Tenets of TaeKwonDo and life

A long time back I wasn't a very nice person. Not even in my own eyes. I thought nothing of seriously hurting people and had almost no value at all attached to life, mine or anyone elses.

One day I saw an ad for King Fu and missed the class starting, it looked pathetic, I watched some fat idiot stroll around barking orders to clumsy students and left unimpressed. I knew people good at King Fu and had even been before and loved it...bad place it was now though.
Eventually I found another club, TaeKwonDo it was as an art...so I went intending to have a look...nope, do it or go away. Beginner night once every 3 months...miss it, come back in 12 weeks. So, I decided to have a go. So did a mate of mine called Mick who was already a week away from his Shotokan black belt (no mean feat since they take theor time ...years). We became firm friends in later years BTW.
That first night impressed Mick, not a sign of any martial art at all...2 hours of fucking pushups situps and any gruelling nasty exercise possible...not aa person finished it among students, but I noticed the instructor and his helpers all did the same as us and all looked comfy...so, it seemed not possible but was. The instructor Bill, he wasn't thin to say the least..another good mate to come as it happened.
One of the first things you learn in TKD is how to behave. It's dangerous, having somone able to smash a brick with bare hands is fun, but having that in a loose cannon is not fun. The way of most martial arts to deal with this is instilling respect and self discipline. Respect yourself, and others and yo're safe to let out in the world with what you learn. ideally the world is safer because of you.

The tenets of TaeKwondo are simple. 5 rules we all live by. This is why we call TKD a way of life...it's not about kicking or punching. Much more than that.

The tenets are as follows:-

Courtesy

1. Be polite.


2. Behave according to etiquette.


3. Encourage a sense of justice and humanity.


4. Respect others possessions.


5. Handle situations with fairness and sincerity.

• Integrity
  
  A student must be able to distinguish between right and wrong. One must have a healthy

  

  conscience and listen to it. One should live by moral principles

Perseverance
Patience and tenacity make perseverance. One must patiently pursue and tireless work toward his/her goal. Confucius said, “One who is impatient in trivial matters can seldom achieve success in matters of great importance.”

Self Control
Self control should be exercised in the dojang and in all aspects of one’s life. To loss control while sparring could have disastrous consequences, causing one’s opponent injury. Self control is necessary in real life self defense

situations, as well. One must control oneself, first, before he/she can take control of a threatening situation.


Indomitable Spirit

The indomitable spirit is modest and honest. It doe not tolerate injustice, and will face the offenders without hesitation or fear, regardless of who or how many it may be.
Confucius said, “It is an act of cowardice to fail to speak out against injustice.”

Boozer me ..and being a leper

As I have said ..booze is neither here nor there to me, but some days it's cool to relax and have a few pints. Can't do that all the time anymore but tonight i have.
Sunday I obviously bugger off home early, because everyone shot off to the pub across the road where I'm not welcome anymore. Home time again.
There is no-one who has been as loyal or behaved as well as I did in my old local but I am the ONLY person unable to go there. A leper basically.
The place will be full of sleazy, drunken, drug taking and dealing disrespectful tossers, they can bust windows, fight, talk and spread gossip, wouldn't dream of thinking of anyone else .....all fine. Welcome boys.
People ask me why i'm pissed off all the time.

3 guesses.

Orange juice..why?

I get asked all the time why I drink orange and soda and not beer like everyone else.

I have a problem that I get few chances to deal with. I also don't know enough and need information to help fix this problem. The person involved in the problem has become intimidating in a way over time and a little scary.

IF I drank I would forget important information or not see subtle stuff that could help me work this person out, both I have done after a few beers.
IF I drank I could get over my caution and do or say something wrong out ofpure frustration and screw up everything completely. I have come close there too since I am on edge a lot and it doesn't take much to break the camel's back when you're drunk.
IF I drank I could miss a chance to do something good, being drunk and having a rare chance at onversation with this other person would be a bad idea. Easier due to Dutch courage, but not wise...and harder to remember. It's too important to risk screwing up.

I don't need booze...don't like being drunk..don't like drunks. A few drinks in moderation or a rare party in good spirits..fine. Habitual drunkeness is pathetic. Common here too.

I drink from time to time to help me sleep when I'm having trouble. Rarely other times...not a zealot or anti-booze, just not for me in excess TYVM. Orange is fine.

It's not cheaper either for those thinking that, you drink a lot faster ...so it's about the same.

No-one steals you drink when you're on orange :)

Somewhere to empty my head.

This is a place I use to empty all the worries and nonsense from my head. Somewhere to keep track of them too for future reference if they ever occur again.

Life has been a real bitch for a few years now, too much to keep in anymore. Hopefully getting it out here will help me make sense and improve things for me and others around me. Can't make things worse anyway.