Ego

Egotism is the anesthetic given by a kindly nature to relieve the pain of being a damned fool -Bellamy Brooks

Taekwondo, as well as most other martial arts, is overrun by people with egos that are larger than their intelligence or abilities can support. Since most martial artists, and thus most senior black belts, are male, this egotistical behavior is expressed by machismo. You find instructors who say they support the tenets of Taekwondo and they tell their students to be humble and gracious, but then they act as if they are Taekwondo royalty. An example that comes to mind is Eternal Grand Master H.U. Lee, the founder of the American Taekwondo Association. Lee is only one example, there are many, many more grandiose Taekwondo masters. Being a high ranked black belt or being considered a master of the occupation of Taekwondo is not enough for some; they feel the need to be called grand master, supreme grand master, or eternal grand master. What is next, "Supreme Grand Master of Taekwondo in the Milky Way and Other Galaxies Far, Far Away."

What is a master of an occupation? He or she is merely an expert in the occupation. There are master electricians, master craftsman, master masons, etc. but there are no grandmaster electricians or supreme grandmaster carpenters. In an occupational, master is a description of the skill level of a person who is a expert in that occupation; it is not the person's name. A brick mason may tell people his boss is a master mason but you will not hear the mason calling the boss "master." If a mason did, he or she would probably be looking up at the boss from the ground.

All martial art masters are instructors, since one who has not been an active teacher of a martial arts for many years cannot become a master. A mere practitioner of a martial art cannot become a master in the art. Therefore, a more appropriate title for a senior instructor should be Teacher, Sabum (Korean), Sensei (Japanese), or Sifu (Chinese). Actually, a more appropriate title should be merely Sir or Ma'am or Mr. or Ms. Donald Trump is called Mr. Trump, not Grandmaster of Real Estate Trump.

Having an ego is not a bad thing. Everyone has some degree of an ego; it is what makes us feel unique in a world full of people. An big ego is valid if it is backed up by a lot of talent and ability, but many people maintain a large ego in an effort to hide their lack of talent and feelings of inadequacy. People who know they have an ego are usually not a problem because they try to suppress it, since they consider it a weakness. It is the people who deny having an ego who are a problem. They tend to have large, out of control egos that make the lives of those around them miserable.

Some psychologists believe that individual self-interest is the motive of all conscious action. They call this trait egoism. But this should not be confused with egotism (an exaggerated sense of self-importance).

Egocentric masters look for ways to make themselves appear better than everyone else regardless of the consequences. They wear gaudy uniforms. They make the simplest techniques seem complicated and then proclaim themselves the ultimate experts in the techniques. They seize on every martial arts myth and exploit it to the hilt. They portray traditional arts as the enemy and consider any student that consorts with the enemy a traitor to their art. They tend to hangout with egotistical masters of other arts and, as a group, they consider themselves the true leaders of the martial arts world. They have no authority or power in any other aspect of their lives, so they make themselves the supreme authority in their schools and make students "worship" them.

If you meet any of the "old" masters of martial arts, they wear a basic uniform, they are humble and unassuming, and they offer assistance instead of commanding respect. A true master has a modest ego. Like the true hero who does not think he or she is a hero, a true master does not think of him or herself as a master. A true master thinks of him or herself as merely an experienced teacher who has seen and learned a lot in his or her lifetime and is willing to share this knowledge with others.

If you want to be a great martial artist and maybe even be a master in your chosen art someday, maintain a healthy ego. All masters have egos, but the great ones never show it.

Pain

Pain is only in your mind. An incapacitating injury will prevent you from taking action no matter how much you try. Howecver, an injury that only hurts, but will not be further injured by use, should not be an hindrance to action. You may sit and whine about the pain or you may get up and do something. People with broken legs walk out of the wilderness.

A hiker with an arm pinned under a rock for days cut the arm off with a pocket knife and walked out of the mountains. Professional ball players are expected to play with pain. But there are also people who quit when they get a bruise. You can sit on your butt and complain about the pain or you can suck it up and get going. If you can't stand the heat, stay away from fire.

Those Who Have No Defense, Only Attack

One self-defense axiom is "When you have no useful defense, then attack with vigor!" Ever notice how some people use this in defending their opinions and ideas. When they have no valid defense to back up their thoughts, they attack you and your even daring to question their thoughts and ideas.

Sheep, Wolves, and Shepherds

Some people are sheep, some are shepherds, some are wolves. The sheep have a need to be led and will follow any shepard who will lead them, even it is to slaughter, such as the followers of Jim Jones in Guiana, or the Branch Davidian followers of David Koresh in Waco, or the Heaven's Gate followers of Marshall Applewhite in California. Sheep are not necessarily unintelligent. Doctors, lawyers, and professors are among the dead of cult followers. Some people are wolves who prey on sheep. They are the criminals who only seek to hurt, injure, or kill others for their own benefit. There are no "good" wolves but, thankfully, there are "good" shepherds. There are leaders who genuinely care for others and will guide them to greatness.

Judging Others

The holier than thou's in the world say it is not right to judge others, yet they judge you for judging others. If you do not judge others, you are what is known as a "victim." If you see a guy dressed as a gang member and do not think it is right to judge him as such, and then challenge him by entering his turf to say hello, then you should prepare to meet your final judge.

Followers of the Weird

Thought. Why are there so many ardent followers of weird beliefs, off-the-wall religions, cults, and strange martial art styles. It is because some people feel a need to succeed at something, since they cannot succeed at anything in the real world. To be a success, they have to invent something in which they may succeed. Then they seek other losers to join them. This type of people rejects the normal and accepts the abnormal as being the truth since they feel this will make them feel important. Since there are few followers of the weird and there is little legitimate literature on the weird, it is easy for a loser to become an expert on the weird. The more abnormal something is, the more an idiot will believe it. This is one reason why there are so many "styles" of martial arts.

Secret Arts

When hearing about some ancient, unknown martial art that is the ultimate fighting system, accept it with a grain of salt. If one had a secret punch that could incapacitate with just a poke, or some way of training that would allow a person to take direct punches with no harm, don't you think professional fighters, or player in all kinds of sports, would be using them. A person with this training could make millions as a professional boxer. Use common sense and don't be a sheep that follows a wolf wearing a shepard's robe.