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Post by garage on Feb 17, 2014 15:21:51 GMT
There seems to be a blind belief in western karate that it makes you a better person.
This is despite the Japanese constantly trying to prove this wrong by putting childish comments about how someone did not graduate from a particular class or it was the special class for slow learners from the west. The names of katas changed to accomadate the racist attitude to the chinese.
Why is everyone blind to this?
The dojo kun should have something like:
"it is not possible to be humble when you can kick arse" this is closer to the truth and the petty behavour.
" Do not do as I do, do as I say" etc etc
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Post by dhodge on Feb 17, 2014 18:57:00 GMT
Bert I find it hard to disagree after the past few months
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Post by Allan Shepherd on Feb 17, 2014 19:57:01 GMT
Hi Bert
Cannot speak for anyone else but I was a "better" person even before I started karate or any other activity.
People are not simply better people because they take up karate...you are born a better person in the same way that you are born a not so better person. Takes varying times for the true character of someone to emerge!! Just look at some of the people who have gone before pretending to be "all in the name of karate" when in fact they have used their "position" both inside and outside the dojo to feed ego, sexual appetite, place in life etc.
Best Regards Allan
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2014 21:37:21 GMT
I agree, karate does not make you a better person. For some it will give them the chance to focus on something and it can bring the best out in them. For others it changes nothing, they are still argumentative, bullish. And arrogant.
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Post by kensei on Feb 18, 2014 14:44:12 GMT
the dojo kun does not make you a better person, its job is to set out five rules that are expected of you in Karate. By expected its the "Norm" that the founders felt were important to stated.
Seek perfection of charactor: Used to mean work hard and become as good a person as possible, now means Suck up and be as politically charasmatic as possible so you dont fail your next belt. For me it does not matter how good a friend you are, I will fail you if you dont have your stuff down.
Be faithful: Used to mean not to leave the dojo to go to others, or to help those of your brothers/sisters in Karate when they need help. Now it means dont leave...we need your money! IN my club its a two way street, I help my juniors and students any way I can and expect they would do the same for their other dojo mates.
Endevour to excel: Used to mean push hard to be better. NOw it means you need to be a belt collector. I dont care what your rank is, if you are working at being better at Karate you are succeeding.
Resepct others: This one used to mean "respect others", now it means dont talk back and tow the party line! Respect is a two way street, if an organization or instructor does not resepct me...why should I stick around and pay them money.
Refrain from violent behavior: Used to mean dont use Karate in a violent way...it now means nothing, Fight and argue, act like morons at tournaments and who cares what others think of us, just punch them in the nose. I HATE tournaments ever since it became as violent and stupid as Hockey tournaments. You hit someone in my dojo you get a warning. You do it again you get to spar with me, still have not learned your lesson and hit someone else, the door is that way.
We as instructors need to hold our students to higher standards and ourselves. And if they cross the line you need to punt them out of the dojo.
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Post by garage on Feb 18, 2014 19:29:46 GMT
James are we talking at cross purposes? We are talking about senior instructors not students, who think they are do not have to bother to the higher standards. They behave like spoilt children and think they are above us and show no respect for us or themselves.
students seem to give them a free pass to be racist and behave like brats.
Respect works both ways being good at karate is no excuse to fail as a person.
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Post by kensei on Feb 19, 2014 12:35:14 GMT
James are we talking at cross purposes? We are talking about senior instructors not students, who think they are do not have to bother to the higher standards. They behave like spoilt children and think they are above us and show no respect for us or themselves. students seem to give them a free pass to be racist and behave like brats. Respect works both ways being good at karate is no excuse to fail as a person. Wait, so the students only need to memorize and live up to the Dojo Kun...instructors dont?? My point is that we are all students! We should all evaluate why we teach and train regularly and if Ego or money gets in the way then we need to step back and remember why we started, the joy of TRAINING and not the financial side of it. For about 10 years now I have not taught for money, I volunteer my time to my instructor and the students and I teach for the pure joy of it. I dont expect that they offer me any more respect than I give them and if I ever step out of bounds I have asked many of them to speak up! I try to live life as closely by the Dojo Kun as I can, sounds geeky but I do. I live life with the five lines that my instructor taught me and thats that. Instructors who live as I pointed out, counter to the Kun, have lost all my respect and I dont respect their ranking. Athletes will climb up the ranks and then ego gets in the way when they teach. I dont belive that Karate was meant to be a sport at all and those that are noted as great athletes have my respect...as athletes, but they then need to prove to me that they are worthy of rank and respect as instructors and people. Karate does not really make you a good person, it shines a light on your flaws and if you choose to correct them then it can make you a better person, if your flaws are Ego and poor charactor and you dont learn...it does nothing but make those weak points seem bigger! I can think of many instructors that got worse as they went up in rank...but I blame their instructors for this. I wont help promote those that have big egos in my club and I would much rather send them to other clubs or organizations and away from me. Instructors, seniors, juniors and new people to Karate, The art will make your weaknesses in charactor and technically shine so you can then improve them. If you choose to! Karate wont make you better, only you can make you better, Karate is simply a good tool to find out what you need to work on.
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Post by garage on Feb 19, 2014 13:13:41 GMT
James I aggree with your points and I am sure you live up to them. Clearly there are people that do not consider themselves students. Give themselves titles such as Shihan which translates as master in other words they stop bothering.
Clearly these people do not lead by example as you do and spend there time suspending people from their organisations and treating them as scum who can never approach them on mount Fuji as they are gods and everyone else are mere mortals.
So senior instructors would be heads of organisation not people like us that do it for free.
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Post by th0mas on Feb 27, 2014 14:14:29 GMT
Is this one of those Do vs Jutsu debates?
I think karate does make you a "better" person... but only in the sense that taking up an extra-curricular activity or sport is a healthy thing to do - in terms of psychology, physiology, self-confidence and being marginally more interesting at a dinner party (although that last bit is very debatable according to my wife).
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Post by tomobrien1 on Feb 28, 2014 19:37:21 GMT
Unfortunately we have seen many examples of high ranking martial artists that have been pronion to be bad people. Sadly we have seen it on this forum. If you want to know if I am a good person, ask my wife, family, friends, students, neighbors or co-workers.
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