by providing faster and more
efficient means of doing our work, giving us more time for the real
valuable things in our lives like family, relationships, and self-development.
Right? I mean isn’t that what’s promised to us: faster,
easier, better.
Then, if they have so much more time to do other things than work,
then why can’t my students maintain regular attendance of only
twice per week? 20 years ago, they attended a minimum of three classes
per week and most of the students came every day. We had classes daily
for both children and for adults. Ah, they are doing things that are
more meaningful - like what I ask you? Do they have more enriching
relationships? Do they maintain greater familial bonds? Have they
acquired higher consciousness?
I have heard in Korea there is a contest to see how fast they can
text messages. But, also there’s an epidemic of children not
knowing how to spell words properly because everything is shortened
and abbreviated. I think that’s the same here.
I have had students working in corporate America who spends most
of their time online, chatting, social networking, surfing that has
nothing to do with their work, but they still get paid the same or
more. They are finishing their tasks sooner due to technology, so
they have more time, but is that time being used for something meaningful?
They spend it being distracted, because thanks to the same technology,
being distracted is now that much easier and that much more interesting.
Instead of twiddling their thumbs or spinning their pens, they can
spend their spare time on more interesting distractions like –
youtude, facebook, myspace, twitter, etc. We must reconsider, rethink,
and reorganize how we are managing our work force in this country.
I remember while back Yahoo Magazine did a comparison between using
the Internet or the Yellowpages for finding items for purchase. Almost
at every instance the Yellowpages was faster, but now the Yellowpages
has become a dinosaur. When you are searching online, there are so
many other distractions that you might have first intended on buying
some table settings and come out buying a car.
With all of our advancements in technology we cannot seem to create
anything that lasts. In a documentary by the History Channel, the
question of what would the world be like after human beings. One of
the things that stood out for me is that the world’s ecosystem
would be fine without any human beings and that in a matter of 500
to 1,000 years; all records of our existence would have been erased
completely from the face of the earth, except for some ancient monuments
like the Pyramids of Egypt or the Stonehenge.
Do you not think that with our technology we cannot come up with
anything that lasts more than a few years or find a cure for cancer,
AIDS? Even if we could, do you think we would.
Everything is fast and quick and replaceable with upgrades - new
and improved is the motto. Just recently I lost a phone charger and
went to Best Buy, the all-in-one electronic store which is shutting
down all its competition. They had all kinds of phones but nothing
would work for my phone. Finally, the salesman after digging through
stacks of boxes found one that would work. I belted, “Why couldn’t
they just have one adaptor that fits all?” Of course I knew
the answer, but I needed to vent.
The salesman replied, “They couldn’t make money that
way.”
It irritates me that the newly released movies come out on DVD format
first, a few days before the Blue-Ray. Couple of times I was suckered
into it and bought the DVD because I could not find the Blue-Ray due
to the fact that I do not watch TV and only see films of my choice.
After I have purchased the DVD, the next week I went in, and behold,
I saw it released on Blue-Ray. Now I own the VHS version, the DVD
version, the Hi-Def version, the Blue-Ray version, and let’s
not forget the extended version, the unrated version, and the director’s
cut. I wonder what other versions they’re going to come out
with next. Recycling the same content over and over again in different
formats, newer, improved, faster, smaller, and I am just as guilty
as any other consumer, but of course nothing lasts. Oh BTW, one of
my students who is in marketing told me that there is actually a term
for this and it’s called “Chaos Marketing.”
I remember back in the 80s when the pager was the thing and I remember
how I hated seeing these guys in suits with two-three pagers on their
belts, accompanied by a key chain that would out do any janitor (definitely
overcompensation for some other deficit). Then it moved to hand phones
and the same is true.
I really don’t get too many calls on my hand phone. Just from
my immediate family and in case of emergencies. Recently, I was very
ill and couldn’t think straight and lost my phone for the first
time. I am the guy that had the first cell phone (not hand phone because
there’s no way to fit it in one hand) that was the size of a
small brief case. For about three days I was completely lost and all
day in the back of my mind, I was thinking about my phone. It consumed
me. Finally, I found my phone in my bathrobe pocket. I felt so relieved,
whole again.
I had to sit back and think about this for a bit. How insane is that?
I checked what messages and texts I missed and there were only a few
and nothing that was earth-shattering.
I had a student who was a Harvard Law Graduate who loved gadgetry
and all the stuff of technology and I remember him saying that if
the world lost power and we had to revert to manual mechanisms that
he would come to my dojang. I pride on myself that I am self-reliant
and resilient. That is the foundation of Hwa Rang Do’s training,
but lately I also have been caught up in this dependency to technology;
a physiological, emotional, and psychological dependency that affects
my self-being, our society, our humanity.
Wow, unbelievable! So, when I saw those children in a room together,
all attached to their own gadgetry and not socializing with each other
and playing like kids should, it affected me to my core. And, imagine
- only 5 rocks that cost me nothing brought the greatest joy and unity
to these children.
I believe that all things good and bad are necessary and as a Hwarang
and a warrior/scholar we must learn self-control and utilize those
things around us as well as all aspects of our ‘self’
to maximize our lives and the lives of others. All things good and
bad are necessary and can be useful. However, we cannot gain dependency
to it and we must be our own masters.
At this rate, if the world did run out of power, only the Amish
would reign and we would once again be dependent on something, someone
other than ourselves.
Let’s think for moment: Who does this serve? Who does this
advancement in technology really serve? Does it really serve us, the
people, the common folk? Or, does it serve the wealthy and the powerful?
The disbursement of wealth throughout the globe is getting worse
each day as the percentage of the people possessing the majority of
the wealth is getting smaller day by day.
Look at the absurdity of our existence. Water is a natural resource,
but they put it in a bottle and sell it and we buy it: For what? The
cleanliness and purity of the water so that we can live longer and
healthier? Water is almost 8 times more expensive than gasoline. We
pay over $1 for a 16oz bottle of water and there are 128 oz in a gallon
and at most we only pay $3 for a gallon of gasoline.
The big conglomerates, the big corporations, the multi-billionaires,
and sorry to say governments don’t care of misfortune, disasters,
war, or any other negative impact to society or people, because to
them every situation is an opportunity; an opportunity for greater
economic/territorial gains, and ultimately a means of greater control
of the people.
Why do we have to pay for water and why don’t we just drink
tap water? Because, we have a collective notion that the water is
somehow impure or contaminated due to pollution. This is not Mexico,
and yes I know because I have experienced the Montezuma’s revenge.
And, who created the pollution that contaminated the drinking source
in the first place? Of course, it’s the big companies in the
pursuit of increasing dividends and governments all in the name of
saving tax-payers money. Do you get the picture? They cannot lose.
They will continue to make money and take advantage of every opportunity
to make more money by continuing to create dependencies and creating
new markets, new frontiers to exploit. The real world is not enough
so now we have the world wide web and virtual worlds to exploit. What
will they do next after they pollute the air to the point where it’s
not safe to breathe? They will sell us bottles of filtered air or
oxygen of course (this is happening already).
Our psyche is being controlled and formatted by the media and marketing.
The advertising companies call the daily or weekly shows on TV “The
Filler.” The real content of television are the commercials.
When has faster, quicker, easier been better? The pyramids of Egypt
have lasted for 5000 years and will continue for thousands more. In
the past, if it did not last and was not durable, then it was not
valuable.
The martial arts industry has also been impacted by this type of
thinking. I always say that “you cannot build a fortress out
of marshmallows.” Strength in training, self-discipline and
self-reliance is what creates strength of mind, body and spirit. There
are martial art organizations that market gun and knife disarmament
as their primary method of attracting the public for self-defense.
And, it seems to be working as one of the main keywords in Google
search is now ‘Krav Maga,’ not martial arts, karate, kungfu
or even MMA. Yes, they are doing a great job marketing their product.
However, what they are selling is something that needs some consideration.
Even the most experienced martial artists who have consistently trained
for decades are reluctant to disarm a weapon in a real scenario. More
important than the physical techniques is their ability to maintain
calm and think clearly to create opportunity for escape. But, even
then it’s risky and only should be attempted as a last resort.
A case in point: I was invited to Fort Benning, Ranger School to meet
and instruct some of the most elite law enforcement and military personnel
from Mexico, Central, and South America. There I had the privilege
of having a discussion over dinner with the people in charge of creating
and instructing the Army combative for the entire US Army Corp.
They told me of a story: The Rangers were performing a military exercise
within the small town near the Fort. At the time some of the Rangers
were learning a special hand-to-hand combative system created by some
Hapkido master. One of the Rangers in the exercise was approached
by the town policeman, who at gun point told the Ranger to drop his
weapon, which the Ranger complied. Thinking that this was part of
the exercise, the Ranger sought this opportunity to practice his handgun
disarmament technique on the police officer. Unbeknownst to him, the
policeman was not part of the exercise and as the Ranger attempted
to disarm, the policeman shot and killed the Ranger. Sure, weapon
disarmament is a viable option and there are proper techniques to
increase the odds of success. However, being easy and quick and learn
it in a few months or in a seminar – the chances are as the
military men say, “You learn just enough to get yourself killed.”
The companies all hit a jackpot when we entered into the computer
age. It has become a given, an accepted standard, the norm for things
to become out-dated in a matter of six months to a year and must be
upgraded. How fantastic is that? It’s a never ending market
of continual consumption – create the dependency and continually
supply them with new and improved products that will offer greater
performance and enjoyment. Sounds familiar? This is how drug dealers
push the newest drug on the market. Get you hooked and then offer
better highs.
It’s getting out of control. This type of thinking have infiltrated
into every part of our lives where each individual thinks of only
their own pleasure, personal financial gain, regardless of others.
Or if they do care about others and global social events, then they’re
too busy, too occupied with following someone else’s life or
spending time enhancing their profile and sharing their party pictures
with the rest of the world that they have no time for their loved
ones, their self development, real social issues, and their spirit.
The distractions have become their lives; being constantly connected
to the media 24/7 like an umbilical cord connected directly to corporate
America, the 1% has constant access to your mind and pockets. It is
the Matrix.
It’s appalling to hear what the schools are doing. I laughed
when nursery schools were banning musical chairs and when asked why?
The reply was, “Why should only one kid win and 20 others lose?”
Last time I checked we were a capitalist society and the nature of
capitalism is competition. Now, they are not even keeping scores playing
regular sport games like baseball, soccer, basketball, and football.
That’s just plain silly and I am not laughing anymore.
Not only that, the schools are becoming drug pushers for the pharmaceutical
companies. This is another topic for another time, healthcare in the
US. However, I did want to bring attention about what the schools
are doing to our children. Which in turn is the State and the Federal
Government as a whole.
The nature of children is attention deficit and hyperactive. They
are full of energy and have very little attention span. It is not
a disorder, but the norm. Jim Thorpe, a Native American, who was named
the greatest athlete of the first half of the twentieth century by
the Associated Press and a gold medalist in the pentathlon and decathlon
at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, was challenged to
mimic everything that a two year old child did physically for an entire
day. The 2 year old won and laid Jim Thorpe exhausted. And, this 2
year old was your average kid, not one with a hyperactive disorder.
Of course, some kids may need more attention than others, but by no
means are children in their formative years have a disorder –
they’re just being kids, curious of the world and eager to participate.
So, since technology has helped us to do work in less time, then
parents should have more time to spend with their children, their
family, hence improving focus, channeling of energy and aggression,
and enhance both their intrapersonal and interpersonal development.
Right? Wrong, very wrong. We have become a society of people who feel
entitled to everything good life has to offer, without any sense of
accountability and self-sacrifice. We blame everything wrong to others
and take credit for everything good, however trite and ridiculous
it may be.
The schools, the classrooms are overcrowded as the State and Federal
government continues to cut funding toward our educational system,
which is a short-sightedness that I predict will have dire consequences
in the future. But, who cares right, as long as I am living well now,
what does it matter? It matters a lot if you feel you are part of
humanity, which we all are whether you like it or not, but I guess
that’s one of the problems: we are more connected than ever
with each other, but we feel less humane. Our sense of community has
been diminishing city by city, town by town. I remember one of my
favorite part of the day was walking over to my friends house in the
3rd and 4th grade and walking to school together in not a small Midwest
town, but in the heart of Los Angeles County - Downey, CA. There’s
something awfully wrong when we can’t allow our kids to play
in the streets, walk to school, or be out of our parent’s sight
and ears for any length of time.
When a child in school has problem focusing on his work, not paying
attention, talks too much with others, and forgets what he/she was
told to do (all things that all kids do some more/some less), the
teacher sends the potential problem child to get an evaluation. Once
the evaluation is complete then the parents are brought in to discuss
options and this is how it’s said to the parents, “If
your child has problem seeing, would you not get your child glasses
to see better?”
“Sure,” the parent replies.
“Well, then by medicating your child, he/she will be better
focused, which will increase his/her grades and enhance his/her chances
to get into a good college for a better life,” school counselor.
What parent would not want to help their child by increasing their
chances of doing better in school so that they can get ahead in life?
However, this isn’t a pair of glasses. It’s chemicals
which are altering the child’s mind from normal development
in the most rapidly growing stage of the child’s life. I am
not a scientist or an MD so I will not attempt to get into the negative
physiological affects of medicating children with mind altering drugs
in their formative years, but what I will address is something that
is even more sinister.
I have had a female student (only one of many instances) who was
medicated since elementary school and she is now in her late 30s and
she cannot function without the drugs. And, when faced with the hard
decision of giving up the drugs and rediscovering herself through
hard self-examination and martial discipline posed by me, she chose
to quit and continue to take the drugs. This was after 3 grueling
years of Tae Soo Do training and now embarking on committing to the
Hwa Rang Do way of life for the rest of her life. And what’s
more disturbing, she is also medicating her child who’s only
8 years old.
Ah, you say that she doesn’t fit the timeline. She started
taking the drugs in the early 80s. I think that just goes to show
how long this has been practiced and how much more rampant it is today.
I just had an 18 year old come up to me at my last seminar in Minneapolis
in March of this year, saying, “I have been on all types of
medication since I was 5 years old and after joining Tae Soo Do, I
decided to quit taking the drugs to find out who I really am and see
what’s really wrong with me. Well, it’s been two years
now and I have never felt better in my entire life and I am beginning
to truly get to know who I am.” All we are doing is creating
a pattern of dependency for the rest of lives and once again, who
does that really serve?
How can we blame our kids for not being able to learn? That’s
all they do, is learn from the world around them and by following,
mimicking the actions of others. If a child does not learn or did
not learn, then we have failed as parents, as teachers, as a society.
I thought that cats were un-teachable. I was proven wrong. Recently,
in a variety show, I saw a man who had cats doing what trick dogs
do; jumping through hoops, walking on wire, going across parallel
bars, all on command. I was blown away. I don’t know if you
have ever tried to teach your cat to sit or come on command, but I
have. I had both dogs and cats as pets and believe me dogs are far
easier to teach than cats. I have never successfully taught a cat
to do anything on command, but just let them do what they want, including
petting them. So, when I saw this man having all these cats obey him
and follow his every command, I realized that it was me and not the
cats. So, if he can teach cats, then we can teach our children; don’t
you think?
I don’t mean to demean our children or even humanity by comparing
them to our pets, but only to illustrate how absurd it is for us to
give up on our children and resort to drugging them to be more compliant.
These cats were only getting tasty bits of food for reward and no
drugs to induce compliance. I remind my students that our greatest
weapon, greatest tool is our mind, which is undeniably unique only
to the human race and it is this that we must cultivate. Furthermore,
the greatest advancements in our culture, society, sciences, arts,
and everything in between have been accomplished by people who thought
outside the norm, the status-quo, and challenged conventional thinking.
It is not enough that my country of birth, South Korea, has risen
from the ashes of war and poverty to one of the economic powerhouses
in the world in less than 50 years, which now enjoys the luxury of
giving their children plastic surgery as a high school graduation
gift, making girls look very similar to each other. You marry a girl
because they look so fine and end up having a child that looks nothing
like the cover. Of course, I am being facetious, but it’s not
far from the truth. Now, in my homeland, United States of America,
we drug our children for compliance; appease the children by ridding
competitive spirit; appease the masses by submersion in distractions;
drug the elderly to keep them around a little longer to medicate them
a little longer; and drug the rest of us for being sad or depressed
at times, which of course is not acceptable; and lets not forget being
“Politically Correct” which in effect is a gag order,
preventing anyone from speaking their mind; oh and did I mention that
we are a militant state where the government can arrest and detain
any civilian indefinitely?
I don’t know if the rest of the world is blind or just silent,
maybe appeased and drugged already by the media and our so called
technology, but the few who are in power and possess the wealth are
blocking entry into the elite and continues to expand its market at
exponential rate, thanks to the new technology and globalization.
Better yet, it’s the sharks that are creating more food, more
bate and what’s even worse is that as the food source is diminishing,
it’s creating a smaller, sub-shark that they can cannibalize.
Is this a new phenomenon in our human history? Of course not; it
has always been here as we continually struggle for power, territory,
control and influence. However, the difference now is that due to
our technologies, it has made it easier and faster to globalize and
expand for companies and for nations. I am not interested in blaming
the people in power or organizations of power for doing what they’re
meant to do – survive, thrive, and conquer; or I’ll be
doing the same thing I have been advocating not to do. But, hopefully
they will act responsibly and wisely, which I know is a lot to ask.
I teach that in self-defense one of the most important things is
awareness. To be focused on what’s immediately in front, but
being completely aware of your surroundings. That also applies here.
I am pleading to the world, to our community, to my students to be
informed and aware. Furthermore, in our training we learn that we
cannot control anything outside of the self and the only thing we
have control over is the self. We learn that we are only as strong
as our weakest self. Therefore, we learn to be extremely self-critical,
seek out our weaknesses and fears to overcome them, increasing our
self-control, then and only then can we help others. As I have said
earlier, we are all affected, including me. In the same way we can
live life or be victims to life, we also have a choice here. We can
choose to self-regulate ourselves and control our addictive nature
or we can choose to fall victim to our own ignorance.
I am not advocating complete abstinence. I have never advocated abstinence
in anything as I feel that is not the solution – going to one
extreme has the tendency to build repressed potential energy to swing
to the other extreme. To me as in Hwa Rang Do and as an umyangian,
the answer lies in balance and self-control: being in sync with the
rhythm of the internal self and the external world, with the material
and the immaterial, with the microcosm and the macrocosm. Then, hopefully
we can be in harmony with nature and the universe.
A few months ago, we purchased a cabin in big bear as one of my passions
is snowboarding. Our family, Hwarangdo family, and my nephews spent
the weekend for the first time at the cabin. One of my instructors
Joey Klein, one visiting black sash Brett Spoehr, my 9 year old nephew
Jeffrey Kim and me played PS3. Being a skateboarder during the founding
years when skateboarding took off with the invention of polyurethane
wheels some thirty plus years ago, I enjoy playing ‘Skate’.
We all played together until 4am (would have gone longer if I wasn’t
going boarding in the morning) and had the best time ever. The game
brought together and bonded a group ranging in age from 9 to 40+.
How great is that? As a matter of fact, Joey and Brett could not contain
themselves and broke out into a contagious laughing fit. Soon, we
were all laughing so much our belly ached all next day and managed
to keep our Hwa Rang Do Founder, Dr. Joo Bang Lee up all night. Even
he did not come down and shut us up, as he knew how special it was
to have his martial sons and grandchild enjoy each other company.
I believe there’s a time and place for everything. It is up
to us to utilize all the things life has to offer, all our faculties,
all our God given gifts to get the most out of life by doing and experiencing
all that we can live a full life.
This is one of the best eras in all of history. We have so much information,
knowledge, and technology to unify and join all races, nations, and
people of all ethnic backgrounds, offering the means of living a better
life than ever before. It is my hope that corporations, conglomerates,
and nations utilize their powers to bring greater unity and racial
harmony so that we can move forward by expanding our individual and
collective consciousness to really live life focused on the important,
valuable things – our relationships, humanity, and our relationship
with the infinite. Not continually treating the human race as infantile
children, controlling us with repressive fear tactics and increasing
dependencies, but rather liberate ourselves from the confines and
limitations of material goods, base emotions and greed.
This discourse started with wanting to talk about my kids being attached
to technological gadgetry rather than being attached to each other,
and ended up me spilling my frustrations with our current society.
I am not done and I have much more to say. I hope one day to follow
it up with a book. However, I hope this has at least sparked some
thought and will motivate you to take action.
With love and compassion and the belief that we can change the world
– one person at a time,
Hwarang Forever,
Chief Master Taejoon Lee
A Humble Servant to Humanity
Midwest:
Minneapolis:
National Association of Administrative Assistants hosts
HRD Minneapolis Academy for Self Defense Seminar
When the Minneapolis chapter of the National Association of Administrative
Assistants meets, they usually mix business with something educational.
Perhaps an investment seminar, or something about the need to keep
educated and current with business related skills. However, Thursday
January 22nd, they invited Chief Instructor Dylan Sirny of the Hwa
Rang Do Minneapolis Academy, along with Douglas Cole, who leads the
Seagate Technology Tae Soo Do Club to present a hands-on seminar on
practical self defense. Several of the NAAA members also work at Seagate,
and had either attended one of the two previous seminars Chief Instructor
Sirny had presented there through the on-site Fitness center, or heard
stories about how Tae Soo Do was changing the life and attitude of
one member’s young son.
The seminar began after dinner, and as always, Chief Instructor
Sirny presented the basic concepts of self defense that start long
before any sort of physical confrontation occurs. In fact, true self-defense
executed well prevents physical conflicts from ever occurring. Crossing
the street to avoid walking in front of a dark alleyway may not be
“martial arts,” but in fact it is the first line of self-defense.
Being aware of who is around you, and their behavior and intentions
was the next lesson, with “threat awareness” and concepts
such as Conditions of Readiness discussed.
Of course, it wouldn’t be nearly as interesting a seminar if
they just listened to the basics of awareness based self-defense,
so after covering the basics, Chief Instructor Sirny, Mr. Cole, and
the thirty women who were in attendance helped push all the dinner
tables aside to give us room to work.
Chief Instructor Sirny began the “applications” part
of the seminar by stressing that the point of self-defense was distraction,
escape, and survival, not an MMA-style beat-down of your attacker.
To warm up the group, they first got the chance to learn how to really
shove someone around a bit, pushing Inst Sirny and Mr Cole around
while they were holding large padded targets. After a good deal of
shouting and pushing and good fun, it was time to move on.
The participants learned about the biomechanics of a wrist grab, and
the best way to break a hostile grip. Then the seminar proceeded to
touch on and explain how to attack pressure points and other sensitive
areas to provide that moment of necessary distraction to allow an
escape. Finally, although Chief Instructor Sirny cautioned that these
were more advanced techniques, the basics of joint manipulation and
lock techniques was explained and demonstrated (on Mr. Cole).
As always, the question of the reactions of the demonstration partner
were questioned – as they should be! “Does it really hurt
when he does that on you” is a common question, and it’s
always interesting to re-assure the questioner that, yes, the techniques
are fully effective, and can cause pain and injury in the service
of self-defense. Also, that the partners of the instructors are themselves
trained in both the application of the techniques, and how to suffer
through them safely. Yes, a properly applied technique causes pain;
but the students also control their actions and responses, so there
is never injury.
After the basic demonstrations, Instructor Sirny completed the seminar
by demonstrating some of the more complicated pain compliance and
self-defense techniques for which Hwa Rang Do is justifiably known.
Taking “what if…” questions from the crowd, the
unfortunate Mr. Cole would then attack or grab his instructor, who
would demonstrate some of the simple but effective techniques introduced
in Tae Soo Do and expounded on in the HRD color sash curriculum.
Closing out the seminar, the attendees were very appreciative of
the information they’d learned, and agreed that it was fun,
different, and extremely useful. Hopefully we’ll be seeing each
other again next year!
A Great Day for a
Graduation
The last Tae Soo Do day is the completion of many journeys, and
the beginning of others. It’s a day of trial and celebration
– the day one graduates, the day one becomes a Hwa Rang Do student.
The Semi-Annual Tae Soo Do Black Belt graduation and demonstration
this winter in Minneapolis had Seven juniors completing their Tae
Soo Do journey, and the opportunity to begin the longer, much more
difficult path that is Hwa Rang Do: Quinn Kealey, Skyler Abell, Zachary
Koski, Hunter Hohlfeld , Evan Longenecker , Page Bennett, and Nate
Bennett. This was one of the larger groups of junior aged students
to graduate together since the Minneapolis Academy started. The group
all began training in Tae Soo Do at between five and seven years of
age, and the Minneapolis dojang watched as the children turned into
young warriors as the years progressed.
The entire testing process marked a very long journey for all of
them. The Black Belt test is designed to test the candidate’s
physical prowess, mental composure, and spiritual drive. While the
candidates all receive constant instruction in the basic techniques,
it is up to each of them to make the decision to prepare and drill
for the four-month long test. Each of the four tests calls on the
candidates to demonstrate a particular facet of the warrior spirit.
The first test is one of the most mentally and physically demanding,
asking the students to demonstrate – from memory – all
of the basic kicking and punching varieties and combinations that
they have been studying. This all ends with performing several memorized
kicking and punching combinations performed against the clock: 20
hand techniques and 10 alternating leg kicking techniques all performed
in less than five seconds!
The second test focuses on memory and precision, as the candidates
had to demonstrate their mastery of the Tae Soo Do open-hand forms
performed both as artistic demonstrations as well as back-to-back
against the clock. Also in the second test, the group must demonstrate
their mastery of the ssang-jyel-bong and long staff by performing
those forms as well. Finally, the third curriculum-based test calls
for the students to demonstrate their ability to integrate their knowledge
in a dynamic way, by creating and executing their own self-defense
techniques, including joint manipulation, striking, and take-down/submission
combinations. They also have to perform a response drill, where advance
students attack them, with their eyes closed until the last second,
and they have to instantly respond to unexpected situations.
Their mastery of acrobatics and falling techniques is demonstrated
as well. After all of that is complete, each must point-spar and grapple
not with their peers, but with their big brothers and sisters: Hwa
Rang Do students of all ages and ranks. This always provides an opportunity
for the Tae Soo Do students to realize how much longer the pathway
before them can be! This exhausting trial cumulates with the demonstration
of their mastery of the most difficult and subtle of all weapons:
the sword.
By the time the graduation comes around, the students have been
pushed as hard and far as they can, finding new sources of strength
and perseverance. This test was no different, and the demonstration
showed reserves of skill and precision that were untapped even from
the beginning of the first test 4 months ago. By the time the students
finished their performances, they’d demonstrated forms, advanced
Tae Soo Do self-defense techniques, and a variety of weapon forms
and acrobatic skills. They each finished the demonstration by performing
five board breaks in sequence, including the difficult double-break
combination of the jump-spin/low-spin kicks.
Each proud and tired student received their prized black belt and
certificate signed by Chief Instructor Sirny and Do Joo Nim himself,
as their proud parents and fellow warriors looked on.
The graduation was over, and the students were leaving, and one
student, as always, went around the room saying goodbye to his instructors,
showing his respect by performing the traditional bow. He came to
an adult HRD student, an advanced color sash, standing before him
expectantly. The adult smiled, and said “You don’t have
to bow to me anymore, young man. You and I are the same.” Tae
Soo Do Black Belt, HRD Yellow sash – his smile lit up the room.
A great day.
